John Anthony Wilfahrt, (May 11, 1893 – June 15, 1961), the eldest son of John Wilfahrt and Barbara Portner, was a professional polka musician who recorded with Vocalion and from 1934,

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

. He went by the moniker "Whoopee John." He was inducted into the International Polka Association's Hall of Fame in 1976. Wilfahrt was born in

New Ulm, Minnesota New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,120 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brown County. It is located on the triangle of land formed by the confluence of the Minnesota River and the Co ...

and got his start playing the concertina at local gatherings and concerts in and around his community. In the 1920s Whoopee John and his band relocated to

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

where they became regulars at live shows and on the radio. Wilfahrt first began recording commercially in the 1920s and signed with the newly formed U.S. division of

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

in 1934 as the label's second act. (The first act signed to the label was

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

.) "Whoopee John" Wilfahrt and his band enjoyed popularity through the 1940s and 50s on the polka circuit. Over the course of his professional career Wilfahrt recorded nearly 1,000 songs, the most popular being “Mariechen Waltz” and “Clarinet Polka.” He died in 1961 at age 68 years of a heart attack.

References

Sources

"Some Wilfahrt Tales" by Jeff Wilfahrt, 1998, on record with Brown County Minnesota Historical Society.
John Wilfahrt biography
- International Polka Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilfahrt, Whoopee John People from New Ulm, Minnesota 1893 births Musicians from Minnesota Polka musicians 1961 deaths 20th-century American musicians