Whitey Kaufman

American banjo player and band leader (born September 5, 1899 Lebanon, Pennsylvania – died March 19, 1984 Lebanon, Pennsylvania) Kaufman was the son of the owner of a men's furnishing store in Lebanon, PA. After high school, he worked as a highway inspector. In 1920, he briefly enrolled at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA, but dropped out after one year. The reason may be the success of the band he seems to have formed while still in college. The Original Pennsylvania Serenaders went on to perform all over the country, even in New York, Miami, Chicago, and on the West Coast. In August 1922, Whitey Kaufman's Original Pennsylvania Serenaders made their first test recordings with Victor. Between 1923-1927, Kaufman recorded more than two dozen sides with that label, first with the Original Pennsylvania Serenaders, from October 1925 with an outfit called Whitey Kaufman & His Orchestra that included many new musicians.