Whitey Kaufman's Original Pennsylvania Serenaders

Formed by banjo player Whitey Kaufman possibly as early as 1920-1921, the Original Pennsylvania Serenaders made their first test recordings with Victor in August 1922 (then still only a seven-man ensemble) and released their first records on that label in 1923 (by then, they had grown to ten members, joined for a March 1924 recording session by vocalist Elliot Shaw). By 1925, the band had added a third saxophonist, Dirk Leslie, so that it featured eleven instruments: violin, 3 saxophones, 2 cornets, trombone, tuba, banjo, piano, and drums. Band members included: Reece Henry (trumpet & cornet), Americus Bono (trumpet), Mike Holder (3) (trombone), Johnny Gibbs (2) (clarinet, alto sax), Walter Ashby (clarinet, tenor sax), Dick Leslie (2) (clarinet, alto sax, from March 1925), Whitey Kaufman (banjo, leader), Vincent Pierce (piano, from March 1924 for sure), A. A. Rockwell (tuba, from March 1924 for sure), Harry Johns (2) (drums), unknown violin.