The Joseph A. Ferko String Band or Ferko String Band is a perennial performer in Philadelphia's

Mummers Parade The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia. Local clubs (usually called "New Years Associations" or "New Years Brigades") compete in one of five categories (Comics, Wench Brigades, Fancies, String Bands, and Fancy Brigades). ...

. They gained national popularity through their hit recordings in the 1940s and 1950s.

History

In 1914 pharmacy student Joseph A. Ferko asked the owner of Fralinger's Drugs to sponsor a string band in the Mummers parade. The request was granted, and Ferko led the "Fralinger String Band" for several years, placing third in their 1915 attempt but winning in 1920. The "Ferko String Band" had its beginnings in 1922. Ferko left the Fralinger pharmacy in 1921 to open his own establishment. He led the "North Philadelphia String Band" for the 1922 parade, but later that year founded his own band, co-founded by Walter Butterworth and Charles Keegan. Ferko first won the string-band division in 1927 with an entry entitled "Cards." The 1929 incarnation not only won the event, but it was estimated that its parade float was the largest ever up to that point. In addition to the Mummers Parade, Ferko also has a long history of performing in various parades and special occasions within the United States, Canada, as well as places far away as France and Hong Kong. Although Ferko has always been primarily purposed for Philadelphia, highlights of 1929 contests culminated in top placement in contests in New York, Atlantic City, Baltimore,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, and York, PA. They played for

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's 1933 Presidential inauguration. Although Philadelphia string bands had been exclusively a "male's club", in 1935 Joseph Ferko started a ladies' auxiliary which brought women into club activities. This action influenced other string bands to follow suit, although female participation in the actual parade was almost non-existent until the late 1970s. In 1947 they began recording sessions at the

WIP WIP or WiP may refer to: Political parties * Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta, a political party in Alberta, Canada * Western Independence Party of Manitoba, a former Canadian provincial political party * Western Independence Party of Sas ...

studio for the Miller Brothers' new Palda Records. Their recording of "

Four Leaf Clover The four-leaf clover is a rare variation of the common three-leaf clover. According to traditional sayings, such clovers bring good luck, though it is not clear when or how this idea began. One early mention of "Fower-leafed or purple grasse" is ...

" was picked up for national distribution by King Records. This prompted Paul Miller to commission new songs specifically for Ferko. One of the resulting songs, "Heartbreaker", became a national hit, in part thanks to the 1948 musician's strike because as amateur musicians, they were not covered by the

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, ...

. The profits from these Ferko records would later enable the Miller brothers to launch the career of Bill Haley. By Spring 1948 Billboard estimated they were among the top 25 musical attractions in 5 out of 8 national regions, and most popular in the Southeast United States where they ranked number 18 among all musical acts. In May 1948, the band appeared on the cover of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', in which it was announced that they had sold more than 350,000 records for Palda, and that their theme song "Hello", written by bandmembers Harry Leary and Robert Traub, was selected for use at the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

. Their 1955 recording of " Alabama Jubilee" sold more than 1 million records. The group found popularity in Germany in 1956 with a recording of "

Happy Days Are Here Again "Happy Days Are Here Again" is a 1929 song with music by Milton Ager and lyrics by Jack Yellen. The song is a standard that has been interpreted by various artists. It appeared in the 1930 film '' Chasing Rainbows'' and was the campaign song for ...

", charting as high as position 15. By the late 1950s the band was funded by the

Continental Baking Company The Continental Baking Company was one of the first bakeries to introduce fortified bread. It was the maker of the Twinkie and Wonder Bread. Through a series of acquisitions and mergers it became part of the former Hostess Brands company. His ...

. Founder Joseph A. Ferko died in 1964.

Performance style

The band typically has around 60 performing members, but recorded performances can involve anywhere from a couple dozen to a couple hundred participants. The age of group members is wide-ranging, known to encompass members from 15 to 80 years old. Performances consist of familiar tunes arranged specifically for the band. Instruments used include accordion, banjo, bells, drums, Glockenspiel, guitar, mandolin, saxophone, and violin The details of musical balance are largely ignored yet often achieved. The elaborate costumes are such essential part of the performance that a 1995 theft of the apparel caused the cancellation of several shows. Marching maneuvers are a typical part of the presentation.

Appearances in film and television

The Ferko String Band can be seen briefly in the movie '' Miracle on 34th Street''. They have also appeared on the television shows ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

'', ''

The Jackie Gleason Show ''The Jackie Gleason Show'' is the name of a series of American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970, in various forms. ''Cavalcade of Stars'' Gleason's first variety series, which aired on the DuMon ...

'', '' To Tell the Truth'' and ''

I've Got a Secret ''I've Got a Secret'' is an American panel game show produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman for CBS television. Created by comedy writers Allan Sherman and Howard Merrill, it was a derivative of Goodson-Todman's own panel show, ''What's My Line ...

'', with host Gary Moore'', and Today''.

Controversy

The group's 2013 performance aroused controversy when their theme for the year alluded to

blackface minstrelsy Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

in a performance entitled "Ferko's Bringin’ Back the Minstrel Days". The performance celebrated the music of Al Jolson and his contributions to early American music and theater. This performance was criticized by some, for the portrayal of performers within a vaudeville act, including the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

professor of Africana Studies Guthrie Ramsey, among others.

Philadelphia Mummers Parade results

Discography

Singles

Albums

* Circa 1956 — '' 'Happy Days Are Here Again' '', Somerset Stereo—Fidelity - 33rpm 12" LP. Reissued on CD in 1990 on Alshire.

References

External links

*
The Ferko String Band performs at 98.1 WOGL (December 22, 2011)
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1922 Musical groups from Philadelphia Parades in the United States 1922 establishments in Pennsylvania