The Georgians - 1923-1924

The first small group to be drawn out of a big band and exist interdependently was the Virginians, which included members of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra in the early '20s. The second one was the Georgians, musicians who were part of Paul Specht's commercial big band. Based at the Hotel Alamac, each night when the main ballroom closed and the regular job was over, the Georgians performed for dancers at the Alamac's nightclub, the Congo Room. Starting in December 1922, the Georgians recorded an excellent series of sides that lasted into 1924 (the first 24 of which have been reissued on this Retrieval CD) . The Georgians were a hit when they visited England with Specht in 1923 but the group broke up in 1924.