Ted Weems

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Bandleader Born Wilfred Theodore Weems on Sept. 26, 1901 in Pitcairn, PA

Ted Weems rose to fame in the 1930s and '40s with such song hits as "Heartaches."

Weems gave such vocalists as Perry Como their start in show business.

Weems attended the University of Pennsylvania and, while still in his youth, organized his first band.
During the 1930s — the celebrated golden era" for bands — Weems' orchestra played in hotels and ballrooms throughout the country.

Following a tour of duty with the Merchant Marine during World War II, Weems returned to the world of music and hit his stride.

His peppy dance music, a vague precursor of the Lawrence Welk style that found its enthusiastic audience among the "mature set," increased in popularity during the late 1940s, a time when most of the nation's big bands were on the wane.

Some of his popular songs were "The Martins and the Coys," "The Toyland Band," "Jig Time," and "The One Man Band."

— Los Angeles Times May 7, 1963