Sailing Away on the Henry Clay

The Fralinger String Band has been a trailblazer within the String Band division, with many “firsts” to its credit. The band was one of the first to introduce the saxophone, now the predominant instrument among String Bands, and was the first to use vocalized harmony in its musical performances. Fralinger was also the first String Band to emulate brass instrument sounds with reed instruments (1971), the first String Band to feature the “Big Band” sound (1972) and the first String Band to explore the Dixieland Jazz music genre (1973). Of local distinction, Fralinger was the first String Band to receive the Philadelphia Mayor’s Achievement Award (1973) and the first to appear in a major Hollywood film (“Blowout”, featuring John Travolta in 1981).

Since 1914, it has been a pleasure for many generations of Fralinger members to perform and delight audiences of all ages. We hope this tradition of Philadelphia Mummery and Fralinger entertainment excellence continues well into the 21st century.