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, 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, and York, PA. They played for
Franklin D. Roosevelt'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 studio for the Miller Brothers' new
Palda Records. Their recording of "
Four Leaf Clover" was picked up for national distribution by
King Records. The profits from these Ferko records would later enable the Miller brothers to launch the career of
Bill Haley. In May 1948, the band appeared on the cover of
Billboard, 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. 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", charting as high as position 15. By the late 1950s the band was funded by the
Continental Baking Company. Founder Joseph A. Ferko died in 1964. ==Performance style==