Mike Pingitore

^[1]Michael "Mike" Pingitore (or Pingatore; October 14, 1888– October 30, 1952) was a member of Paul Whiteman's Orchestra.^[2] Whiteman discovered him playing tenor banjo and he became part of the rhythm section for his newly-formed band for the Alexandria Hotel in Los Angeles (later known as the original Whiteman band),^[3] playing there for its entire existence (1919–1948) except for a brief period in 1923 due to illness.^[3] Pingitore played banjo on Art Mooney's "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover", which was a number one hit on the Billboard magazine pop chart in 1948.^[4] He was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame in 2005.^[5]

Mike Pingitore
Background information
Born	October 14, 1888 San Francisco, California, U.S.
Died	October 30, 1952(1952-10-30) (aged 64) North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Banjo
Years active	1919–1948

See also

• Banjo Hall of Fame Members