O'FAKE, PETER

O'FAKE, PETER. Society dance-band leader (1820 in Newark, New Jersey; 23 January 1884 in Newark). Self-taught, he learned to play violin and flute well enough to enter a professional career. He began playing in public during the 1840s and in 1847 performed on a concert of the Jullien Society in the city of New York. His society orchestra played for the balls of the aristocracy in Newark and nearby places, and during the summer months he played at such resorts...