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An architectural student, Frank Winegar organized a college dance band at the University of Pennsylvania in 1922. It was through Ted Weems that the opportunity came to play the Arcadia Ballroom in 1924 as the "Peppy Collegians." In 1927, several jazz-oriented players were added to the band, replacing the student musicians, with a successful return to the Arcadia and other bookings to follow. After the band played at its peak in 1928, it was reorganized in 1929, due to irregular bookings, with many original members joining Jimmy Durante to play vaudeville, clubs and later, films. Frank Winegar continued to front a band into the 1930s and beyond, including a stint in the early 1930s for the CBS radio network.