Originally led by pianist Byron H. Warner "Warner's Seven Aces" began as the most popular of several hot dance outfits active in Atlanta, Georgia during the early 1920's. After making their first recordings for the Okeh label in 1923 the band gradually grew from consisting of seven musicians to include eleven. For this reason they would be comically billed as "Warner's Seven Aces, All Eleven of Them". In 1925 the band produced their very first electrical recordings for Columbia. By this time in addition to improved sound quality the group had also developed into a true jazz band by definition offing plenty of improvisational solo work in their performances. That same year the assembly was taken over by clarinet player, violinist, and singer Ralph Bennett, but despite the change in leadership their popular name stuck.