The roots of easy

"And, so, we've observed (aurally) that acres-of-strings easy listening existed in all of its massed magnificence at least as early as 1939. But where did it come from? Are there yet earlier examples of easy-esque pop? Music that was taking the EZ way out as far back as, oh, 1923? ..."
Lee teaches us a few things about The Roots Of Easy (and has eleven very pleasant audio examples by Paul Whiteman and other early soft swinging band leaders and arrangers).