Billy Jones
William Reese Jones (March 15, 1889 – November 23, 1940) was a tenor who recorded during the 1920s and 1930s, finding fame as a radio star on The Happiness Boys radio program. Jones worked in such occupations as mining, banking, and blacksmithing before his 1918 recording debut. He recorded with the Cleartone Four, the Crescent Trio, the Harmonizers Quartet and the Premier Quartet, and he performed under a variety of names (Harry Blake, Billy Clarke, Lester George, Duncan Jones, Reese Jones, John Kelley, Dennis O'Malley, William Rees, Victor Roberts, Billy West, William West, and Carlton Williams). After he met Ernie Hare in 1919, they teamed in 1920 when Brunswick executive Gus Haenschen had them sing an accompaniment on a Brunswick Records recording. They went on to do numerous recordings together for Brunswick, Edison, and other companies. They began on radio October 18, 1921 on WJZ (Newark, New Jersey). Sponsored by the chain of Happiness Candy stores, they were heard on The Happiness Boys program beginning August 22, 1923 on New York's WEAF, moving to NBC from a run from 1926 to 1929. As "The Happiness Boys", they sang popular tunes, mostly light fare and comic songs, and they joked with one another between numbers. By 1928, they were the highest paid singers in radio, earning $1,250 a week. The partnership ended with Hare's death on March 9, 1939. Jones continued to perform, teaming with Hare's 16-year-old daughter, Marilyn Hare, in 1939-40. He died November 23, 1940, in Manhattan, of a heart attack, and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City. Among Jones' hits was "The grass is always greener in the other fellow's yard" which became the theme song of the "Big Brother Bob Emery " a children's program, first on radio, then on TV in both New York and Boston in the 1940s and 1950s. |
Birth and Death Data: Born March 15, 1889 (New York City), Died November 23, 1940 (New York City)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1916 - 1951
Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor vocal, speaker, author, saxophone, tenor saxophone, songwriter, vocalist, lyricist
Notes: Also recorded under the name Victor Roberts.
See Also: Roberts, Victor
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 401-425 of 738 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OKeh | 80131 | 10-in. | 9/22/1926 | By the side of the Omelette Sea | Billy Jones | Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | 80138 | 10-in. | 9/24/1926 | Tuck in Kentucky and smile | The Goofus Five ; Billy Jones | Jazz/dance ensemble, with male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | 80186 | 10-in. | 10/21/1926 | Looking at the world through rose-colored glasses | Sam Lanin ; Melody Sheiks | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | 80187 | 10-in. | 10/21/1926 | Here comes Fatima! (With her ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay) | Sam Lanin ; Melody Sheiks | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80199 | 10-in. | 11/5/1926 | Hello, bluebird | Markel's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80200 | 10-in. | 11/5/1926 | I love the moonlight | Markel's Orchestra | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80202 | 10-in. | 11/8/1926 | If my baby cooks (As good as she looks) | The Happiness Boys ; Dave Kaplan | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80203 | 10-in. | 11/8/1926 | Short an' sweet | The Happiness Boys ; Dave Kaplan | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80217 | 10-in. | 11/18/1926 | Do-do-do | Hotel Sylvania Orchestra of Philadelphia ; Vincent Rizzo | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80218 | 10-in. | 11/18/1926 | Clap yo' hands | Hotel Sylvania Orchestra of Philadelphia ; Vincent Rizzo | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80232 | 10-in. | 12/1/1926 | Elsie Shultz-en-heim | Billy Jones ; Dave Kaplan | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80233 | 10-in. | 12/1/1926 | I found a million dollar baby (In a five and ten cent store) | Billy Jones ; Dave Kaplan | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80398 | 10-in. | 2/7/1927 | The coat and pants do all the work (And the vest gets all the gravy) | The Happiness Boys | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80399 | 10-in. | 2/7/1927 | I loved the college girls | The Happiness Boys | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80438 | 10-in. | 2/17/1927 | I've never seen a straight banana | The Happiness Boys | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80439 | 10-in. | 2/17/1927 | That's my hap-hap-happiness | The Happiness Boys | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80507 | 10-in. | 3/8/1927 | Old timers medley waltz | Bar Harbor Society Orchestra ; The Happiness Boys | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W80508 | 10-in. | 3/8/1927 | Old timers medley waltz | Bar Harbor Society Orchestra ; The Happiness Boys | Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W81969 | 10-in. | 12/28/1927 | Poor Lizzie | The Happiness Boys | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | W81970 | 10-in. | 12/28/1927 | I scream—you scream—we all scream for ice cream | The Happiness Boys | Male vocal duet, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | [OK cat 4347-A] | 10-in. | approximately 1921 | Oh they're such nice people | Billy Jones | Male vocal solo, with orchestra | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | [OK cat 4860-A] | 10-in. | approximately Apr.-May 1923 | Little Rover | Billy Jones | Male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | [OK cat 4870-A] | 10-in. | approximately May 1923 | South Sea eyes | Billy Jones | Male vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | [OK cat 40600-b] | 10-in. | Jan.-Jun. 1926 | The village blacksmith owns the village now | The Happiness Boys | Male vocal duet | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
OKeh | [OK cat 40600-A] | 10-in. | Jan.-Jun. 1926 | Wimmin aaah! | The Happiness Boys | Male vocal duet | vocalist, tenor vocal |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jones, Billy," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109631.
Jones, Billy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/109631.
"Jones, Billy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Jones, Billy, 1889-1940 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no93019431
Wikidata: Billy Jones - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q4912815
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/320148996089759751445
MusicBrainz: Billy Jones - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b575c167-df18-4018-b3fd-cbba2f9a6ef2
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