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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 651-675 of 720 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Edison 10418 10-in. 6/3/1925 New York ain't New York any more Billy Jones Male vocal solo and male vocal ensemble, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10426 10-in. 6/10/1925 The farmer took another load away! Hay! Hay! The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10505 10-in. 7/17/1925 How's your folks and my folks (Down in Norfolk Town) The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10565 10-in. 9/9/1925 The old grey mare The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10577 10-in. 9/16/1925 Pardon me ha-ha-ha-ha-ha while I laugh The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10608 10-in. 10/1/1925 Speech! The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10627 10-in. 10/9/1925 I would rather be alone in the South The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10705 10-in. 12/2/1925 Show me the way to go home The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10706 10-in. 12/2/1925 Hokey pokey diddle dee-rum The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10756 10-in. 1/6/1926 I wish't I was in Peoria The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10814 10-in. 2/4/1926 How I love her and she loves me is nobody's business The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10826 10-in. 2/11/1926 What! No women? The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10837 10-in. 2/18/1926 In my gondola The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10839 10-in. 2/19/1926 Wimmin aaah! The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10907 10-in. 4/5/1926 Spring is here The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10925 10-in. 4/13/1926 It don't do nothing but rain The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10961 10-in. 5/6/1926 The pump song The Happiness Boys ; Dave Kaplan Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10962 10-in. 5/6/1926 The lunatic's lullaby The Happiness Boys ; Dave Kaplan Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 10998 10-in. 5/24/1926 Hi-diddle-diddle The Happiness Boys ; Dave Kaplan Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 11091 10-in. 7/7/1926 Sing, Katie (But leave the piano alone) The Happiness Boys ; Dave Kaplan Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 11092 10-in. 7/7/1926 Gentlemen prefer blondes The Happiness Boys ; Dave Kaplan Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 11236 10-in. 10/6/1926 Elsie Shultz-en-heim Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 11237 10-in. 10/6/1926 For no good reason at all Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 11318 10-in. 11/18/1926 Schultz is back again (With his boom, boom, boom) Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Edison 11331 10-in. 11/23/1926 Short an' sweet The Happiness Boys ; Dave Kaplan Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, tenor vocal  
(Results 651-675 of 720 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jones, Billy," accessed May 16, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109631.

Jones, Billy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 16, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109631.

"Jones, Billy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109631

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