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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 326-350 of 720 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
OKeh S-71944 10-in. October 1923 Nobody else can love me like my old tomato can Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72076 10-in. November 1923 Syncopated opera Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with ukuele vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72125 10-in. November 1923 Say it with a ukulele Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones ; Harry Reser Male vocal duet, with ukulele vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72126 Not documented Nov. 1923 [Unknown title(s)] Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with ukulele vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72171 10-in. Dec. 1923 So I took the fifty thousand dollars Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72172 10-in. Dec. 1923 The little wooden whistle wouldn't whistle Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72315 10-in. Feb. 1924 Whose lzzy is he (Is he yours or is he mine) Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72326 10-in. Feb. 1924 I love the girl who kisses (I hate the girl who don't) Hotel Pennsylvania Orchestra ; Vincent Lopez Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72363 10-in. Feb. 1924 So this is Venice! Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72423 10-in. Apr. 1924 What does the pussy cat mean when she says "Me-ow"? Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72456 10-in. Apr. 1924 Red Nose (Where did you get that nose?) Frank Ferera’s Trio ; Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with instrumental trio vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72481 10-in. Apr. 1924 If I stay away too long from Carolina (I may find somebody else with Caroline) Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72511 10-in. 5/8/1924 Big boy! Billy Jones ; Lanin's Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72518 10-in. May 1924 Hinky dinky parlay voo? Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72557 10-in. May 1924 Jump Fritz (I feed you liver) Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72558 Not documented May 1924 [Unknown title(s)] Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72623 10-in. June 1924 I want a phos phos Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72693 10-in. July 1924 Tune in on L-O-V-E Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72694 10-in. July 1924 Ray and his little Chevrolet The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72703 10-in. July 1924 Oh—my—yes! (Us girls must have our fun) The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with ukulele vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72712 10-in. July 1924 Skin-a-ma-rink-a-rink-a-ree Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72828 10-in. Sept. 1924 No one knows what it's all about The Happiness Boys Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72844 10-in. Sept. 1924 Me and the boy friend Hotel Pennsylvania Orchestra ; Billy Jones ; Vincent Lopez Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72845 10-in. Sept. 1924 Dreamer of dreams Hotel Pennsylvania Orchestra ; Billy Jones ; Vincent Lopez Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
OKeh S-72852 10-in. September 1924 Oh, you can't fool an old hoss fly Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
(Results 326-350 of 720 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jones, Billy," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109631.

Jones, Billy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109631.

"Jones, Billy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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