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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 451-475 of 720 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick 5121-5122 10-in. approximately Mar. 1921 I like it Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 5334-5335 10-in. approximately Apr. 1921 Down yonder Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 5336-5337 10-in. approximately Apr. 1921 Nestle in your daddy's arms Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 6082-6083 10-in. approximately July 1921 Mimi Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 6096-6098 10-in. approximately July 1921 Down at the old swimmin' hole Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 6286-6287 10-in. approximately Aug. 1921 Ten little fingers and ten little toes Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 6309-6310 10-in. approximately Aug. 1921 Ain't you coming out, Malinda? Billy Jones Male vocal solo and male vocal trio, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 7793-7794 10-in. approximately Mar. 1922 Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 7796-7797 10-in. approximately Mar. 1922 In the little red school house Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 8548-8549 10-in. approximately Aug. 1922 Mary dear Billy Jones Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 8621-8623 10-in. approximately Aug. 1922 All over nothing at all Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 8624-8626 10-in. approximately Aug. 1922 If you don't think so, you're crazy Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 8867-8870 10-in. approximately Oct. 1922 Christmas morning at Clancy's Steve Porter Comic dialogue speaker  
Brunswick 9210-9211 10-in. approximately Nov. 1922 Down by the old apple tree Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 9212-9213 10-in. approximately Nov. 1922 Lost (A wonderful girl) Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 9274-9276 10-in. approximately Nov. 1922 Nellie Kelly, I love you William Reese ; White Way Quartet Male vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 9866-9868 10-in. February 1923 You tell her, I stutter Cotton Pickers ; Billy Jones Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 9887-9890 10-in. 2/10/1923 Faded love letters Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 9891-9894 10-in. 2/10/1923 My mother’s lullaby Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 10062-10065 10-in. 3/6/1923 You know you belong to somebody else Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 10259-10261 10-in. 4/3/1923 Barney Google Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 10262-10264 10-in. 4/3/1923 I love me Billy Jones Male vocal solo, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 10311-10313 10-in. 4/9/1923 No one loves you any better than your M-A-double-M-Y Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick X10962-X10964 12-in. 6/28/1923 Naughty Marietta Light Opera Chorus Mixed vocal chorus, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 11389-11391 10-in. 9/21/1923 That old gang of mine Benny Krueger’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet vocalist, tenor vocal  
(Results 451-475 of 720 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Jones, Billy," accessed April 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109631.

Jones, Billy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/109631.

"Jones, Billy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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