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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 476-500 of 720 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Brunswick 11439-11441 10-in. 9/26/1923 Little pal of long ago Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 11547-11549 10-in. 10/5/1923 Last night on the old back porch Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 11928-11929 10-in. 11/20/1923 Hot roasted peanuts Gene Rodemich’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 11942-11945 10-in. 11/22/1923 Dream daddy Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 12007-12009 10-in. 11/30/1923 So this is Venice! Benny Krueger’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 12347-12349 10-in. 1/22/1924 Down by the wishing well Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female-male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 12380-12381 10-in. 1/25/1924 Whose Izzy is he (Is he yours or is he mine?) Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 12382-12384 10-in. 1/25/1924 It ain't gonna rain no mo' Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 12403-12405 10-in. 1/28/1924 There's nobody else but you Benny Krueger’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 12576-12578 10-in. 2/27/1924 Why did I kiss that girl Benny Krueger’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 12707-12708 10-in. 3/20/1924 Sugar (Baby o' mine) Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 12929-12931 10-in. 4/19/1924 What has become of hinky dinky parlay voo? Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 12932-12934 10-in. 4/19/1924 A thousand miles from here Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13227-13229 10-in. 6/6/1924 Where is that old girl of mine? Ray Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13230-13232 10-in. 6/6/1924 I didn’t care (‘Till I lost you) Ray Miller Orchestra Jazz/dance band vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13406-13410 10-in. 6/26/1924 I want to be happy Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal quartet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13450-13453 10-in. 6/30/1924 Ray and his little Chevrolet Benny Krueger’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13484-13486 10-in. 7/8/1924 Mexicali Rose Castlewood Marimba Band Marimba band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13513-13515 10-in. 7/10/1924 The big butter and egg man Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13516-13517 10-in. 7/10/1924 Oh! My! Yes Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Male vocal duet, with orchestra vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13551-13554 10-in. 7/16/1924 I want you back, old pal Abe Lyman’s California Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13602-13604 10-in. 7/24/1924 Charley, my boy Victor Arden ; Benny Krueger’s Orchestra ; Billy Jones ; Phil Ohman Jazz/dance band, with male vocal solo and 2 pianos vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13701-13703 10-in. 8/8/1924 Go ‘long mule Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 13704-13706 10-in. 8/8/1924 The animal fair Carl Fenton’s Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
Brunswick 14189-14191 10-in. 11/12/1924 Oh, you can’t fool an old hoss fly Carl Fenton’s Orchestra ; Ernest Hare ; Billy Jones Jazz/dance band, with male vocal duet vocalist, tenor vocal  
(Results 476-500 of 720 records)

Citation

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

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

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

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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