Roland Hayes
Roland Wiltse Hayes (June 3, 1887 – January 1, 1977) was an American lyric tenor and composer. Critics lauded his abilities and linguistic skills demonstrated with songs in French, German, and Italian. Hayes’ predecessors as well-known African-American concert artists including Sissieretta Jones and Marie Selika were not recorded. Along with Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson, Hayes was one of the first to break this barrier in the classical repertoire when in 1939 he recorded with Columbia. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Georgia, Died January 1, 1977 (Boston)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1917 - 1937
Roles Represented in DAHR: tenor vocal, composer, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | CS-98637 | 12-in. | 1/14/1936 | Lord, I can't stay away | Marian Anderson ; Kosti Vehanen | Contralto vocal solo, with piano | composer | |
| Victor | BS-Test-2501 | 10-in. | 7/1/1936 | Auch kleine Dinge | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | BS-Test-2502 | 10-in. | 7/1/1936 | Wonne der Wehmuth | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | BS-Test-2503 | 10-in. | 7/1/1936 | Lemme shine | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal, arranger | |
| Victor | [Trial 1917-11-19-01] | Not documented | 11/19/1917 | A spirit flower | Roland Hayes | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1923-11-09-01] | 10-in. | 11/9/1923 | I'm so glad trouble don't last always | Roland Hayes | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1923-11-09-02] | 10-in. | 11/9/1923 | Arietta | Roland Hayes | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1927-05-04-02] | 10-in. | 5/4/1927 | The crucifixion | Roland Hayes | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1927-05-04-03] | 10-in. | 5/4/1927 | Little David | Roland Hayes | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1927-05-04-04] | 10-in. | 5/4/1927 | Du bist die Ruh | Roland Hayes | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Victor | [Trial 1927-05-04-05] | 10-in. | 5/4/1927 | Der Jüngling an der Quelle | Roland Hayes | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Columbia | 62050 | 10-in. | approximately 12/17/1917 | Swing low, sweet chariot | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Columbia | 62281 | 10-in. | 5/4/1918 | Arioso | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Columbia | 62282 | 10-in. | 5/4/1918 | Twilight | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Columbia | 91012 | 10-in. | 6/15/1918 | By and by | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Columbia | 91502 | 12-in. | 5/25/1918 | Steal away to Jesus | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Columbia | 91503 | 12-in. | 5/25/1918 | Una furtiva lagrima | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Columbia | 91508 | 12-in. | approximately 5/26/1918 | Sollenne in quest'ora | Roland Hayes | Tenor vocal solo | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Brunswick | E5158-E5160 | 10-in. | 5/20/1927 | Lord, I can’t stay away | Violet Harmony Singers | Female vocal chorus | composer | |
| Brunswick | C7799 | 10-in. | 5/26/1931 | Swing low, sweet chariot | Roland Hayes | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Brunswick | C7837 | 10-in. | 5/26/1931 | Go down Moses | Roland Hayes | Male vocal solo, with piano | vocalist, tenor vocal | |
| Gramophone | 0LA2188 | 10-in. | 11/2/1937 | I can't stay away | Marian Anderson ; Kosti Vehanen | Contralto vocal solo, with piano | arranger |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hayes, Roland," accessed December 11, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104262.
Hayes, Roland. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/104262.
"Hayes, Roland." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 11 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Roland Hayes
Discogs: Roland Hayes
Allmusic: Roland Hayes
Grove: Roland Hayes
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Hayes, Roland, 1887-1977 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83127096
Wikidata: Roland Hayes - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3440096
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/211622
MusicBrainz: Roland Hayes - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/e269a73d-c867-419f-8ace-f5382677b665
Fast: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/114170 - http://id.worldcat.org/fast/114170
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