Billy Jones (4)

American tenor (born March 15, 1889 in New York, NY – died November 23, 1940 in New York, NY). After working in mining, banking, and blacksmithing, Jones had his recording debut in 1918. In 1919, he met Ernest Hare. In 1920, he and Hare recorded their first duet together for Brunswick. By October 1920, they sang together on WJZ radio in Newark, NJ. In August 1923, they got their own show, sponsored by the Happiness Candy chain of stores, on New York City's WEAF radio, called "The Happiness Boys". On this show, Jones and Hare sang popular and often comic songs of the day, alternating with joking banter in between. Between 1926 to 1929, the show was carried on the NBC network. In 1928, Jones and Hare were the best-paid entertainers on radio, making $1,250 per week. Jones made hundreds of recordings for companies including Brunswick, Columbia, Edison, Okeh, Victor, and many smaller labels. He sang solo, as a duet with Hare (until Hare's death in 1939) and sometimes others, such as Ada Jones or Gladys Rice. He also frequently performed as part of larger vocal ensembles, such as the Cleartone Four, the Harmonizers Quartet, and occasionally the Shannon Four and the Premier Quartet. Moreover, he recorded not only as Billy Jones, but also under a wide variety of aliases (see below).