Billy Jones & Ernest Hare :
"THE HAPPINESS BOYS"
Lovingly Toasted by that
Happiness Man himself,
Barry "Dr. Demento" Hansen
Tenor William Reese Jones (born 3-15-1889, NYC) and bass-baritone
Thomas Ernest Hare (born 3-16-1883, Norfolk, VA) were both well-established New
York studio vocalists when they formed a duo in 1921, reportedly at the
suggestion of Brunswick recording executive Gus Haenschen. For the remainder of
the decade they recorded frequently for all the major companies, often doing
the same tune for two or more labels. They soon moved into radio where they
became known as The Happiness Boys after their first sponsor, The Happiness
Candy Co. They also appeared on radio as The Interwoven Pair, sponsored by
Interwoven Socks, though they do not appear to have recorded under that name.
Their earlier records did, however, appear under several pseudonyms as well as
variant forms of their own names (like "Hare and Jones"). Meanwhile,
both continued recording as soloists: Jones until ca. 1926, Hare a few years
longer. Both also recorded in groups, such as the Premier Quartet on Edison.
Their phonograph career ended in 1930 but they continued to appear together on
radio until Ernest Hare's death at 55 on March 9, 1939. Billy Jones died at 51
on Nov. 23, 1940.
BILLY
JONES & ERNEST HARE - Disc One
all
tracks on this CD credited thusly unless noted.
01 Ten
Little Fingers And Ten Little Toes (Down In Tennessee)
(Pease-White-Schuster-Nelson) Actuelle 020646A v+ scr.
02 Dapper Dan (Brown-Von Tilzer) Actuelle 020646B v+
03 Singin' In The Bathtub (from "Show of Shows")
(Magidson-Washintgon-Cleary) Piano Acc. Dave Kaplan (19206-1) Ba 0550-A e-
04 I've Never Seen A Straight Banana (--) (550) Bwy 1063-A BJ & EH -
THE HAPPINESS BOYS v+
05 All She'd Say Was "Umh Hum" (Zany-Emery-Van-Schenck)
(4689-2) Br 2063-B v
06 I Like It (Irving Berlin) (5121-2) Br 2085-B v+
07 Down At The Old Swimming Hole (Wilson-Brennan) (6069-1) Br 2126-A e-
08 Ten Little Fingers And Ten Little Toes (Pease-White-Schuster-Nelson)
(6286-2) Br 2140-B e-
09 Eddie Leonard Blues (Stanton) (7057-3) Br 2187-A BJ & EH with
CARL FENTON'S ORCHESTRA v+
10 Oh My-Yes (Austead) Br 2654-A v
11 The Big Butter And Egg Man (Friend-Santly) Br 2654-B v-
12 On My Ukulele (Herscher-Morris-Parish) Br 2791-A THE HAPPINESS BOYS -
BJ & EH Acc. by THE RADIO TWINS - Phil Ohman and Harry Reser v-
13 How Do You Do (Fleming-Harrison-De Voll) Br 2791-B as #12 v-
14 Wreck On The Southern Old 97 (Whitter) Br 2857-A CARL FENTON'S
ORCHESTRA - VC by BJ & EH v=
15 The Old Grey Mare (Panella) Br 2857-B as #14 v-
16 What Do You Say, Boys (Cal-De Voll) Br 2863-B e- sco
17 Who Takes Care Of The Caretaker's Daughter (Endor) Br 2888-A BJ &
EH - Piano by Phil Ohman - Banjo by Harry Reser v
18 If You Knew Susie (De Sylva) Br 2888-B as #17 v-
19 The Farmer Took Another Load Away! Hay! Hay! (Leslie-O'Flynn-Vincent)
Br 2965-A CARL FENTON'S ORCHESTRA (BJ-EH not credited) v+
20 The King Isn't King Any More (Leslie-Monaco) Br 2965-B as #19 e-
21 Pardon Me (Von Tilzer-Terker-Heagney) Br 2974-A as #17 v+
22 Happy-Go-Lucky Days (Wilson-Brennan) Br 2974-B as #17 v+
23 Does The Spearmint Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Over Night? (Rose-Bloom-Breuer)
Cameo 504 e transfer by Mike Kieffer
24 Too Tired (Little-Sizemore-Shay) (1192A2) Ca 623 HARE AND JONES v
25 How Do You Do (Fleming-Harrison-Rick) (1193B1) Ca 623 as #24 rough
26 I Miss My Swiss (My Swiss Miss Misses Me) (Gilbert-Baer) (1639A2) Ca
803 THE HAPPINESS BOYS (Hare and Jones) worn
BILLY JONES
& ERNEST HARE - Disc Two
BILLY JONES & ERNEST HARE (The Happiness Boys) on 18- 26 Other
artist credits as noted.
01 Where Do You Work-a, John? (Weinberg-Marks-Warren) (2259B1) Cameo
1079 THE HAPPINESS BOYS (Hare and Jones) v-
02 The Fire Brigade (Snyder-Bryan) (2260B2) Ca 1079 as #01 v-
03 C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-O-P-L-E (Harry Carlton) (3174) Ca 8238 THE
HAPPINESS BOYS (Dave Kaplan at Piano) v+
04 When You Wore A Tulip And I Wore A Big Red Rose (Wenrick) Champion
15541-A BLACK AND WHITE v+
05 I Never See Maggie Alone (Tilsley-Linton) Ch 15541-B as #04 v+
06 Down At The Old Swimming Hole (--) (C705-1) Cleartone P103 e crack
07 Barney Google (Rose-Conrad) (80967-2) Co A3876 v+
08 Old King Tut (Von Tilzer) (80968-2) Co A3876 v+
09 Ko-Ko-Mo (Dave Dreyer) (81280-2) Co 26D v-
10 It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo' (Wendell Hall) (81562-3) Co 87-D v
11 So This Is Venice! (From "Ziegfeld Follies") (Harry Warren)
(81563-2) Co 87-D v+
12 Go 'Long, Mule (Henry Creamer-Robert King) (81905-2) Co 194-D v-
13 She Loves Me (Lew Brown-Austin Egen) (81906-3) Co 194-D v
14 Sweet Onion Time (Duncan Sisters-Coslow) (140229-3) Co 332-D e
15 Collegiate (Brown-Jaffe-Bonx) (140723-1) Co 410-D e-
16 I Miss My Swiss (Baer-Gilbert) (140724-2) Co 410-D e-
17 Pardon Me While I Laugh (Heagney-Von Tilzer-Terker) (140927-1) Co
457-D e- crack
18 My Cutey's Due At Two-To-Two Today (Robin-Von Tilzer) (142391-2)
Co 700-D v+
19 How Many Times? (Berlin) (142392-2) Co 700-D v
20 Where Do You Work-a, John? (Weinberg-Marks-Warren) (143363-2) Co
875-D e-
21 Bridget O'Flynn (Where've Ya Been?) (King-Sterling) (143364-3) Co
875-D e-
22 Crazy Words - Crazy Tune (Ager-Yellen) (143641-4) Co 941-D v+
23 I Gotta Get Myself Somebody To Love (Handman-Lewis-Young) (143642-2)
Co 941-D v-
24 Ask Me Another (DeSylva-Brown-Henderson) (144083-2) Co 1010-D v
25 You Never Get Nowhere Holding Hands (Johnson-Strum-Ness) (144084-1)
Co 1010-D v
26 Since Henry Ford Apologized To Me (Stamper-Rose-McDonald) (144561-2)
Co 1110-D v+
BILLY JONES
& ERNEST HARE - Disc Three
BILLY JONES & ERNEST HARE (The Happiness Boys) on 01-10, 18-21 Other
credits as noted
01 You Can't Walk Back From An Aeroplane (So What Are You Girls Gonna
Do?) (Bibo-Friedlander) (144802-2) Co 1141-D e-
02 Who's That Pretty Baby? (Heath-Marr) (144804-3) Co 1141-D e
03 She'll Never Find A Fellow Like Me (Archer-O'Keefe) (146266-3) Co
1373-D e-
04 She's The Sweetheart Of Six Other Guys (King-Johnson) (146267-2) Co
1373-D e-
05 Mr. Hoover And Mr. Smith (King-Magidson) (146765-3) Co 1483-D e
06 He's Our Al (Von Tilzer-Brown) (146766-3) Co 1483-D e-
07 A Gay Caballero (Crumit) (147727-2) Co 1692-D e water damage, 1st
:30
08 All By Yourself In The Moonlight (Wallis) (147728-3) Co 1692-D e- water
damage, 1st :30
09 Show Me The Way To Go Home (Irving King) (6263-1) Domino 3622-A Piano
Acc. Dave Kaplan v+
10 That Certain Party (Kahn-Donaldson) (6264-3) Do 3622-B as #09 e-
11 Operatic Syncopation (Harriman-Egan) (8339B) Ed 50917-L e
12 Barney Google (Billy Rose-Con Conrad) (8923A) Ed 51155-R e-
13 Old King Tut (In Old King Tutenkhamen's Day) (Harry Von Tilzer)
(8929C) Ed 51155-L e
14 Hard Boiled Rose (Al Dubin-Jimmy McHugh-Irving Mills-Irwin Dash)
(9557B) Ed 51357-R e-
15 He Looks At Her And Then He Goes Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha (Ray Henderson)
(9558A) Ed 51357-L v+ stripped grooves near start
16 Oh You Can't Fool An Old Hoss Fly (Blanche Franklyn-Nat Vincent-Harry
Von Tilzer) (9758A) Ed 51415-R v
17 Oh You Can't Fool An Old Hoss Fly (Blanche Franklyn-Nat Vincent-Harry
Von Tilzer) (9758B) Ed 51415-R e
18 Hokey Pokey Diddle Dee-Rum (Cliff Hess-Wendell Hall) (10706) Ed
51677-R e-
19 I Wish't I Was In Peoria (Billy Rose-Mort Dixon-Harry Woods) (10756A)
Ed 51677-L v+
20 Sing Katie (But Leave The Piano Alone) (Billy Tracey-Dan Dougherty)
(11091A) Ed 51802-R with Dave Kaplan at the Piano e
21 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes from the "Cocoanuts" (Irving
Berlin) (11092A) Ed 51802-L as #19 e
22 Down At The Old Swimming Hole (Wilson-Brennan) (41898-1) Emerson
10427 e-
23 Then I'll Be Happy (Friend-Clare-Brown) (141296-2) Harmony 69-H v-
BILLY WEST and BOB THOMAS
BILLY JONES
& ERNEST HARE - Disc Four
BILLY
JONES-ERNEST HARE on 09-16 Other credits as noted
01 Sleepy Time Gal (Lorenzo-Whiting) (141297-2) Harmony 69-H BILLY WEST
and BOB THOMAS worn
02 Hi-Ho The Merrio (As Long As She Loves Me) (141254-2) Ha 177-H as #01
v+
03 To-Night's My Night With Baby (Meyer-Buttenuth-Caesar) (141255-3) Ha
177-H as #01 v+
04 Gotta Big Date With A Little Girl (Tobias) (146436-3) Ha 665-H v
05 That's My Weakness Now (Green-Stept) (146437-2) Ha 665-H v-
06 Crazy Words--Crazy Tune (Yellen-Ager) (737-1) Homestead 16348-A WEST
and THOMAS v-
07 The Farmer Took Another Load Away (--) (6145-2) National Music Lovers
1129-B JOS. ELLIOTT and SAMUEL SPENCER e+ crack
08 The Pump Song (--) (6561-3) NML 1159-A DAVID HARRIS and ERNIE SPENCER
rough
09 I Like It (Irving Berlin) (7867-B) OK 4325-B v-
10 Ten Little Fingers And Ten Little Toes (Down In Tennessee) (H.
Pease-J. White-I. Schuster-E. G. Nelson) (70212B) OK 4456-A e-
11 Mr. Gallagher And Mr. Shean (Ed. Gallagher-Al. Shean) (70638-B) OK
4608-A v
12 You Tell Her--I Stutter (Billy Rose-Cliff Friend) (71014B) OK 4756-B
v-
13 Down By The Old Apple Tree (Al Wilson-Jas. A. Brennan) (71092B) OK
4756-A v-
14 Oh! Gee, Oh! Gosh, Oh! Golly, I'm In Love (Ernest Brever-Ole Olson)
(71638-A) OK 4928 REGA DANCE ORCHESTRA-Singing Chorus by BJ-EH v
15 What Has Become Of Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo? (Al Dubin-Jimmy
McHugh-Irving Mills-Irwin Dash) (72518A) OK 40128-A v
16 Jump Fritz (I Feed You Liver) (Mack Henshaw-Joe Manuel-Harry Jentes)
(72557B) OK 40140-A e-
17 I've Never Seen A Straight Banana (Waite) OK 40775-A HAPPINESS BOYS
(BJ & EH) with Piano by DAVE KAPLAN v+
18 That's My Hap-Hap-Happiness (Johnson-Tobias-Sherman) OK 40775-B as #17
v+
19 The More We Are Together (Irving King) (799-2) Oriole 887 (a) as #06
v-
20 Down By The Old Apple Tree (Wilson-Brennan) (70012) Perfect 12041-B
HARRY BLAKE and ROBERT JUDSON Acc. by Royale Trio e-
21 Jimbo Jambo (Vincent) (70013) Pe 12041-A as #21 v
22 Don't We Carry On! (Danks-Friend-Clare) (70139) Pe 12054-A HARRY
BLAKE and ROBERT JUDSON e-
23 What Does The Pussy Cat Mean When She Says "Me-Ow" (Nelson-Pease)
(105206) Pe 12117-B e-
24 Since Henry Ford Apologized To Me (McDonald-Rose-Stamper) Pe 12378 v
25 She Don't Wanna (Yellen-Ager) Pe 12378 B v
26 Barney Google (Con. Conrad-Billy Rose) (183) Puritan 11236-B v- JONES
AND HARE
27 Ain't You Comin' Out Malinda? (Sterling-Moran-Von Tilzer) Regal 9119
B "SKEETER" SIMS & HENRY BELMAR v
BILLY JONES
& ERNEST HARE - Disc Five
All
Victors on this disc credited to "The Happiness Boys - Billy Jones-Ernest
Hare - Dave Kaplan at the piano" unless otherwise noted. Others credited
as noted below.
01 You Don't Like It--Not Much (Miller-Kahn-Cohn) (7498-2) Regal 8404-A
BILLY JONES and ERNEST HARE (THE HAPPINESS BOYS) Piano Acc. Dave Kaplan e+ hairline
crack
02 Who's That Pretty Baby? (Heath-Marr) (7499-3) Re 8404-B as #01 e hairline
crack
03 Where Do You Work-a, John? (Weinberg-Marks-Warren) (108B) Romeo 320-A
THE ROMEO BOYS e
04 If You Want To Miss A Heaven On Earth Stay Out Of The South (Harold
Dixon) (2940A) Ro 613 THE HAPPINESS BOYS (Jones and Hare) v+
05 Collegiate (Brown-Jaffe-Bonx) (6087-1) Silvertone 2577-A JONES &
HARE e-
06 The Farmer Took Another Load Away (Leslie-O'Flynn-Vincent) (6145-2)
Sil 2577-B as #05
07 Oh! Eva (Ain't You Coming Out To-night?) (Clarke-Leslie-Warren) (-2)
Vi 19340-A with orchestra v+
08 Hard Boiled Rose (Dubin-McHugh-Mills-Dash) (-3) Vi 19340-B as #07 v
09 I Miss My Swiss (from Balieff's "Chauve-Souris"
(Gilbert-Baer) (-4) Vi 19718-A e+
10 As a Porcupine Pines for Its Pork (Walsh-Paganucci) (-1) Vi 19718-B e
11 Pardon Me (While I Laugh) (J. Von Tilzer-Terker-Heagney) (-2) Vi
19760-A e
12 Pretty Puppy (Con Conrad-Saul Bernie) (-3) Vi 19760-B e-
13 There Ain't No Flies on Auntie (W. Van der Decken) (-3) Vi 19848-B v+
14 That Certain Party (Gus Kahn-Walter Donaldson) (-5) Vi 19865-A e
15 Why Aren't Yez Eatin' More Oranges? (from Cal-i-for-NI-ay) (Glarence
Gaskill-Lew Brown) [sic] (-1) Vi 19865-B e
16 What! No Women? (Meskill-Ness-Bloom-Sturm) (-2) Vi 19973-A e
17 The Village Blacksmith Owns The Village Now (Leslie Moore-Johnny
Tucker) (-3) Vi 19973-B e-
18 She Knows Her Onions (Yellen-Ager-Pollack) (-1) Vi 20208-A e-
19 It Won't Be Long Now (Howard Johnson-Irving Bibo) (-1) Vi 20208-B e
20 That's My Hap-Hap-Happiness (Johnson-Tobias-Sherman) (-2) Vi 20500-A rough
21Cock-a-Doodle I'm Off My Noodle (Ferguson-Johnson-Sherman-Tobias)
(-2) Vi 20500-B rough
22 When Lindy Comes Home (George M. Cohan) (Written for the
Hearst Papers) (-2) Vi 20741-A v
23 You Don't Like It--Not Much (Miller-Kahn-Cohn) (-3) Vi 20756-A e+
24 Oh Ja Ja (Frisch-Osborne-McConnell) (-2) Vi 20756-B e
25 Since Henry Ford Apologized To Me (Stamper-MacDonald-Rose) (-1) Vi
20925-A e+
BILLY JONES
& ERNEST HARE - Disc Six
01-10
credited to "The Happiness Boys - Billy Jones-Ernest Hare - Dave Kaplan at
the piano". 11-15 credited to The Happiness Boys (Billy Jones-Ernest
Hare). 16-18 as Billy Jones & Ernest Hare, accompanists as shown below.
01 Pastafazoola (Sabini-Clark-Van-Schenck) (-3) Vi 20925-B e
02 Henry's Made A Lady Out Of Lizzie (Walter O'Keefe) (-2) Vi 21174-A e-
03 It's In The Bag (Chas. Tobias-Al. Sherman) (-2) Vi 21174-B e-
04 Must You Wear A Moustache? (Abner Silver) Vi 21529 transf. from
"X" LP LVA-1008
05 Giggling Gertie (Dreyer-H. Tobias-C. Tobias) Vi 21529 transf.
from "X" LP LVA-1008
06 "Mr. Hoover-Mr. Smith" (Bob King) (46604-2) Vi 21607-A e-
07 Sing, Sister, Sing (Howard Johnson) (46605-3) Vi 21607-B e-
08 Where Did You Get That Name? (Bob Miller-Lew Klein) (-2) Vi 21797-A
e-
09 Etiquette Blues (Gayle Grubb) (-1) Vi 21797-B e
10 Twisting The Dials - Part 1 (B. Jones-E. Hare) (-2) Vi 35953-A e
11 Twisting The Dials - Part 2 (BJ-EH) (-2) Vi 35953-B e
12 She Has A Little Dimple On Her Chin (McConnell-Osborn-Bibo) (-2) Vi
22087-A v+
13 Who Cares Anyhow (Charles Midgley-Fred Van Cleve) (-3) Vi 22087-B e-
14 Sergeant Flagg And Sergeant Quirt (I'll Tell The Cock-Eyed World)
(-2) Vi 22150-A e+
15 I Can't Sleep in The Movies Any More (Fields-Hall-Van Cleve) (-2) Vi
22150-B e
16 You Tell Her - I Stutter (Rose-Friend) Acc. by Selvin's Orchestra Vo
A 14449 e-
17 Flamin' Mamie (Rose-Whiteman) Piano by Phil Ohman - Banjo by Harry
Reser Vo A 15178 v
18 How She Loves Me Is Nobody's Business (Gaskill-Mills) as #17 Vo B
15178 v+
19 Hard Boiled Rose (Dubin-McHugh-Mills-Dash) transf. from
"X" LP LVA-1008
20 Where Did You Get That Name? (Bob Miller-Lew Klein) transf.
from "X" LP LVA-1008
21 She Has A Little Dimple On Her Chin (McConnell-Osborn-Bibo) transf.
from "X" LP LVA-1008
22 "Mr. Hoover-Mr. Smith" (Bob King) transf. from
"X" LP LVA-1008
10-11 - This 12" disc must have been one of the first to use
"samples" from other records...some Sousa, Ernest Stoneman (unissued,
I'm told), some opera, some Greek music and some hot jazz. Can anyone identify
'em all?
19-22 For these items, where my 78s aren't the cleanest, I've also included the
transfers on "X" LVA-1008 - pretty good ones for 1954.
These CD's comprise all the duet recordings I was able to round up at this
time, regardless of condition. There are probably a few more hiding in dark
corners of the Demento Archives.
