Sailing into the immense library of recorded music and archives of the past two centuries, we discover remarkable and astonishing information about how music was recorded, the technology used, the popular tunes of the era, how much artists were paid, opera and classical music were rarely recorded in the 1890s because the early recording technology was not good enough to do justice to the wealth and treasure of classical works, mezzo-sopranos and contraltos were more recorded than sopranos, what was considered pop, serious music and trend…why opera singers were accompanied only by piano, and not by an orchestra…and stories about  female singers who were discouraged from recording because the “female voice” was so refined for the crude level of the recording technology.

The early recording artists in America                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Photo: Tenor Billy Jones with bass-baritone Ernest Hare.

The Most Highly Paid singers of the era: Billy Jones and Ernest Hare

In 1919, Billy Jones, tenor (March 15, 1989-November 23, 1940) and Ernest Hare, bass/baritone (March 16, 1983, March 9, 1939) met and created “The Happiness Boys”, and maintained a business office at 1674 Broadway in New York City. They reached the height of their fame in 1929. Strangely enough, they recorded so many tunes under so many names such as “The Interwoven Pair”, Thomas & West, Henry Jones & Billy West, Lester George & Walter Lange, and Blake & Judson, and nobody knew why!? Finally, they decided to use “The Happiness Boys”, because in August 1923, the Happiness Candy Stores who sponsored them on New York station WEAF, felt “Happiness” is very a propos and the new name came to life. In 1929, Jones and Hare became the highest paid singers on the air and received $1,250 a week. Billy Jones made his recording debut in 1918. He recorded with several groups, including the “Crescent Trio”, the “Cleartone Four” and at one time, he managed to replace the legendary Bill Murray in Edison’s early recordings. Ernest Hare made his recording debut in 1918. For two years (1919 and 1920) Hare was Al Jolson's understudy in "Sinbad."He recorded under so many different names such as Robert Judson, Walter Lang, Bob Thompson, Arthur Grant, Bob Thomas, Henry Jones, and Roy Roberts, and God knows why! Jones and Hare were a perfect match. Both had an operatic voice. Their first record was “All She'd Say Was Umh Hum” and became a hit in no time. In the spring of 1921 Jones and Hare recorded “I Like It” for Okeh Records and became an instant hit. By 1924 the “Happiness Boys” adopted "How Do You Do?" as their radio theme song. They continued to work on radio until 1932. By the end of 1932, their popularity faded away, and they vanished from the face of the earth.

BILL MURRAY (1877-1954)                                                                                                                                    

Photo: Bill Murray.

He was the top recording star of the early 1900's. Billy Murray was one of America's best-selling recording artists during the phonograph era. In his heyday, Murray was known as “The Denver Nightingale.” He was one of the most innovative and prolific singers who could sing comic songs, patriotic tunes, jazz, sentimental songs and ragtime. He had a very long list of hits, including “Yankee Doodle Boy” and recorded with giants of the era such as Ada Jones, Vernon Dalhart, George W. Johnson, Joe Venuti and Paul Whiteman. Because he was an expert in acoustics, and since microphones were not in use yet, Murray took advantage of his acoustic expertise and strong voice to record the most powerful and clearest songs of his time. Back then, recordings had to be done acoustically using a horn. Soft sounds did not come clear. Singers had to have a powerful, strong and clear voice to reach the needed volume required during playback. Murray had all the vocal assets to achieve these results. This is what made his style so powerful and distinctive. In 1897, Murray, along with Matt Keefe, made his first wax cylinders for the Bacigalupi Brothers. Later on, he joined the Al G. Field minstrels as a blackface singer and dancer. In the 1920s, new styles invaded the world of music, and microphones replaced the acoustic horns. Consequently, the tender and soft singing style referred to "crooning," became a favorite. Murray’s powerful singing style was no longer en vogue. His popularity waned. The legendary Billy Murray is no longer a headliner. Instead of remaining the ultimate solo singer, Murray began to sing in duets and contribute vocal refrains to dance bands. Billy Murray's death came suddenly on August 17, 1954, while he was attending Guy Lombardo's production of "Arabian Nights" at Jones Beach, Long Island. He was breathing heavily, and told his wife and two of his friends who accompanied him to the show to go inside while he used the restroom. Within twenty seconds, Billy Murray was found dead on the restroom floor. Continues Next