The Happiness Boys
The Happiness Boys was a popular radio program of the early 1920s. It featured the vocal duo of tenor Billy Jones and bass/baritone Ernie Hare, who sang novelty songs.
Career
Jones and Hare were already established as soloists on phonograph records. One of Jones's better solos was "Mary Lou," while Hare scored with the Yuletide novelty "Santa Claus Hides in the Phonograph." In 1920 recording executive Gus Haenschen had them sing an accompaniment on a Brunswick recording. They went on to do numerous recordings for Brunswick Records, Edison, and other companies. Similarities between the two singers were often noted: same height, same weight, birthdays a few days apart. Fred Rabinstein, who worked with Edison, recalled:
They began on radio October 18, 1921 on WJZ (Newark, New Jersey), where they were sponsored by the chain of Happiness Candy stores. Listeners mailed in their comments about the singers on cards supplied to retailers by Happiness Candy.
Beginning August 22, 1923, the Happiness Boys broadcast on New York's WEAF, moving to NBC from a run from 1926 to 1929. The duo sang popular tunes, mostly light fare and comic songs, and they engaged in humorous repartee between numbers. Their theme song was "How Do You Do" (1924). However, only the words to this song were new at that time. The melody had been used for a variety of other songs in the past and is still used in the camp favorite "If You're Happy and You Know It (Clap Your Hands)".
The Happiness Boys
ALBUMS
- From Obscurity 2 Purgatory released: 2003
- From Avenue A to the Great White Way released: 2002
- The Funnel Zone released: 2000
- Resident Alien released: 1983
- Ghost Stories released:
- Gilmour's Albums, Volume II released:
From Avenue A to the Great White Way
Released 2002- Voyl iz der Mammen (Mother Is Good)
- In Shtedtele Nikolayev (In the Town of Nikolayev)
- Ihr megt gleybn oder neyn (You Can Believe It or Not)
- V'Hakohanim (The High Priest)
- Huliet, Huliet Kinderlach (Play, Play Little Children)
- Whoopee
- Inzer Rebin's Vunder (Our Rabbi's Wonder)
- A Brief finem Chosid tsum Rebin (A Letter From a Hasid to His Rabbi)
- Sha, Sha der Rebi geht (Shh, Shh, the Rabbi's Coming)
- Vu zenen meine zieben gute Yohr? (Where Are My Seven Good Years?)
- Gevald! Di Bananas (Help! The Bananas)
- Hot Dogs
- Dos Yiddel fun der South (The Jew From the South)
- Dem Pastuchel's Chulem (The Shepherd's Dream)
- Gevalt! Di Nerven (Help! My Nerves)
- Mayer!
- Mit 40 Yohr tzurick (40 Years Ago)
- Yes Sir, Zi iz may Kale (Yes Sir, She Is My Bride)
- Vie iz dos Gessele (Where Is the Little Street)
- Vos gevehn iz nishtu (What Was Is No More)
- Beigelach (Rolls)
- Who'll Buy My Bublitchki?
- Zaynin Mir Chasidimlach (We Are Hasidim)
- Bei Mir bist Du schon (To Me You Are So Beautiful)
- Roumania, Roumania
Gilmour's Albums, Volume II
- Introduction by Lorna Jackson
- Abdul Abulbul Amir
- Heartaches
- O Helga Natt
- Pavane, Op. 50
- The Surrey With the Fringe on Top
- Gunslinger (A Ballad for Adult Westerns)
- March for Military Band No. 1 in F
- Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babino Caro
- Weather Forecast
- Stay With the Music
- The Murals on the Wall
- I Puritani: Credeasi Misera
- The Truth About Pigtails
- Never Pucker the Wattles of a Cassowary
- Five Foot Two: Metric Version
- French Monologue
- That's My Hap-Hap-Happiness
- Adele's Laughing Song
- Driving Instructor
Lonely Cowboy
Well Gambling Jim took the riverboat down to Rio
Left the trail at a town called Home Sweet Home
Lost his place in the Guinness Book Of Records
As a Rolling Stone...
I`m the only cowboy... Lonely on the range
The only lonely cowboy on the range
V2: Handsome Bill had an eye out for the ladies
Said he's gonna let me know if looks can kill
But I heard tell that he ran right out of favours
And he's running still...
Chameleon Kid as the name suggests was a killer
Who made his name by the element of disguise
When he lost his way by relying on the trigger
It was no surprise...
Oh Preacher Sam was a bible fan so religious
Prayed all day but he never got no reply
Till the message came that he didn't intend to save us
It was suicide....
Well they gunned him down at the Freedom Church Revival
Died they say with the fever light in his eyes
When the bullet lodged in the pages of his bible
From the other side...