William F. Hooley (16 April 1861 – 12 October 1918) was a British-born American bass singer and pioneer recording artist who was popular as a solo singer, as a monologist, and as a member of several of the most successful

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in s ...

s of the early twentieth century, including

The Haydn Quartet The Haydn Quartet, later known as the Hayden Quartet, was one of the most popular recording close harmony quartets in the early twentieth century. It was originally formed in 1896 as the Edison Quartet to record for Edison Records; it took its new n ...

and The American Quartet.

Biography

Hooley was born in

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, to a family of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

origin. Although his son claimed that William was born in Cork,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, a suggestion repeated elsewhere, the claim is disproved by other evidence. He moved to the US as a child, and lived at first in

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...

, later moving to

Nyack, New York Nyack () is a village located primarily in the town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, United States. Incorporated in 1872, it retains a very small western section in Clarkstown. It is a suburb of New York City lying approximately no ...

. Tim Gracyk, ''William F. Hooley - Bass Singer (Haydn Quartet and American Quartet)''
Gracyk.com, Retrieved 22 May 2013 He sang in church choirs,

glee club A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...

s and operettas from the 1880s, and from about 1896 began recording as part of the Edison Quartet, with John Bieling, Samuel Holland Rous (who performed as S. H. Dudley), and Jere Mahoney. After Mahoney was replaced by John Scantlebury Macdonald, who used the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Harry Macdonough John Scantlebury Macdonald (May 30, 1871 – September 26, 1931) was a Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most ...

, they took the name

in order to record for companies other than Edison.Vocal Hall of Fame: The American Quartet
Retrieved 22 May 2013 Hooley was also, for a short time, the manager of the Excelsior Phonograph Company and then the president of the American Phonograph Company, makers of

phonograph cylinder Phonograph cylinders are the earliest commercial medium for recording and reproducing sound. Commonly known simply as "records" in their era of greatest popularity (c. 1896–1916), these hollow cylindrical objects have an audio recording engra ...

s. However, neither venture was successful. He made solo recordings, both as a bass singer — finding commercial success with his rendition of the "Gypsy Love Song" from the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

'' The Fortune Teller'' in 1899 — and as a monologist. In 1899 he recorded popular recitations of " The Sermon on the Mount", " Mother Goose Rhymes," and " Death and Burial of Cock Robin." The following year he recorded " Lincoln's Speech at Gettysburg", and a series of recordings for children in which he recited fairy stories. Hooley was also a member of the Lyric Trio, which initially comprised himself, John C. Havens and Estella Mann, and later, after 1901, consisted of Hooley, Harry Macdonough and Grace Spencer. Hooley also recorded as a member of The American Quartet. This was formed in 1909 by Victor Records to provide a new showcase for their star singer, Billy Murray, who took the lead role. The other group members, with Murray and Hooley, were John Bieling and Steve Porter. The group's recordings again became popular, their early successes including "

Casey Jones John Luther "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi. Jones was a locomotive engineer for the Illinois C ...

" (1910), "Call Me Up Some Rainy Afternoon" (with

Ada Jones Ada Jane Jones (June 1, 1873 – May 2, 1922) was an English-American popular singer who made her first recordings in 1893 on Edison cylinders. She is among the earliest female singers to be recorded. Biography She was born in Lancashire, UK, ...

, 1910), " Oh, You Beautiful Doll" (1911), and "

Moonlight Bay "Moonlight Bay" is a popular song. It is commonly referred to as "On Moonlight Bay". The lyrics were written by Edward Madden, the music by Percy Wenrich, and was published in 1912. It is often sung in a barbershop quartet style. Early successful ...

" (1912).Whitburn, ''Pop Memories 1890-1954'', pp.23-24 From 1914, Hooley also recorded as part of the Orpheus Quartet, which included Harry Macdonough,

Reinald Werrenrath Reinald Werrenrath (August 7, 1883 – September 12, 1953) was an American baritone opera singer, who also recorded popular songs and appeared regularly on radio in the early decades of the twentieth century. Werrenrath commonly used the ps ...

, and Lambert Murphy; and as a member of the Heidelberg Quintet, which comprised the four members of the American Quartet together with

counter-tenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a ...

Will Oakland. Hooley made his final recordings in August 1918. He died later that year, "suddenly and inexplicably". at the age of 57.

References

External links

*
William F. Hooley recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hooley, William F. 1861 births 1918 deaths Deaths from Spanish flu Pioneer recording artists American basses Victor Records artists Edison Records artists Musicians from London Singers from New York (state) 19th-century American male singers 19th-century American singers