John Bieling

John H. Bieling (March 15, 1869 – March 30, 1948) was an American tenor singer who was a pioneer recording artist in the early years of the twentieth century. He featured on thousands of recordings, especially as a member of The Haydn Quartet and The American Quartet, two of the most popular vocal groups of the period.

He was born in New York City, and started work in the 1880s in a stained glass factory. He also sang in vocal groups, and by the early 1890s was a member of the Manhansett (or Manhasset) Quartet, with George J. Gaskin, Joe Riley and Walter Snow. The quartet made its first recordings in 1892 for the United States Phonograph Company in Newark, New Jersey, and also recorded for many other early cylinder recording companies including Columbia and Edison. Bieling also recorded in the 1890s in a duo with Gaskin. His purity of tone led him to be nicknamed "The Canary".

In 1898, Bieling formed a new vocal group, with Samuel Holland Rous (who performed as S. H. Dudley), Jere Mahoney, and William F. Hooley. Mahoney was soon replaced by John Scantlebury Macdonald, who used the pseudonym Harry Macdonough. They recorded as the Edison Male Quartet for Edison, before taking the name The Haydn Quartet in order to record for other companies. In 1901 they began recording for Victor Records, and had great success over the next decade as one of the premier recording groups of the time. The Haydn Quartet's biggest commercial successes included "In the Good Old Summer Time" (1903), "Bedelia" (1904), "Sweet Adeline (You're the Flower of My Heart)" (1904), "How'd You Like To Spoon With Me" (with Corinne Morgan, 1906), "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (with Billy Murray, 1908), "Sunbonnet Sue" (1908), "Put On Your Old Gray Bonnet" (1909), and "By the Light of the Silv'ry Moon" (with Murray, 1910).

...
Wikipedia