Will Oakland

Will Oakland

Will Oakland (January 15, 1880–May 15, 1956) was an American countertenor famed for his exceptionally high vocal range. He was born Herman Hinrichs in Jersey City, New Jersey, to German-American immigrant parents. Oakland began his musical career after leaving the United States Army in 1905, joining Lew Dockstader's minstrels in Rochester, New York. He began recording for Edison Records in 1908, soon after Richard Jose's retirement. In addition to appearing as a solo performer, Oakland recorded duets with Billy Murray, sometimes singing the female part in love songs. He often sang woeful, sentimental songs that contrasted with Murray's usually upbeat repertoire. From 1912 to 1914 Oakland recorded in the Heidelberg Quintet, joining the members of the American Quartet. He recorded the song "As I sat upon my dear old mother's knee" by Joseph P. Skelly.

Birth and Death Data: Born January 15, 1880, Died May 15, 1956

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1909 - 1929

Roles Represented in DAHR: countertenor vocal, lyricist, songwriter

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 123 records)

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Victor	B-12181	10-in.	7/11/1912	Waiting for the Robert E. Lee	Heidelberg Quintette	Male vocal quartet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-12241	10-in.	7/26/1912	My little lovin' sugar babe	Heidelberg Quintette ; Will Oakland	Male vocal quintet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13110	10-in.	4/11/1913	And the green grass grew all around	American Quartet	Male vocal quartet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13189	10-in.	4/24/1913	Teasing moon	Heidelberg Quintette ; Will Oakland	Male vocal quintet, with vocal solo and orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13190	10-in.	4/24/1913	Ragtime regiment band	Heidelberg Quintette ; Will Oakland	Male vocal quintet, with vocal solo and orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13191	10-in.	4/24/1913	You're a great big blue-eyed baby	Heidelberg Quintette	Male vocal quintet, with soloist and orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13192	10-in.	4/24/1913	Give me your hand	Heidelberg Quintette ; Will Oakland	Male vocal quintet, with soloist and orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13242	10-in.	5/6/1913	In apple blossom time (Down on the farm)	Heidelberg Quintette ; Will Oakland	Male vocal quintet, with soloist and orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13243	10-in.	5/6/1913	You can't stop me from loving you	American Quartet	Male vocal quintet, with soloist and orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13244	10-in.	5/6/1913	Floating down the river on the Alabam'	Heidelberg Quintette	Male vocal quintet, with soloist and orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13369	10-in.	5/29/1913	That tinkling tango tune	American Quartet	Male vocal quintet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13370	10-in.	5/29/1913	The soul of the raging sea	American Quartet	Male vocal quintet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13371	10-in.	5/29/1913	Boom, tum, ta-ra-zing boom!	American Quartet	Male vocal quintet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13424	10-in.	6/13/1913	The curse of an aching heart	Will Oakland	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-13426	10-in.	6/13/1913	In the heart of the Kentucky hills	Heidelberg Quintette ; Will Oakland	Male vocal quintet, with soloist and orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14064	10-in.	11/13/1913	Dream days	Will Oakland	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14065	10-in.	11/13/1913	Sing rock-a-bye baby to me	Will Oakland	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14091	10-in.	11/18/1913	I'm on my way to Mandalay	Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell ; Will Oakland	Male vocal trio, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14095	10-in.	11/19/1913	You tell me your dream, I'll tell you mine	Billy Murray ; Will Oakland	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14096	10-in.	11/19/1913	Evalyne	Billy Murray ; Will Oakland	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14838	10-in.	5/18/1914	They're on their way to Mexico	Heidelberg Quintette	Male vocal quintet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14908	10-in.	5/28/1914	Harmony Bay	Heidelberg Quintette	Male vocal quintet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14910	10-in.	5/28/1914	Across the Rio Grande	Heidelberg Quintette	Male vocal quintet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14911	10-in.	5/28/1914	By the beautiful sea	Heidelberg Quintette	Male vocal quintet, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal
Victor	B-14996	10-in.	6/24/1914	Meet me in blossom time	Henry Burr ; Albert Campbell ; Will Oakland	Male vocal trio, with orchestra	vocalist, countertenor vocal

(Results 26-50 of 123 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Oakland, Will," accessed November 21, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110630.

Oakland, Will. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110630.

"Oakland, Will." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 21 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/110630

External Sources

Wikipedia: Will Oakland

IMDb: Will Oakland

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: Oakland, Will, 1883-1956 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97077352

Wikidata: Will Oakland - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q8002992

VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/36528166

FAST: http://id.worldcat.org/fast/409850

Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license

Feedback

Send the Editors a message about this record.