Biography
Formed in the mid 1890s to record for Edison under the name Edison Quartet, the group used the alias Haydn Quartet when it recorded for other labels. When the quartet signed an exclusive deal with Victor in 1908, the Edison name was retired and the Knickerbocker Quartette became Edison's primary male quartet. Recordings credited to the Haydn Quartet began to be phased out in 1908. After that time, Billy Murray frequently sang lead with the group, and S. H. Dudley was often replaced by Reinald Werrenrath. Following the successful collaborations between Murray and the Haydn Quartet, Victor organized a new group, the American Quartet, in 1910, with Murray, Bieling and Hooley from the Haydn Quartet, and baritone Steve Porter. The group's name was spelled Hayden after 1910, and it disbanded in 1914. As well as members participating in the American Quartet, Macdonough and Hooley, together with Reinald Werranrath and tenor Lambert Murphy, also formed the Orpheus Quartet, who recorded successfully until 1919. According to music archivist and statistician Joel Whitburn, Haydn Quartet had 62 "top ten" hits in all between 1898 and 1914, and in the decade 1900-1909 had more successful recordings than any other group, only behind Macdonough and Murray, who recorded as solo artists in addition to their group performances.
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