Will Oakland was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Countertenor

Countertenor

A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...

 famed for his exceptionally high vocal range. He was born Herman Hinrichs in Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City, New Jersey

Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...

, to German-American immigrant parents.

Oakland began his musical career after leaving the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 in 1905, joining Lew Dockstader

Lew Dockstader

Lew Dockstader was a United States singer, comedian, and Vaudeville star, best known as a blackface minstrel show performer in the late 19th century and early years of the 20th century.Dockstader performed both as a solo act and leading a popular Minstrel troupe...

's minstrels

Minstrel show

The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....

 in Rochester, New York

Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

. He began recording for Edison Records

Edison Records

Edison Records was one of the earliest record labels which pioneered recorded sound and was an important player in the early recording industry.- Early phonographs before commercial mass produced records :...

 in 1908, soon after Richard Jose

Richard Jose

Richard J. Jose was an American countertenor.-Life:He immigrated to Nevada after his uncle.He sang in saloons for charity, and in 1881 with Thatcher's Minstrels....

's retirement. In addition to appearing as a solo performer, Oakland recorded duets with Billy Murray

Billy Murray (singer)

William Thomas "Billy" Murray was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early decades of the 20th century...

, sometimes singing the female part in love songs. He often sang woeful, sentimental songs that contrasted with Murray's usually upbeat reportoire.

From 1912 to 1914 Oakland recorded in the Heidelberg Quintet, joining the members of the American Quartet

American Quartet (ensemble)

The American Quartet was a quartet of singers that recorded for various companies from 1899 to 1925. The lineup varied over the years, but the most famous lineup recorded for the Victor Talking Machine Company from 1909 to 1913.*John Bieling - first tenor...

.

External links

• Collected Works of Will Oakland
• Collected Works of Billy Murray and Will Oakland
• Collected Works of Heidelberg Quintet with Billy Murray
• "In the Gloaming" The American Quartet with Will Oakland (1910)
• "Just Before the Battle, Mother", Will Oakland and Chorus (1912)