Timothy DuPron Hauser (December 12, 1941 – October 16, 2014) was a singer and founding member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. He won ten Grammy Awards as a member of The Manhattan Transfer.
Hauser was born in Troy, New York. When he was seven he moved with his family to the Jersey Shore. He lived in Ocean Township, New Jersey, and Asbury Park and attended St. Rose High School in Belmar, where an award in his name has been given every year since 1989 to students who excel in theater arts.When he was fifteen, he began to sing professionally. He founded a doo-wop quartet named The Criterions.For the Cecilia label the Criterions recorded two singles: "I Remain Truly Yours" and "Don't Say Goodbye". The group appeared on the Big Beat Show hosted by Alan Freed
In 1959, Hauser entered Villanova University. With Tommy West and Jim Ruf, both from The Criterions, he formed the folk group the Troubadours Three. He was a member of the Villanova Singers and the Villanova Spires/Coventry Lads with classmate Jim Croce. He spent four years on the staff of college radio station WWVU. In 1963, he graduated from Villanova with a degree in economics.
In 1964, Hauser served in the United States Air Force and the New Jersey Air National Guard. In 1965, he began his career in marketing. From 1965–66, he worked as a market research analyst with the advertising agency Sullivan, Stauffer, Colwell, and Bayles. His accounts included Pepsodent Toothpaste (Lever Bros.), Micrin
Mouthwash (Johnson & Johnson), and Rise Shaving Cream (Carter Products). From 1966–1968, he worked as manager of the Market
Research Department for the Special Products Division of Nabisco. His accounts included cereal and pet food.
In 1969, he formed the first version of The Manhattan Transfer with Gene Pistilli, Marty Nelson, Erin Dickins and Pat Rosalia. The group had a country/R&B sound. Together they recorded one album, Jukin’, on the Capitol label. However, they differed in ideas on direction: Pistilli leaned more toward a country-western, “Memphis” R&B sound, whereas Tim was interested in a jazz/swing sound. The group dissolved in the early 70’s.
![]()
Hauser drove a cab to support him-self while pursuing a music career. Through this job, he met Laurel Massé, a waitress and aspiring singer. He was again driving his cab when he picked up the conga player for the group Laurel Canyon who invited him to a party where he met Janis Siegel. They needed a male singer, so they contacted Alan Paul. The four became The Manhattan Transfer on October 1, 1972. From that point on, Tim Hauser’s dreams of a musical career had turned into a very successful reality.
After a car accident, Massé decided to leave the group and pursue a solo career, and in 1978 Cheryl Bentyne was hired to replace her. From then until Hauser's death, the line-up was mostly unchanged with only occasional substitutions due to illness. After his death, he was replaced by Trist Curless.
The Manhattan Transfer won the Downbeat and Playboy Readers' Polls every year in the 1980s for best vocal group. As the founder of The Manhattan Transfer, Tim always strived to have their image dovetail with their music. In the early days, that image helped them gain recognition. In almost every early review that was written about the group, their classy appearance was noted. It made them unique, it got them noticed, and when they performed – it was obvious they were talented. The combination of talent and attention to image, and evolving that image as the group has developed, has given them longevity. 
Tim was a gifted producer as well. He took the whole concept of an album idea from beginning to end and by interweaving their talents in arranging and performing along with their image, he successfully brought it all together in the albums he produced. He also used his producing skills with other artists, including Richie Cole’s Pop Bop, and the last session of Eddie Jefferson.
In 2007, Manhattan transfer won the JazzTimes Readers' Poll for best vocal group. When Ahmet Ertegün founded the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he selected Hauser to serve on the voting committee, a position he held for three years (1986–89). In 1993, Hauser was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the Berklee College of Music.
Hauser died of cardiac arrest at the Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania, on October 16, 2014, at the age of 72. He had been admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. (Edited from Wikipedia & New York Times)
Here’s a compilation of various performances of Java Jive done by The Manhattan Transfer in honour of Tim Hauser posted on YouTube by Alan Paul.