Billy Hays' Orchestra was made up of well-known studio musicians (e.g. Mike Mosiello, Andy Sanella). Some sources take the band's name as a pseudonym for Sam Lanin, while others consider it to be one of dozens of Harry Reser's nicks. The band's original photos, however, prove Billy Hays was a real person and his band was a real band. These shots, made in 1929 at the first session of Billy Hays' Orchestra for Victor Records, were presented to Glen Richards (the administrator of Hot Dance & Vintage Jazz Pages) by Samuel M. Zehel, whose grandfather, Joe B. Smith, was the lead alto player in the band. Nevertheless, it was also used as a pseudonym for Sam Lanin. Some sources state in fact this might be a Lanin session. The recording was probably made in 1928.