Manhattan Transfer founder, singer

Tim Hauser, a singer and showman who founded the Manhattan Transfer, a Grammy-winning vocal group that brought four-part harmonies to several decades’ worth of American songs, died Thursday in Sayre, Pa. He was 72.

Hauser’s sister, Fayette, said the cause of death was cardiac arrest. She said he had been taken to a hospital in Elmira, N.Y., with pneumonia shortly after arriving in nearby Corning for a scheduled performance and was later moved to a hospital in Sayre, where he died.

The Manhattan Transfer formed in 1972 when Hauser was making ends meet as a New York City cabdriver. In addition to providing a smooth tenor and crisp diction to the group’s renditions, Hauser was in charge of its public image, of which he was very conscious. The group became known for its jazzy treatment of a wide spectrum of musical styles, including gospel, swing, doo-wop and pop; for stylish and sophisticated arrangements; and for a razzle-dazzle stage presence featuring slick costumes and choreography.

The group’s wide repertoire embraced different eras. It included Louis Armstrong numbers from the first half of the 20th century; “Route 66,” Bobby Troup’s 1946 paean to the great American highway; and soul songs such as “The Boy From New York City,” a remake of a 1965 hit by the Ad Libs that was the Manhattan Transfer’s only Top 10 single.

Hauser recorded a solo album, Love Stories , that was released in 2007. He also appeared in the 1991 film

The Marrying Man , whose soundtrack he helped produce.