Who wouldn’t be happy if their job entailed singing such upbeat ditties as “I’ve got rhythm,” “Let’s Misbehave” and every other standard from the days when times were tough and people turned to music to uplift them? Christopher Howatt, a Weehawken resident who gets to sing those songs for a living, is as happy as you might imagine. But it’s not just the songs, that keep him smiling. There’s also the sweet smell of success. Howatt’s singing group, Eastern Standard Time, does enough business to keep him from dividing his time between his passion and a day job. And he’s just forming Boulevard East Productions to deal with the business aspects of running Eastern Standard Time as well as to handle some other groups he and partner Dana Merritt might create. They are also nominated for a Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs award in the Outstanding Vocal Group category, and they participated in last October’s Cabaret Convention, sharing the stage with Michael Feinstein and Cybill Shepard. Eastern Standard Time will celebrate Cabaret Month (March) with their first performance with new soprano Bonnie Rapp at Judy’s Chelsea (169 Eighth Ave., Manhattan 212-929-5410) on March 19. Merritt sings alto to Howatt’s “baritone to tenor,” and the two have had a variety of sopranos sing with them. Rapp joined the group in January and Howatt hopes she’ll be with them a long time. “The soprano is always the changing one,” said Howatt, noting that they’ve had four sopranos in the group. “They’ve always had good luck, either for themselves or their spouses.” Rapp is likely to stay with the group for a while because she, like Howatt and Merritt, is ready to leave theater behind and sing the songs she likes. “Dana’s done a lot of theater – summer stock and tours – as have I,” explained Howatt. “We had both gotten kind of weary of it. We both came to the conclusion that we should work for ourselves. And it’s great that Bonnie’s on the same page.” Eastern Standard Time’s song list includes a Cole Porter Medley, a Hoagy Carmichael tribute and Howatt’s favorite, a Happy Days/Get Happy duet sung by Bonnie and Dana the same way Barbara Streisand and Judy Garland did it on Garland’s TV show. Their show is exclusively the hits of the 1930s and ’40s, with Howatt at the piano. Though they may develop a second show as a tribute to Broadway that would include more contemporary tunes, they are drawn to the 1930s and ’40s eras the most. “Dana and I just love this kind of music,” said Howatt. “The songs are from shows, movies and revues, though some are just the radio hits of the day, like ‘Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia.'” So if you see someone with a sparkle in his eyes humming “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” as he walks along Boulevard East, it’s either Howatt or someone else who understands the joy of the golden age of song.