Ray Hackett ''(né'' Raymond William Hackett; 5 November 1909 Carlin, Nevada – 29 March 1987 Santa Rosa, California) was an American radio broadcast and dance orchestra leader who flourished from 1928, while attending the University of Nevada, Reno, to the mid 1970s in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he spent most of his professional career.

Career

By the age of 15 (January 1924), Hackett — billed as "The Boy Wonder" — was playing popular piano music in Reno theaters. Hackett was a 1932 graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno. He studied philosophy with plans to become a lawyer. In 1928, while in college, he was leading his own dance orchestra. Following the Crash of 1929, Hackett lost his scholarship and began relying mostly on gigs from his dance band to pay tuition. He graduated and pursued music. His primary instrument was piano. In 1937, Hackett became music director at CBS in San Francisco. In 1939, he was appointed music director of the

Golden Gate Exposition The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) (1939 and 1940), held at San Francisco's Treasure Island, was a World's Fair celebrating, among other things, the city's two newly built bridges. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opened in 193 ...

at Treasure Island. By 1949, Hackett's band was booked by

Music Corporation of America MCA Inc. (originally an initialism for Music Corporation of America) was an American media conglomerate founded in 1924. Originally a talent agency with artists in the music business as clients, the company became a major force in the film ind ...

. Hackett's tenure as music director for CBS in San Francisco endured through the mid-1960s. Hackett was music director of ''The Bill Weaver Show with Ray Hackett and His Orchestra,'' which began in the mid-1950s and continued through the mid-1960s.

Education

Pre-college music : Before attending high school (around 1920), Hackett began studying piano with Harriet Irene Peterson (1886–1939). Primary and secondary schools : Hackett attended grammar school at the Mary S. Doten School (grades 1–8) in Reno, finishing the eighth grade January 25, 1925. Hackett was a 1928 graduate of Reno High School. In February 1928, Hackett became president of the Reno High School Senior Class. College : Hackett was a 1932 graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno. He majored in philosophy.

Notable orchestra members

Eddie Duran Edward Lozano Duran (September 6, 1925 – November 22, 2019) was an American jazz guitarist from San Francisco. He recorded often with Vince Guaraldi and was a member of the Benny Goodman orchestra during the 1970s. Career Duran started on p ...

, jazz guitarist with the CBS Orchestra, late 1950s

Selected compositions

Songs * "Yearning", song with men's quartet :: By Ray Hackett and Theodore H. Post :: Arranged by Theodore H. Post (1933) :: September 27, 1933, Class E (musical composition) 38645 * "From Time To Time" :: Lyrics by Clare Eleanore Hackett, music by Raymond William Hackett :: © Sumond Music Co., March 15, 1955 Class E (unpublished musical composition) EU390223 * "Where In The World" :: Lyrics by Bradford Woodridge Young & Clare Eleanore Hackett, music by Raymond William Hackett :: © Bradford Woodrldge Young, Clare Eleanore Hackett, and Raymond William Hackett :: February 15, 1955 Class E (unpublished musical composition) EU386461 Grove plays * ''The Green Mountain Boys'' (1963) :: Richard L. Breen, author; Raymond W. Hackett, composer; J. Fenton McKenna (1905–1995), director ::

Bohemian Club The Bohemian Club is a private club with two locations: a city clubhouse in the Nob Hill district of San Francisco, California and the Bohemian Grove, a retreat north of the city in Sonoma County. Founded in 1872 from a regular meeting of journal ...

, San Francisco ::

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, San Francisco * ''The Valley of The Moon'' (1966); :: Ralph Moody, author; Raymond W. Hackett, composer; J. Fenton McKenna (1905–1995), director ::

, San Francisco * ''Taj Mahal'' (1981); :: Francis N. Marshall (1907–1997), author; Raymond W. Hackett, composer-conductor; James Robert Minser (1925–1987), director ::

, San Francisco

Selected discography

* ''The Forward Look'' (album; musical revues & comedies) (1956); :: Junior League of San Francisco :: With Ray Hackett and His Orchestra * "Come Join The Band" (78 rpm single), Raycord (19--); :: 1001; mx HR-100 :: Stan Noonan's Cheerleaders; Ray Hackett and His Orchestra * "The Indian Jumps" (78 rpm single), Raycord (19--); :: 1001; mx HR-102 :: Ray Hackett and His Orchestra * "Our Sturdy Golden Bear" (78 rpm single), Raycord (19--); :: 1002; mx HR-103 :: Stan Noonan's * "Oski Jumps" (78 rpm single), Raycord (19--); :: 1002; mx HR-104 :: Ray Hackett and His Orchestra

Professional and fraternal affiliations

* AFM Local 6 (San Francisco Musicians Union) * Phi Sigma Kappa, University of Nevada, Reno (inducted around 1929) *

, San Francisco (joined 1953, president 1968–69)

References

Catalog of Copyright Entries United States copyright registrations, renewals, and other catalog entries since 1978 are published online at the United States Copyright Office website. Entries prior to 1978 are not published in the online catalog. Copyright registrations and rene ...

, Part 3, Musical Compositions, New Series'', Library of Congress, Copyright Office : ''

, Part 5B, Unpublished Musical Compositions, New Series'', Library of Congress, Copyright Office Inline citations {{DEFAULTSORT:Hackett, Ray 1909 births 1987 deaths People from San Francisco Musicians from Reno, Nevada University of Nevada, Reno alumni Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area 20th-century American musicians