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.
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 at Treasure Island. By 1949, Hackett's band was booked by Music Corporation of America.
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.
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.
Songs
By Ray Hackett and Theodore H. Post
Arranged by Theodore H. Post (1933)
September 27, 1933, Class E (musical composition) 38645
Lyrics by Clare Eleanore Hackett, music by Raymond William Hackett
© Sumond Music Co., March 15, 1955 Class E (unpublished musical composition) EU390223
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February 15, 1955 Class E (unpublished musical composition) EU386461
Richard L. Breen, author; Raymond W. Hackett, composer; J. Fenton McKenna (1905–1995), director
Bohemian Club, San Francisco
Grabhorn Press, San Francisco
Ralph Moody, author; Raymond W. Hackett, composer; J. Fenton McKenna (1905–1995), director
Bohemian Club, San Francisco
Francis N. Marshall (1907–1997), author; Raymond W. Hackett, composer-conductor; James Robert Minser (1925–1987), director
Bohemian Club, San Francisco
Junior League of San Francisco
With Ray Hackett and His Orchestra
1001; mx HR-100
Stan Noonan's Cheerleaders; Ray Hackett and His Orchestra
1001; mx HR-102
Ray Hackett and His Orchestra
1002; mx HR-103
Stan Noonan's
1002; mx HR-104
Ray Hackett and His Orchestra
Copyright citations
Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 3, Musical Compositions, New Series, Library of Congress, Copyright Office
Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 5B, Unpublished Musical Compositions, New Series, Library of Congress, Copyright Office
Inline citations