(January 17th 1896 - September 27th 1965)

Harry F. Reser was born in Piqua, Ohio in 1896 and was the first cousin to airplane inventors Orville & Wilbur Wright. At age two his family moved to family to Dayton, Ohio where his parents who became aware of his natural aptitude for music and perfect pith had a small guitar crafted for their young prodigy. In the coming years Harry went on to master numerous instruments including piano, cello, banjo, violin, and even the saxophone. At the end of 1920 he moved to New York City where he built a name for himself as a banjoist of extraordinary talent working early on with the bands Ben Selvin, Sam Lanin, Bennie Krueger, and Nathan Glantz.

After singing a recording contract with Okeh, Harry formed his first band the "Okeh Syncopators" during the Fall of 1922. He went on to composed and record three novelty instrumental pieces that gained tremendous popularity "The Cat and the Dog", "Cracker Jack", and "Lolly Pops" and in 1925, became the director for NBC's "Clicquot Club Eskimo Orchestra". The half hour radio spot sponsored by Clicquot Club Ginger ale would continue to broadcast until 1935. Leading other bands that appeared under various pseudonyms simultaneously, Harry Reser was undoubtedly the leader of more groups than any other musician in history.