Ray Hackett (né Raymond William Hackett; 5 November 1909 Carlin, Nevada[1] – 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.
[2][3][4] By the age of 15 (January 1924), Hackett – billed as "The Boy Wonder" – was playing popular piano music in Reno theaters.
Following the crash of 1929, Hackett lost his scholarship and began relying mostly on gigs from his dance band to pay tuition.
In 1939, he was appointed music director of the Golden Gate Exposition at Treasure Island.
[5] Hackett's tenure as music director for CBS in San Francisco endured through the mid-1960s.