Paul Dresser

Paul Dresser

Johann Paul Dresser, Jr. (Born Johann Paul Dreiser, Jr.; April 22, 1857 – January 31, 1906) was a popular American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he was frequently in trouble and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels. He grew in fame and began performing in several regional theaters before joining John Hamlin's traveling show in 1878. He continued traveling nationally with a number of different acts, eventually joining The Tin Soldier in 1890. There he began writing many prominently featured songs, but after disputes with the show’s manager, Charles Hale Hoyt, he began publishing his music independently.

Starting a partnership with New York City's Tin Pan Alley music firms, he began composing songs which included some that became amongst the most popular of his time. The most famous of these was "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away", which became the second best-selling song, in terms of sheet music, during the nineteenth century. He became very wealthy from his business and works, but quickly fell into financial distress at the turn of the century as his genre fell out of style and his income dropped, a situation exacerbated because of his overspending. His business failed and he declared bankruptcy in 1905. He died the following year.