Quick
BIO
In 1907, Casper Reardon
was born in Little Falls, NY to a vaudeville
family. At five years old, he was trouping
with his family and at eight years old,
was given his first harp.
Reardon's
musical talent won him a scholarship to
study at the Curtis Institute of Music
in Philadelphia. Upon graduation in 1926,
he put his harp talent to use for the
Cincinnati Symphony and also became the
head of the Harp Department at the Cincinnati
Conservatory.
Reardon
was introduced to jazz and worked at adapting
it to the percussive harp, creating his
own method of playing. His music made
him a radio success. After Reardon recorded
an uncredited harp solo for a Jack Teagarden
album, he recorded several albums as "Casper
Reardon & His Orchestra."
Reardon
appeared in the 1937 movie You're a
Sweetheart as "Cousin Caspar."
Among several other accomplishments was
his performance for President Franklin
D. Roosevelt. In 1941, Reardon took ill
and died. He was in his early thirties.
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