Lesser, Adolph

Adolph Lesser was began his music career at the age of 16 playing with a band over KFKA Radio in Greeley, Colorado, at 6:30 every morning. He and his band travelled throughout Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, providing entertainment to his fellow servicemen.

After the war, Adolph and fellow musician Bill Schmidt opened the Garden City Ballroom near Greeley where they performed "big band" and Dutch Hop music almost every night of the week. In 1950, Columbia Records put Lesser under contract and his music was on major networks throughout the United States. Adolph opened a music store on South 8th Avenue in Greeley and through this enterprise introduced hundreds of students to the accordian and guitar.

Known as the "Old Master," Adolph Lesser was a prominent musician throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. He was inducted into the Colorado Polka Hall of Fame in 1976. He was honored with the European-American Music Award for his lifetime achievements at the Grand Polka Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada in September of 1999. He was inducted into the International Polka Hall of Fame in Chicago, Illinois, in August of 2001 and was also induced into the World of Music Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 11 September 2001.

Adolph John Lesser, son of John D. Lesser & Anna Bath, was born 21 June 1915 in Loveland, Colorado, and died 6 January 2008 in Greeley, Colorado. Both of his parents were born in the Volga German colony of Frank.