Samuel Gesser

Samuel (Sam) Gesser, (7 January 1930 – 1 April 2008) was a Canadian impresario, record producer and writer.

Early life Born the son of Polish immigrants, he grew up in the Plateau-Mont-Royal district of Montreal, where he attended Baron Byng High School. One night, he got caught in his regular habit of sneaking into a local cinema, and correctly predicted to the manager that "One day I'll be presenting shows here, so you better let me in." Gesser negotiated being allowed to remain if he helped to clean up after the shows, and reported having learnt much about all aspects of the entertainment business as a result. During the late 1940s and early 1950s Gesser also travelled throughout Quebec making recordings of French Canadian fiddle tunes and folk songs, which he released on the Allied Records record label. In addition, he presented programs about folk music on CFCF and on the CBC. Gesser wrote and produced the 2000 play "Fineman's Dictionary", a comedy starring Fyvush Finkel.

Honours Gesser received the Order of Canada in 1993 for "contributing to Canada's cultural fabric." He was also honoured by the Smithsonian Institution, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Canadian Folk Walk of Fame and was the first recipient of the Resonance Award established by the Canadian Museum of Civilization to honour outstanding lifetime contributions to Canada's musical heritage.

Gesser was described as "a quiet and gentle man", and "a gentleman in every sense of the word". He married twice, and had three children from his first marriage, one of whom predeceased him.