1880-1890s - San Francisco
Jesse Lasky was born in San Francisco, California, on September 13, 1880, the son of shoe-store proprietor Isaac Lasky and his wife Sarah. Growing up in San Jose, he learned to play the cornet and imagined he would be discovered by John Philip Sousa.
1880 - Isaac Lasky
1887 - Isaac Lasky
1888, The Isaac Lasky family, circa 1888: Sarah, “Ike,” Jesse, and Blanche
Jesse and sister Blanche
Teenage Jesse Lasky (standing, sixth from left) in the San Jose Juvenile Band, circa 1895
At the Cloverdale Citrus Fair, 1899. Lasky (far right) is seated next to fellow musician Cad Graham
Lasky at the Cloverdale Citrus Fair, 1899 (front row, third from left), with his cornet
Lasky (seated, far right) in Frank Witherall’s San Jose Marine Band, circa 1897