Paul Dresser, born Johann Paul Dreiser Jr. on April 22, 1857, in Terre Haute, Indiana, was a prominent American singer, songwriter, and comedic actor during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the fourth son of Johann Paul and Sarah Mary Schanab Dreiser, with his brother being the well-known novelist Theodore Dreiser. Dresser grew up in a large family and had a troubled childhood, which included time in jail. He left home at the age of sixteen to join a traveling minstrel act, later performing in regional theaters and John Hamlin's Wizard Oil traveling medicine-wagon show, where he began composing songs.

Dresser's career as a performer and songwriter spanned nearly two decades, from 1886 to 1906. He composed and published over 150 songs, with his most famous work being "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" (1897), which became the best-selling song of its time and was later designated as the official state song of Indiana in 1913. His success in songwriting led to comparisons with Stephen Foster. Dresser was a nationally recognized entertainer and a silent partner in the New York City sheet music publisher Howley, Haviland and Company.

Despite his success, Dresser faced financial difficulties as his music fell out of style, leading to the bankruptcy of his music publishing business in 1905. He passed away on January 30, 1906, in New York City and was buried in St. Boniface Cemetery, Chicago. Dresser's birthplace in Terre Haute is preserved as a state shrine and memorial, and he was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.