In the Vaudeville days, Mae West may have been secretly married to famed Italian accordionist Pietro Deiro, and accompanied him on headlining gigs.
According to modern-day accordionist Jim Gilman, this significantly adds to the instrument’s cool factor.
He notes, “Mae West was like the first accordionist groupie.”
He can see why West would be attracted to it, since the squeezing motion makes it “a little sexy.”
Gilman, who’s been playing the accordion since age seven, is on a mission to get his main squeeze the respect it deserves.
He believes the accordion became uncool in the ’60s rock ’n’ roll era, when Elvis came out playing guitar and, “Kids didn’t want to listen to their parents’ music anymore.”
Gilman will perform this Sunday (Oct. 11) at the 1st Annual Big Squeeze Accordion Festival in Orange County, California.
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