Accordions
Abbott Buegeleisen and his late brother ran the music wholesaling business that his father formed in New York City. Abbott’s father and a friend, who soon after passed away, combined their names to form Buegeleisen & Jacobson. B&J became a strong force in the industry by providing...
Jon Hammond has successfully created a career based on his musical talents and his passion for the music industry! As a musician Jon has performed with many legendary players and as a clinician and product artist he has introduced many innovative products to music stores and their customers over...
Jim Lo Duca’s father and uncle were the original Lo Duca Brothers, who formed a small music store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that opened for business on December 1, 1941. Seven days later America was attacked in Pearl Harbor and soon after that Jim’s uncle was drafted. Jim’s father, Tom, was too...
Michael Diehl opened a small store in Freehold, New Jersey after serving in the United States Navy during World War II. He attended college on the GI Bill and found that he could run the music store with a small loan from the bank. His business flourished during the great accordion craze of the...
Frank Green opened his first music retail store in Southern California in 1959 and called it Music For Everyone. He began working in the music industry some 12 years earlier as student enroller in an accordion school. He soon became a teacher for the school and a manager before deciding to open his...
Peter Bartkus grew up in Rockford, Illinois and was proud to establish a music shop there in the early 1950s. Tru Tone Music became a hub for musicians and was known throughout the area for Peter’s creative and precise instrument repairs. With a passion for the accordion, Peter enjoyed the...
Bonnie G. Rowe did not seem to mind much when people thought he was a woman because his given name was Bonnie. For 87 years he corrected people and never gave much thought to using his middle name of Gordon. “Mother and father wanted me to be known as Bonnie, so that is it” he once said. “All I...
Kees van Willigen opened a music shop in Holland in 1968. As an accordion player he specialized in the instrument and soon gained a world-wide reputation for his product line and customer service. Kees (pronounced Case) witnessed the boom of the accordion in the 1950s and 60s, its decline in the...
Yasuharu Mano’s grandfather opened a toy business in 1902 in Japan and by 1917 expanded to include a small line of harmonicas. Soon, the harmonica became in high demand and the company changed directions to focus on the making of musical instruments. Yasuharu played a large role in the marketing of...
Dick Contino had a series of hit recordings and popular television appearances in the 1950s playing his trusty accordion. By the end of that decade, he was hired by M. H. Berlin at Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI) to introduce a string of innovative products. It was Dick who first introduced the...