One of his greatest thrills was at the Civic Stadium in Buffalo, NY when he played for an audience of over forty thousand people. His audiences ranged from small intimate groups to packed auditoriums of three thousand. At sixteen he was turning down many offers to tour professionally as he felt traveling would take up time which should be spent in continuing his studies.ĭuring the peak of his career he reached the point where he was doing as many as thirty one radio broadcasts and an average of about eight recording dates in a single week. At the age of seven, he was stealing his father's prized accordion from the closet and teaching himself to play by ear. It could be said that Magnante's musical career began at the age of five when he sand along with his Dad, a popular amateur accordionist, who used to play for many Italian weddings. He was associated with some of the worlds finest conductors and orchestra leaders performing either as a soloist or a member of the orchestra. He was famous for many years as a top radio, television star and recording artist. Throughout his long and fantastic career, Magnante has consistently been considered by many to be the most finished accordionist of all time. No one has ever equaled his success as the ultimate world accordion artist. From very humble roots his unique career placed him on the pinnacle of accordion history. His artistry helped raise the image of the accordion from an instrument considered suitable only for folk music to an instrument accepted in many music genres.Ĭharles Magnante was born in New York City on 106th Street in an area known as Harlem. And, of course, Lady of Spain.”Ĭharles Magnante (7 December 1905 - 30 December 1986)Ĭharles Magnante (1905–1986) was an American piano-accordionist, arranger, composer, author and educator. He played polkas, jazz, romantic songs, show tunes and folk music. Elvis-like, he wiggled, shook and swaggered. Contino played the accordion like a rock star. Much has been written about Dick as an American idol: “He was promoted as the ‘Rudolph Valentino’ of the accordion…With muscled arms built up with barbells and Charles Atlas’s dynamic tension exercises, Mr. Additional connections between the two upcoming events will involve musical titles that Contino made household favorites, played by the ACM Band and soloists including Dr. He will retell the anecdote as a tie connecting World Accordion Day (May 2) and our Eighth Annual Dr. It is particularly interesting to note that during our 2019 festival, Bill Palmer, III, incidentally related the story of how Contino urged his father to construct what became the Palmer-Hughes Accordion Method.
This figure will be displayed in our Special Exhibits Area as a new focal attraction of the Concert Hall. One of these will be a life-size mannequin accompanied by some performance clothes worn in his Las Vegas shows. The announced donations include recordings, photos, music in published and manuscript form, and sundry items of varied import. talk to include unpublished excerpts of Dick’s life, some with humorous anecdotes that portray the real person who was more than a world celebrity. In addition, for our 2020 World Accordion Day festival she committed to presenting a 45-min. Judy Contino, in current phone calls, declared her intention to donate a significant portion of her husband’s estate in order to draw ongoing public attention to the legacy of his contributions to American culture. His brilliant virtuosity and charismatic stage presence regularly thrilled Las Vegas audiences even into his advanced years. His name became, and remains, one of the most prominent in American accordion history. This 1940s idol and national heartthrob prompted unparalleled accordion enthusiasm that inspired thousands of aspirants and greatly promoted the industry in general.Ĭontino won the hearts of American audiences after winning Horace Heidt’s talent contest with his version of “Lady of Spain.” Thereafter featured on major television shows, his public performances drew extraordinary audience numbers and unprecedented income. A World of Accordions Museum, Superior, Wisconsin USAĭick Contino (17 January 1930 – 19 April 2017)ĪWAM proudly announces the impending arrival of Dick Contino’s estate as a major landmark event for our museum.