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I come from what
has been called "an
accordion dynasty".
I am not sure exactly what
that means but it started
somewhere around when this
picture was taken.
The picture is of my two
older brothers and me, what
a trio! All three of us
grew to be professional
musicians on accordion.
My brother, Rick moved to
Florida and opened a music
store/studio.His son, Ryan,
has been performing on accordion
with the "Gumbo Boogie
Band" in the Tampa
area for a number of years.
"Skeets" and I
continue to perform here
in Minneapolis/St. Paul
at all kinds of events although
we lost Rick to complications
from diabetes in 2000. However,
I can still hear Rick in
my heart whenever I play
the song "Yellow Bird"
for it was the first song
he taught me by ear.
One of our teachers, Larry
Malmberg (who is in his
80's) is also still performing
around the Twin Citiesl.
The three of us are very
proud of each other. Our
special bond created this
remark from Twin Cities
journalist, Rod Smith:
Like brother
"Skeets", former Larry Malmberg
student and Orkestar Bez
Ime member Dee Langley has
made a lifelong passion
of the accordion. Granted
her mentor probably never
imagined that she'd end
up employing her hard-won
skills in a nearly all-female
quintet that specializes
in Balkan folk music. Let
alone one with a pronounced
sense of humor. But hey,
that's the free reed game!
-City Pages
A dynasty?
Oh yes, and a legacy for
the accordion I hope to
pass on to my promising
students.
I hope you
find interesting things
on this site and from the
links and I hope the new
additions to AirAccordion
inspire you to get your
accordion out of the closet,
or to buy one and start
playing!
AirAccordion is dedicated
to all those who love the
accordion whether or not
you have ever played one.
Warmest regards,
"Squeezer" Dee
Langley
photo
by Daniel Wovcha
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