What brand is “Weird” Al Yankovic’s childhood accordion?

[AccordionUprising]

I’m trying to ID “Weird” Al Yankovic’s childhood accordion. He played this thing for decades, and apparently doesn’t know who made it.
Out of curiosity I’m trying to figure out what it was from pictures. It’s kind of amazing he played this one so long.

Here’s a few photos:
The first 2 photos are from slightly earlier in his career. The last one is a different ?, with less register switches, but the same brand?

PS. That Dec 1987 issue of Keyboard Magazine has 20 pages on 1980s accordion artists (mostly US). From Pop stars to folk, and Guy Klucevsek had a piece on classical/jazz/new music. Impressive.

Any ideas on these accordion brands appreciated ??

 

[jozz]

I’m trying to ID “Weird” Al Yankovic’s childhood accordion. He played this thing for decades, and apparently doesn’t know who made it.
Out of curiosity I’m trying to figure out what it was from pictures. It’s kind of amazing he played this one so long.

Here’s a few photos:
The first 2 photos are from slightly earlier in his career. The last one is a different ?, with less register switches, but the same brand?

PS. That Dec 1987 issue of Keyboard Magazine has 20 pages on 1980s accordion artists (mostly US). From Pop stars to folk, and Guy Klucevsek had a piece on classical/jazz/new music. Impressive.

Any ideas on these accordion brands appreciated ??

Larry Pino branded or so it seems - italian made, but which factory.....??

 

[AccordionUprising]

Thanks Jazz!

I thought I could look online and spot it amongst the other designs. But there are so many! I want a field-guide cross-referencing hundreds of photos of Accordion grills. "Accordion spotting."

I look at the lists of Italian accordion brands and despair.

Accordion Links: Manufacturers and Brands

Accordion Links: accordion brands and manufacturers

www.accordionlinks.com

Much appreciate you spotting this one!

 

[AccordionUprising]

Maybe "Universal", but the factories seem to have changed brand-names on a whim. And the grills are like a design free-for-all.

So, still looking for a definite ID on this accordion. ?

 

[JIM D.]

Late 50's to early 60's Universal Accordion Made by Unversal Accordions of Italy Active 1952 to 1983

Universal Accordions were imported to the US with different brand names and badges. Some carried the name of the
music studios or dealers names that imported them. Some were also sold mail order in the 50's.

 

[96Bass]

I’m trying to ID “Weird” Al Yankovic’s childhood accordion. He played this thing for decades, and apparently doesn’t know who made it.
Out of curiosity I’m trying to figure out what it was from pictures. It’s kind of amazing he played this one so long.

Here’s a few photos:
The first 2 photos are from slightly earlier in his career. The last one is a different ?, with less register switches, but the same brand?

PS. That Dec 1987 issue of Keyboard Magazine has 20 pages on 1980s accordion artists (mostly US). From Pop stars to folk, and Guy Klucevsek had a piece on classical/jazz/new music. Impressive.

Any ideas on these accordion brands appreciated ??

I took lessons at the same accordion school where "Wierd Al" took lessons. He was about a year ahead of me. He was Alfred Yankovic back then and was a very serious accordion student. He was one of the stand out students at the school. It was the Lee Terry music school in South Gate, California, Los Angeles County.
The scripted name on young Al's accordion says "Lee Terry". You can see on the magazine cover that the Lee Terry name has been removed from the accordion.
The accordion was an Universal Accordion that was badged with the music studios name. It was quite common back then ( late 1960s) for a studio to sell their students an accordion with the studio's name on it. The Universal Accordion "Factory" was in Alhambra, California. It was a distributor and repair shop, not an actual factory.
This is a video of my and Al's former teacher, Lee Terry.

 

[Dingo40]

96Bass,
Impressive!??
Thanks for sharing ?.
I have a 45ep vinyl record of Art van Damme playing something very similar: a great accordionist!?
You're fortunate to have had such an accomplished teacher as Lee Terry!?

 

[AccordionUprising]

Thank you all! I'm putting together some Accordion Noir radio specials about Weird Al for the next few weeks. This will go right in.

Much appreciated!

 

[AccordionUprising]

Thanks for your answers!
You all are real rock stars ‍? ?

 

[AccordionUprising]

It was the Lee Terry music school in South Gate, California, Los Angeles County.
The scripted name on young Al's accordion says "Lee Terry".
The accordion was an Universal Accordion that was badged with the music studios name.
It was quite common back then ( late 1960s) for a studio to sell their students an accordion with the studio's name on it.
The Universal Accordion "Factory" was in Alhambra, California. It was a distributor and repair shop, not an actual factory.

I'm wondering if "Universal" was a company that just applied custom names for local shops? Did they make their own accordions, or just distribute other manufacturers with either "Universal" or some local shop's name added? Mysteries.

I'd love to have a website that collected information on brands and models, and had info on quality and dates, but also pretty pictures of good looking accordion grills. Like a bird-watching guide to answer these questions.

It's frustrating that the byzantine Italian accordion industry hasn't been more obsessively documented. The available long list of names with little information about them just show how big the job is: http://www.accordionlinks.com/manufacturer.html#s:HA

If anybody wants to help start a website to collect answers to these questions, I've reserved an amusing possible url: http://AccordionDatingService.org (currently just links to our Accordion Noir radio show blog). ?

I don't know how to start the website, but I'd help promote it and contribute.

 

[Tom]

I could definetly see the usefulness of an accordion dating service.

 

[96Bass]

As Jim D. wrote, Universal accordions were Italian made. The "factory" in Alhambra was a distributor and repair shop. They were probably the main supplier of accordions to accordion schools in Los Angeles at the time. There were quite a few accordion schools and they all got their accordions from Universal with the accordion schools name on them. They were all dry tuned LMH as all the schools had accordion orchestras that would compete at The Western States Accordion Festival. The school I went to owned a bass accordion. There was one student at the school that played the bass accordion with all the school's various orchestras.

 

[AccordionUprising]

"Universal" seems like a good name for a "add your brand here" brand. That's kind of cool in a "let's make it hard for historians" kind of way.

 

[jozz]

can't find it now but there is some post on the web that links Universal to Guerrini

don't know if it's true

 

[AccordionUprising]

It would make sense if it was some known manufacturer. Though I think places like the Sears & Roebuck "Silvertone" instruments were made by different manufacturers over the years. It would be fun to work on untangling all those relationships.