When I was growing up, my grandfather used to listen to the song “Lady of Spain,” and that is how I got introduced to Dick Contino. My grandfather used to tell me stories about how he was able to perform with Dick Contino in the 70’s at the Festa Italiana in our hometown of Rockford, IL. In 2014, my band was one of the performers at the Milwaukee Festa Italiana and I was able to also perform on the same stage as Dick Contino. It was a great weekend being able to spend some time backstage with Dick and his family.
Contino was born in Fresno, California in 1930, to Italian parents. Contino started playing his father’s accordion at an early age, and exhibited great skill. Although he graduated from Fresno High School and enrolled at Fresno State College, he was unable to focus on his studies, so he left school to pursue a career in music.
His first big break was in 1947 when he won first place in a talent contest in Fresno, which was being broadcast on national radio. He earned himself a hefty $5,000 and soon began performing and competing across the country.
Contino began performing regularly in nightclubs, earning nearly $4,000 a week in the 1940’s and 50’s. Contino sold out theaters throughout the country with screaming crowds, and was promoted as the “Rudolph Valentino of the accordion.” Contino performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show” 48 times, Italian festivals, on his own radio show, and even appeared in a few movies. Contino continued to play the accordion into his 80’s. As Time Magazine said: “Dick Contino is one of the few men in musical history who have ever squeezed big money out of an accordion.” He passed away in 2017 at the age of 87.