Dick Contino

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dick Contino (born January 17, 1930, Fresno, California) is an American singer and accordionist.

Contino began performing in various Los Angeles talent shows, and beginning in 1946 received some mainstream attention that later became—for a brief period—stardom. He was billed as the "world's greatest accordion player" and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show a record 48 times.

His success was interrupted when Contino was drafted during the Korean War. Contino ignored the draft notice, and was jailed for a few months for draft dodging before serving in the United States armed forces. The resultant scandal dealt Contino's career a serious blow, but he continued performing, including acting in a few movies in the 1950s and 1960s.

Contino met and married the beautiful Universal Studios young starlet Leigh Snowden. Leigh gave up her very promising career to raise their five children. In 1982, she lost a long battle with cancer. They were happily married for 25 years, and Dick Contino to this day calls Leigh the love of his life. He later remarried.

Contino continues to perform regularly throughout the United States. His repertoire is eclectic, ranging from Italian songs such as "Come Back to Sorrento" and "Arrivederci Roma" to standards like "Lady of Spain" and "Swinging on a Star." He possesses a virtuosic technique (often incorporating extremely rapid fingering, glissandos, and bellows shakes) and is also a skilled jazz improvisor.

James Ellroy wrote a novella, Dick Contino's Blues, which is a mini-memoir and crime story based on Contino's experiences as a struggling artist after the war.