Guido Deiro
Italian-born vaudeville star whose performances and recordings helped popularize the piano accordion in the United States.
- Years
- 1886–1950
- Country
- Italy
- Instrument
- Piano accordion
Guido Deiro was born in northern Italy and became a star of American vaudeville. He and his younger brother Pietro helped introduce the piano accordion to United States audiences in the early twentieth century. Their stage careers gave the instrument a prominent place in popular entertainment.
Deiro recorded Sharpshooters' March for Columbia in 1911, leaving an early commercial document of his playing. His own Deiro Rag joined the accordion to the ragtime popular at the time. He also composed, arranged and published teaching material. Recordings and printed documents from his career are preserved in the Deiro Archive at the City University of New York.
Selected works, recordings and publications
- Sharpshooters' March1911
One side of his early Columbia disc, documented among the 1911–12 recordings reissued by Archeophone.
Release / publisherColumbia 78 rpm record · 1911
Publication source - Deiro Rag1913
A ragtime piece composed by Deiro; the early sheet music is preserved in the Guido Deiro collection.
Release / publisherSheet music · 1913
Publication source
Biography source Pietro Deiro's account of his brother CUNY archive of original records