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Pietro Deiro

Pietro Deiro (1888 – 1954) was one of the most influential accordionists of the first half of the 20th century.

Born on August 28, 1888, in Salto Canavese, Italy, the younger brother of Guido Deiro, Pietro Deiro emigrated to the United States as a steerage passenger on the S/S La Savoie in 1907 and went to live with his Uncle Frederico and work in the coal mines of Cle Elum, Washington.

Pietro Deiro began playing Diatonic button accordion professionally in a tavern in Seattle in 1908. Within a few months, his brother Guido Deiro (already an accomplished piano-accordionist in Europe) arrived in Seattle, and taught his brother how to play the piano accordion. Both brothers became minor celebrities on the vaudeville circuit; Guido in 1910 and Pietro at least by 1912.

Pietro Deiro recorded dozens of records for the Victor Talking Machine Company. After the demise of vaudeville during the Great Depression, he opened a successful accordion studio in Greenwich Village, New York City and established an accordion music publishing company: Accordion Music Publishing Company (AMPCO), later simply known as Pietro Deiro Publications.

Pietro Deiro was the first president of the American Accordionists Association (1938) and promoted himself as "The Daddy of the Accordion," much to his brother Guido's chagrin. Pietro died in 1954.

Deiro was survived by wife Bianca, daughter Blanche Pancotti and son Pietro Deiro Jr., who subsequently emerged as the editor of Pietro Deiro Publications and its catalogue of over 10,000 compositions ranging from educational materials, traditional ethnic music as well as concert works composed by such leading American composers as Virgil Thompson and Paul Creston. in addition, Pietro Deiro Jr. also continued his father's tradition of collaborating with the noted accordionists of his time. In 1960, he joined forces with Joe Biviano, Carmen Carrozza, Angelo Di Pippo, Eugene Ettore and John Serry Sr. to release a novel recording of classical music selections which were arranged for accordion orchestra on the Coral Records label.("Pietro Deiro Presents the Accordion Orchestra", Coral, CRL-57323)

Birth and Death Data: Born Cuorgnè (Italian comune), Died 1954

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1911 - 1937

Roles Represented in DAHR: accordion, composer, arranger, leader

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 203 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor B-10259 10-in. 5/4/1911 My treasure waltz Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-10260 10-in. 5/4/1911 Bersaglieri march Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-10261 10-in. 5/4/1911 Preludio Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-10262 10-in. 5/4/1911 Quartetto Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-10263 10-in. 5/4/1911 Kiss me Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14005 10-in. 10/29/1913 International rag Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14006 10-in. 10/29/1913 Sharpshooters march Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14007 10-in. 10/29/1913 Musetta's waltz Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor C-14019 12-in. 9/11/1913 Bridal rose overture Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14020 10-in. 9/11/1913 Pietro's return Pietro Deiro Accordion solo composer, instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14021 10-in. 11/1/1913 When it's apple blossom time in Normandy Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor C-14022 12-in. 11/1/1913 Stradella overture Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14023 10-in. 11/1/1913 Great White Way medley Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14024 10-in. 11/1/1913 Luna waltz Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14025 10-in. 11/1/1913 Broadway medley Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14074 10-in. 11/15/1913 Sailing down Chesapeake Bay medley Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor C-14081 12-in. 11/15/1913 Rigoletto : Quartet Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor C-14082 12-in. 11/15/1913 Light cavalry overture Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14083 10-in. 11/15/1913 Blaze away march Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14102 10-in. 11/21/1913 How long have you been married? Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor C-14103 12-in. 11/21/1913 Poet and peasant overture Pietro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14104 10-in. 11/21/1913 Beautiful days waltz Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14637 10-in. 3/27/1914 Down in Chattanooga medley Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14638 10-in. 3/27/1914 My Arverne rose Pietro Deiro Accordion solo instrumentalist, accordion  
Victor B-14639 10-in. 3/27/1914 He's have to get under, get out and get under medley Pietro Deiro Accordion solo, with drums instrumentalist, accordion  
(Results 1-25 of 203 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Deiro, Pietro," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111850.

Deiro, Pietro. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111850.

"Deiro, Pietro." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/111850

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