List of accordionists

This is an alphabetized list of notable accordionists who have their own main articles or belong to a notable band.

Contents

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

A

• Benny Andersson (born 1946) – Swedish songwriter, member of best-selling pop group ABBA
• Lydie Auvray (born 1956) – French/German accordionist, composer
• Slavko Avsenik (1929-2015) – Slovenian songwriter, the founder of Ansambel bratov Avsenik
• Ramon Ayala (born 1945) – Mexican accordionist, composer

B

• Alan Bern (born 1955) – member of the Klezmer band Brave Old World
• Bratko Bibič (born 1957) – Slovene accordionist
• Renato Borghetti (born 1963) – Brazilian musician
• Franko Božac (born 1974) – Croatian classical and concert accordionist
• Smiley Burnette (1911-1967) – American accordionist

C

• Carmen Carrozza (1921-2013) – classical and concert accordionist
• Nico Carstens (1926-2016) – South African accordionist and songwriter, composer of the hit song "Zambezi"
• Boozoo Chavis (1930-2001) – zydeco musician
• Clifton Chenier (1925-1987) – zydeco musician
• Dick Contino (1930-2017) – appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show a record 48 times
• Gianni Coscia (born 1931) – jazz accordionist
• Charles Thomas Cozens (born 1952) – Canadian classical and classical crossover accordionist
• James Crabb (born 1967) - Scottish classical accordion player.
• Phil Cunningham (born 1974) – Scottish folk accordionist
• Andy Cutting (born 1969) – English folk accordionist

D

• Jackie Daly (born 1945) – Irish traditional musician
• Pietro Deiro (1888-1954) – pioneer of the accordion
• Vladimir Denissenkov (born 1956) – Russian Bayan
• Dennis DeYoung (born 1947) – member of Styx, played on "Boat on the River"
• Orlando DiGirolamo (1924-1998)
• Wolfgang Dimetrik (born 1974)
• Henry Doktorski (born 1956) – classical and concert accordionist
• Dominguinhos (1941-2013) – Brazilian music
• Wilf Doyle (1925-2012) – traditional musician from Newfoundland
• Alejo Durán (1919-1989) – Colombian Vallenato accordionist, singer, composer
• Finbarr Dwyer (1946-2014) – Irish traditional musician

E

• Mogens Ellegaard (1935-1995) – father of the avant-garde accordion movement
• Jack Emblow (born 1930) - with Cliff Adams Singers
• Keith Emerson (1944-2016)
• John Evan (born 1948) – of Jethro Tull

F

• Joe Falcon (1900–1965) – Cajun accordion player who recorded with his wife Cléoma Breaux, mainly in French
• James Fearnley (born 1954) – member of The Pogues
• Myron Floren (1919-2005)
• Connie Francis (born 1937)
• Dominic Frontiere (1931-2017)
• Pietro Frosini (1885-1951)

G

• Benny Gallagher (born 1945) – Scottish singer-songwriter; member of Gallagher and Lyle, McGuinness Flint and Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance
• Anthony Galla-Rini (1904-2006) – American accordionist, arranger, composer, conductor, author and teacher
• Richard Galliano (born 1950) – French jazz accordionist
• Krency Garcia – Dominican merengue tipico accordionist, better known as El Prodigio
• Régis Gizavo (1959-2017) – accordionist from Madagascar
• Luiz Gonzaga (1912-1989) – the King of Baião
• Martin Green (born 1980) – English composer and accordionist, member of the folk trio Lau
• Josh Groban (born 1981) – learned the accordion to play the role of Pierre Bezukhov in the musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
• Michael Guerra (born 1981) – member of The Mavericks
• Alfredo Gutiérrez (born 1940) – Colombian Vallenato musician

H

• Frode Haltli (born 1975) – Norwegian accordionist
• Daniel Handler (born 1970), aka Lemony Snicket
• Rolf Harris (born 1930)
• Kevin Hearn (born 1969) – zydeco musician of Barenaked Ladies
• Tatico Henríquez (1943-1976) – Dominican Merengue típico accordionist
• Matt Hensley – of Flogging Molly
• Harry Hibbs (1942-1989) – Canadian musician
• David Hidalgo (born 1954) – member of Los Lobos
• Lars Hollmer (1948-2008) – Swedish accordionist
• Bruce Hornsby (born 1954)
• Nihad Hrustanbegovic (born 1973)
• Garth Hudson (born 1937) – member of The Band
• Rob Hyman (born 1950) – member of The Hooters

I

• Gary Innes (born 1980)

J

• Hannah James – United Kingdom folk piano accordionist and member of Lady Maisery
• Bengan Janson (born 1963) – Swedish jazz- and folk music player
• Ryan Jarman (born 1980) – member of The Cribs
• Jean-Michel Jarre (born 1948)
• Flaco Jiménez (born 1939)
• Santiago Jiménez Jr. (born 1944)
• Beau Jocque (1953-1999) – zydeco musician
• Billy Joel (born 1949)
• Pete Jolly (1932-2004) – American jazz pianist and accordionist
• Brian Jones (1942-1969) – member of The Rolling Stones
• Steve Jordan (1939-2010)
• Tyler Joseph (born 1988) – lead singer of Twenty One Pilots
• Kepa Junkera (born 1965) – Basque musician and composer

K

• Boris Karlov (1924-1964) – Bulgarian accordionist, born in Sofia into a Romani family.
• James Keane (born 1948) – Irish traditional musician
• John Kirkpatrick (born 1947)
• Guy Klucevsek (born 1947) – American musician and composer
• Yasuhiro Kobayashi (born 1959)

L

• Gabby La La (born 1979)
• Lead Belly (1889–1949) – American folk and blues musician
• Don Lee (1930-2015) – musician who had the 1957 hit "ECHO, Echo echo"
• Yuri Lemeshev (born 1954) – member of Gogol Bordello
• John Linnell (born 1959) – member of They Might Be Giants
• Nils Lofgren (born 1951)
• Radoslav Lorković (born 1958) – Croatian pianist and accordionist
• Todd Lumley (born 1968)

M

• Charles Magnante (1905-1986) – pioneer of the accordion
• Frank Marocco (1931-2012) – jazz accordionist
• Mat Mathews (1924-2009) – Dutch jazz accordionist
• Bear McCreary (born 1979) - American film composer
• Loreena McKennitt (born 1957) – Canadian musician, composer, harpist, accordionist and pianist
• Johnny Meijer (1912-1992) – Dutch jazz accordionist
• Dionisio Mejia (1911-1978) – Dominican merengue tipico accordionist, better known as Guandulito
• Colacho Mendoza (1936-2003) – Colombian Vallenato accordionist
• Lisandro Meza (born 1937) – Colombian musician
• Andrew Micallef (born 1969) – Maltese chromatic button accordionist
• Alessandra Mignacca (born c.1977/78) – Italian accordion player, teacher
• Brian Mitchell – member of Fatboy Kanootch, Levon Helm Band
• Aniceto Molina (1939-2015) – Colombian musician

N

• Franz Nicolay (born 1977) – member of The World/Inferno Friendship Society
• Krist Novoselic (born 1965) – bassist in Nirvana

O

• Pauline Oliveros (1932-2016) – avant garde performer
• Walter Ostanek (born 1935)

P

• Nejc Pačnik (born 1990) – Slovenian accordionist, twice accordion world-champion and accordion teacher
• Esa Pakarinen (1911-1989) – Finnishn accordionist and actor
• Willard A. "Bill" Palmer (1917-1996) – inventor of the quint system which was later patented by Titano as used in their line of "converter" (or "quint") bass accordions
• Zeena Parkins (born 1956) – American accordionist
• Van Dyke Parks (born 1943) – composer, arranger, and accordionist
• Don Peachey (born 1933) – American musician and recording artist
• Cory Pesaturo (born 1986) – eclectic accordionist
• Joseph Petric (born 1952) – Canadian concert accordionist
• Celso Piña (1953-2019) – cumbia musician
• Kimmo Pohjonen (born 1964) – experimental Finnish accordionist

R

• Matti Rantanen (born 1952) – classical accordionist
• Juancho Rois (1958-1994) – Colombian Vallenato musician
• Israel Romero (born 1954) – Colombian Vallenato musician
• Saul Rose (born 1973) – English melodeon player
• Roberto Ruscitti (born 1941) – Venezuelan accordionist

S

• Johnny Sansone (born 1957)
• William Schimmel (born 1946) – accordionist, composer and philosopher
• John Serry Sr. (1898-1970) – classical and concert accordionist, free-bass accordionist
• Alexander Sevastian (1976-2018) – Russian-Canadian classical, concert, and classical crossover accordionist
• Jimmy Shand (1908-2000) – Scottish accordionist
• Sharon Shannon (born 1968) – Irish accordionist
• Sivuca (1930-2006) – Brazilian musician
• Chango Spasiuk (born 1968) – Argentine folk musician of Ukrainian descent
• John Spiers (born 1975) – English melodeon player
• Will Starr (1922-1976) – Scottish accordionist

T

• Natalia Tena (born 1984)
• Matt Thiessen (born 1980) – member of Relient K
• Yann Tiersen (born 1970) – French composer and multi-instrumentalist
• Aslan Tlebzu (born 1981) – Adyghe folk musician
• Lee Tomboulian (born 1960)
• Arthur Tracy (1899-1997) – American accordionist and ballad singer
• Karen Tweed (born 1963)

U

• Brendon Urie (born 1987) – member of Panic! at the Disco

V

• Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir (born 1982)
• Art Van Damme (1920-2010)
• Tim Van Eyken (born 1978)
• Mika Väyrynen (born 1967)
• Eddie Vedder (born 1964) – member of Pearl Jam
• Aníbal Velásquez (born 1936) – Colombian Vallenato musician
• Julieta Venegas (born 1970)
• Travis Vengroff (born 1987) - member of Random Encounter (band)
• Emir Vildić (born 1984) – Bosnian accordionist and accordion teacher
• Gus Viseur (1915-1974) – French accordionist

W

• Jason Webley (born 1974) – American musician
• Lawrence Welk (1903-1992)
• Martin White – British cover artist
• Minnie White (1916-2001) – Newfoundland's "First Lady of the Accordion"
• Wix Wickens (born 1956)
• Dave Willey (born 1963)
• Patrick Wolf (born 1983)
• Richard Wright (1943-2008) – member of Pink Floyd

Y

• Frankie Yankovic (1915-1998) – polka musician
• "Weird Al" Yankovic (born 1959) – song parodist, comedian

Z

• Jimmy Zambrano (born 1966) – Colombian Vallenato accordionist
• Joe Zawinul (1932-2007)
• Vladislav Zolotaryov (1942-1975)
• Emiliano Zuleta (1912-2005) – Colombian Vallenato accordionist, composer

References