Mark- I'm not sure I know exactly what kind of music you're referring to from the 50s movies, but I've been making a complete pest of myself all over the Mudcat for the last week or two trying to find continental European music, and nobody seems to know anything about it. I have been told that I might be able to get the e-mail address of the guy who inspired me to learn to play the accordion. He's from Belgium and he's one of the big guns in the Washington D.C. area folk music scene, but I've met him and jammed with him several times, and he seems like a pretty nice guy. I'm hoping he'll be able to turn me on to some good sources. If you want me to share anything I get with you, let me know and I can either send a personal message, or you can PM me with your e-mail address (if you're not already a member, you have to join to be able to send and recieve personal messages).

You have no idea how much it means to me that somebody understands. You'd be amazed at the amount of abuse I get for playing the accordion. I have a good come-back, though. When people suggest that I take up a more respectable instrument, like the concertina, I say that I like the way the accordion vibrates better. That shuts them up pretty good.

Carol