Did you know that 2010 is the 20th anniversary of the accordion being the official instrument of San Francisco? Well, now you all know this interesting fact! On April 26, 1990, the Board of Supervisors voted 6 to 4 in favor of designating the accordion the city’s Official Instrument. This is all due to Tom Torriglia’s intense campaigning at City Hall to make the accordion the official instrument of San Francisco.

Tom even took the witness stand in a mock trial to testify on behalf of all things accordion while being booed by a chorus of kazoos! This all happened in 1990. At that time, San Francisco did not have an official instrument. Thanks to the efforts of Tom Torriglia, the accordion is San Francisco’s official instrument!

How did this happen? In 1989, Tom met San Francisco Supervisor Willie Kennedy at an event, told her of his intent to make the accordion the official instrument and asked her for guidance and assistance. She guided him through the process. The first step was to write a support paper talking about the history of the accordion in San Francisco and how the piano accordion got its start here and why it should be the city’s official instrument. After reading his paper, she felt his request had merit and introduced a measure to the full Board of Supervisors asking that the accordion be named the city’s official instrument. The supervisors then held a public hearing on the issue. Many people showed up in City Hall to speak for and against the proposal.

The Board of Supervisors passed the measure which then went to the mayor’s office for his signature. Realizing what a hot-button issue this was, the mayor, Art Agnos, decided not to act and the measure became officially approved by default.

Tom has been in the music business since the late 1960s. He is a tireless accordion promoter and was an original member of Those Darn Accordions. Additionally, he is responsible for making June “National Accordion Awareness Month.” Today, he plays a variety of gigs around the Bay Area, often with his popular retro-Italiano band, Bella Ciao.

For further information: tom@ladyofspain.com