Excerpts from an article by Spectrum News, Austin written by Victoria Maranan.

If you’ve been keeping track of Texas music since the 70’s, you may have noticed something missing: musician Ponty Bone’s accordion has been silent for a few years.

On Sunday, the who’s who of Texas music got together in Downtown Austin to celebrate Bone, one of Texas’ accordion kings.

“This is really a family and friends event when you get these people together,” said Bone’s friend, Bob Zink. “He’s a genuine, warm, affectionate and great person. But I’m an accordion nut, he just happens to be part of the accordion clan.”

While he has dazzled audiences nationwide and overseas, he didn’t take up the stage.

Bone has been dealing with health issues in the past few years. Aside from having open heart surgery in 2015, he’s also been battling a rare neurological disorder called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, or PSP.

It damages the person’s ability to see, speak, move and swallow while staying mentally active. There is no cure.

“It’s kind of one of those things where it’s like you have good days and bad days. I see him a lot, though, so I see a lot of good days,” said his granddaughter, Jessie Scott.
When the music stops, so does income.

“The musicians didn’t get the deck of cards everybody else did as far as healthcare and availability and the ends meet to provide for a lot of necessities. So, it’s very unfortunate,”said Zink.

But Ponty’s family, friends and fans were not willing to let that happen. Sunday’s event was also a fundraiser.

“For him, this is more than just the money. I know he wants to see all these people. So, it’s sad because I don’t think he’ll be able to express his gratitude,” said Scott. “So, I just want people to know who came out and made time to know that it’s huge to him.”

The Ponty Bone GoFundme.com page has raised over $10,000.