Mort passed away peacefully at age 90 on May 1, 2016 in Cape Cod, MA. Picture left taken in 2006. Picture right circa 1948.
Mort Herold was a founding member of the Chicago Accordion Club – Named the newsletter “The Accordiana”
Member of the Board for many years – Presenter, soloist, and a member of the CAC Quintet.
Winner out of 1500 contestants in the 1941 Chicago Tribune Chicagoland Music Festival with a performance in Soldier Field.
While in the Navy during World War 2, he was accompanist for Dennis Day, featured soloist in the Claude Thornhill and Bob Crosby bands and received a letter of commendation from Admirals Nimitz and Calhoun for his accordion programs in battle areas.
After the war Mort appeared in his own radio show on WCFL,”Rhapsodies in Velvet” for two and a half years. In 1948 he gave a solo accordion concert in the Chicago Opera House before a capacity audience of 1800 persons, concluding with the premier of Galla-Rini’s first Concerto for Accordion and Orchestra with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Mort served as adjudicator and performing artist for numerous state accordion festivals, lectured at the MENC, and founded the accordion department at Vandercook College, where students from all over the States and Canada came to study with him. He founded and led the Mort Herold School of Music on Chicago’s South Side.
He served as president of the ATG and, for many years, collaborated with Julio Giulietti in developing the Bassetti (Free Bass) Accordion. He was a Giulietti artist, performing and MC-ing at trade music convention concerts.
Mort was also the author of four books on Memory Improvement, published by Contemporary Books,Inc. Chicago. He lectured on memory improvement throughout the United States.
He is survived by his wife Cressida Herold, children Richard Herold and June Herold, and granddaughters Stephanie, Lauren and Isabella Herold.
Picture below, left to right: Mort Herold with some famous accordion friends, Lou Coppola, Frank Marocco, Manny Bobenrieth and Dr. Carmelo Pino. This picture was taken in June 2006 just prior to Frank Marocco receiving his AAA Lifetime Achievement Award.
Photos are courtesy of Lou Coppola.
