I was born Victor Maffei on October 4, 1932 -- the very height of the Great Depression.
We lived at 37-65 103rd Street in Corona, New York, behind a grocery store run by my Father and Mother,
Leo and Josephine. (Stasi's Italian Bakery was next door.) My brother Robert was born December 6, 1934.
These were hard but wonderful years.
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The Great Depression was great: great radio, great movies, great music, great cars, and great people.
Roosevelt. Lindbergh. Frank Buck. Clark Gable. Irene Dunne. "The Thin Man." Mickey Rooney and Judy
Garland. Hundreds of others.
On October 24, 1941, my first instructor Don Federici gave me my first music lesson. He wrote out
"Casey would stroll with the strawberry blonde..." and a basic waltz-time bass — OMM pah pah! —
and I was off and running. (The movie "The Strawberry Blonde" was popular at the time, starring James
Cagney, Jack Carson, Rita Hayworth, and Olivia DeHavilland — all gone today except for DeHavilland.)
My father paid for my first accordion lesson with salami, cheese and bread: two dollars worth!
The Great Depression lasted until the spring of 1942. I kept practicing, learning more and more songs.
On December 10, 1941, a few days after Pearl Harbor, a song entitled "White Christmas" came out.
I learned White Christmas, and was on my way! (In later years, when I worked for Irving Berlin's
Birthday parties, I was grateful to him.)
I kept practicing my accordion and skipping school. Brother Robert start playing guitar in March of 1942.
We became a duo and started playing jobs all over the neighborhood. We entertained at friends and
relatives like my Zia Emma. I worked in pizza restaurants, churches, theatres, Knights of Columbus Halls,
American Legions and more, playing affairs solo or as a duo with Robby. We played patriotic, Italian, pop
tunes, the songs of the 20's, 30's, and 40's. These were great tunes, many of which I still play today.
A good song will last forever.
Next page: So long Corona, Hello Bayside!
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