In Bayville, my father bought a grocery store on the corner of Bayville and Perry Avenues.
He named it "The Friendly Corner." (The store is still in operation, with another owner, to this day.)
I entered Oyster Bay High School in 1947. I was welcomed by a terrific music teacher, Don Luckenbill,
fellow accordion player John Mazalewski, and a great musician Jan Richards. Within a short time I
started a trio with Ralph Villoni, a wonderful drummer and vibe player, and Charley Moralis who sang
and played guitar. We started playing at the Bella Napoli in Mineola. At the same time, I formed another
group called The Victorians: me on accordion, Pat Bufocal on trumpet and vocals, brother Bob on guitar
and Joe Oddo on drums. We began to get many more engagements.
In the fall of 1947, I started giving accordion lessons in the Bayville and Oyster Bay area. I went from
home to home and gave one-and-a-half hour lessons for $4. All of my students played quite well, and some went on
to become professionals themselves. I've taught continuously form the 40's to today, teaching mainly
adults these days. Many have become very good players.
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| Vic's band The Victorians competed with Lola Fisher during a talent show at the Glen Cove Theater. |
In 1948 my dad bought me a beautiful accordion from Italy. 1948 and 1949 became important years for The
Victorians. The band sounded great. We performed at a talent show at the Glen Cove Theater where Pat sang
Here I'll Stay with You. We ended up winning second place. The young woman who took first place, Lola Fisher,
would go on to be in the original Broadway and London casts of My Fair Lady.
Next we performed on Tiny Ruffner's show, where we came in first. Then in 1948 we headed for the big time:
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on the CBS Radio Network. This was the show that helped launch the careers
of stars such as Rosemary Clooney and Eddie Fisher. We headed into Manhattan to the CBS Studio 21 Building
on East 52nd Street. As we rode up in the elevator,
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| Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, sponsored by Lipton Tea. |
I noticed an attractive woman riding with us. It was
Barbara Stanwyck. She asked what we were up to. When we told her we were about to be on Godfrey's show, she
warmly wished us good luck. We performed two songs, Candy and Cake by Julius LaRosa, and a jazz version of
I'll See You In My Dreams.
We continued playing many parties, entertaining at Elks's Clubs, American Legion Halls. We did anniversaries,
birthdays. We even performed for a Polish wedding that lasted two days straight at Rinky Dinks in Bellmore.
At this time I was also playing with other groups. I worked with the Jerry Edwards Trio; Lee Roman, a great
sax player, and Don Sitterly, a fine sax man who also played clarinet and flute. At the same time, I was working
in Mom and Pop's grocery store, teaching, and starting my first company. I registered the name "Vix Music Co."
in Mineola for all of New York State for $5. I also registered The Victorians.
Next page: The Bayville Years, Continued
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