BALDORI FAMILY BAND

The family remembers that Luigi insisted on music lessons for all of his children.  At some point, they started playing together as a band.  Luigi took the band around in a one seater Model A truck.  He built a bed with seats on the sides to cart the kids around to parades.  They put the instruments on the floor and sat the kids on the sides.  The kids were not allowed to move.  They would sometimes play out of the flatbed of the truck.  They entertained at school functions, fire halls, dances and for the Sons of Italy.  Lucy played violin, then piano, Stell played mandolin, Alma played the mandola which she eventually traded for a banjo.  Virginia played the guitar.  John started on the accordian before moving to trumpet.  Albert eventually played the sax and Pete the bass.

Mr. Salerno wrote all the musical arrangements down.  According to Alma they opened with LINDA which she sang.  They played what was popular of the day, everything from polkas to traditional Italian music.

According to Alma, Luigi started the Sons of Italy in Republic, naming the lodge Pietro Micca.