John Serry Sr.

This article is about the accordionist. For the jazz pianist and composer, see John Serry Jr. For the American electronic music composer, see Jonn Serrie.

John Serry Sr., circa 1967

John Serry Sr. (born John Serrapica; January 29, 1915 – September 14, 2003) was an American concert accordionist, arranger, composer, organist, and educator. He performed on the CBS Radio and Television networks and contributed to Voice of America's cultural diplomacy initiatives during the Golden Age of Radio. He also concertized on the accordion as a member of several orchestras and jazz ensembles for nearly forty years between the 1930s and 1960s.

External audio
You may hear John Serry Sr. performing Agustin Lara's bolero Granada with the lyric tenor Nestor Mesta Chayres and the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra in 1946 Here

Biography

Serry's career spanned over seven decades. As a proponent of Latin American music and the free-bass accordion, he performed as the piano accordionist on the radio music program Viva América, which was broadcast live to South America under the United States Department of State's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs' cultural diplomacy initiative for Voice of America during World War II. Broadcasts of this show have been cited as helping to introduce Latin American music and the Mexican bolero to large audiences in the United States in the 1940s.

Serry performed with big bands, symphony orchestras, radio and television orchestras, and Broadway orchestras at the Radio City Music Hall, the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center (1935); the Starlight Roof at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (1936–1937); the Palmer House in Chicago (1938); the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles (1938); Carnegie Hall with Alfredo Antonini conducting (1946); the Plaza Hotel (1940s); The Town Hall (1941–1942); The Rajah Theatre (1953), the Ed Sullivan Theater (1959) for CBS television; the Empire Theater (New York) (1953); and such New York cafe society nightspots as: El Morocco, El Chico and The Riviera in the 1930s. During the course of these performances he appeared under the musical direction of several noted conductors including: Alfredo Antonini, Percy Faith, Shep Fields and Andre Kostelanetz.

Carnegie Hall

Serry was born John Serrapica in Brooklyn, New York to Pasquale Serrapica and Anna Balestrieri, the fourth-born of thirteen siblings. His Italian father immmigrated to America from Gragnano, Italy after passing through Ellis Island in 1904 and 1914. The family owned a grocery store after initially moving to Navy Street in 1905. His formal musical education included studies with the accordionist Joseph Rossi from 1926 to 1929 at the Pietro Deiro School in New York. At the age of 14 he performed live on the Italian radio station WCDA. In addition, he undertook studies in piano and harmony with Albert Rizzi from 1929 to 1932 and in harmony and counterpoint with Gene Von Hallberg, founder of the American Accordionists Association, for two years. A lifelong friendship with the accordionist Louis Del Monte was established as a result of these studies. Del Monte awakened Serry's interest in Latin American music. Advanced studies in harmony and orchestration were completed under the instruction of the composer Robert Strassburg in the 1940s.

Career

The 1930s: The big band era

Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center, New York City

The period from 1938-1960 has been described as a unique period of prestige for the accordion in the United States when it attained more widespread acceptance by the public as a "serious instrument" on the concert hall stage. With the help of Del Monte, in the 1930s Serry began his professional career by making appearances with the Ralph Gomez Tango Orchestra at The Rainbow Room at the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center, leading to an extended engagement there in 1935. He also played with the Hugo Mariani Tango Orchestra at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, with Alfred Brito, a Cuban orchestra leader in New York (1936), and Misha Borr, conductor of the Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra. He appeared as a soloist for society functions at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel's Waldorf Towers and at its Starlight Roof with the Lester Lanin Orchestra. In addition, he performed regularly at clubs such as El Morocco, the Rainbow Room, El Chico, and the Riviera in New York City.

As the decade came to a close, Serry performed with the jazz ensemble Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm during a nationwide tour with live radio broadcasts from the Palmer House hotel in Chicago, Illinois, and the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California, over the NBC network (1937–1938). These big band remote broadcasts used Zenith's Radiogran technology. In 1937, he also recorded the distinctive Shep Fields' theme song with the Shep Fields Rippling Rhythm Orchestra for Eli Oberstein on RCA Victor's Bluebird label (Victor, BS-017494, 1937). His performances as a member of the orchestra are also documented in the film The Big Broadcast of 1938 ("This Little Ripple Had Rhythm" and "Thanks for the Memory"), which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1939. While touring with Shep Fields, he also recorded several popular songs of the time for Bluebird Records, including "With a Smile and a Song", "Whistle While You Work", and "Now It Can Be Told".

The 1940s: The golden age of radio

Serry married Julia Trafficante in the 1940s and moved to Nassau County, New York on Long Island to raise a family of four children which included John Serry Jr. He simultaneously undertook private studies with: Joscha Zade in piano (1945–1946); Arthur Guttow, an organist at the Radio City Music Hall (1946); and Robert Strassburg in Orchestration and Advanced Harmony (1948–1950). He specialized in the works of Gershwin, Debussy, and Ravel.

Town Hall in New York City

Building upon his concert experiences of the 1930s, Serry entered the golden age of radio performing on the CBS radio network and assisted several concert artists in New York City including the French diseuse Marianne Oswald (aka Marianne Lorraine) in her English speaking debut of "One Woman Theatre" performing the poem Mr. Lincoln and His Gloves (by Carl Sandburg), Never Before (by Archibald MacLeish) and poems by Jean Cocteau and Jacques Prevert at Town Hall (1942). The concert was hosted by the Free World Association and presented with the patronage of Eleanor Roosevelt . This performance was praised in The Players Magazine - National Journal of Educational Dramatics as a "fresh experience and intriguing in its uniqueness." The The New York Times described it as being skillfully presented. For ten years Serry performed as an original member of Alfredo Antonini's CBS Pan American Orchestra (1940–1949) on the Viva América program for the Department of State's Office of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA) in support of its cultural diplomacy initiatives. He also worked with Antonini, Nestor Mesta Chayres and members of the New York Philharmonic in the Night of the Americas Concert gala at Carnegie Hall in 1946.

During this period, several international concert musicians also appeared on Viva America or recorded music with Antonini's Viva America Orchestra including: Terig Tucci (1942) Juan Arvizu (1940s); Nestor Mesta Chayres (1940s); Eva Garza (1940s); Elsa Miranda (1940s), Los Panchos Trio (1946), and Manuolita Arriola (1946) Under the supervision of Edmund Chester, these performances were beamed over CBS' Network of the Americas ("La Cadena de las Americas") across the Latin America continent to over twenty countries and rebroadcast by the United States Office of War Information and the United States Armed Forces Radio Service. Performances by members of Antonini's CBS Pan American Orchestra on Viva America have been credited with helping to introduce Latin American music and the Mexican bolero to large audiences in the United States in the 1940s.

In addition, Serry also recorded examples of music unrelated to the bolero. During the 1940s he collaborated with the Mischa Borr Orchestra and the vocalist Sidor Belarsky to record several Russian and Ukrainian folk songs for Victor records including: "Dark Night" (Victor 26–5037), "Hobo Song" (Victor 26–5036, 1946), "By the Cradle" (Victor 26–5035, 1946), "Katusha" (Victor 26–5035, 1946)

Serry recorded his work "Leone Jump" as a member of the Biviano Accordion & Rhythm Sextette with Tony Mottola on guitar and Angelo Delleria on accordion for Sonora Records in 1945. The album includes performances of "Little Brown Jug", "Golden Wedding", "Swing Low Sweet Chariot", "That's a Plenty", and "The Jazz Me Blues". His composition "Fantasy in F" was completed during this decade in 1946. The critic Henry Doktorski has described it as a "novelty piece" and likened it to Zez Confrey composition "Dizzy Fingers". Later in 1949, the accordionist Joe Biviano collaborated with the RCA Victor Accordion Orchestra to record Serry's composition "Manhattan Hop" for RCA Victor. He also recorded several popular songs for Victor Records as a member of the noted Charles Magnante Accordion Band in 1941 including: "Clarinete Polka", '"Halli-Hallo- Halli", "Le Secret" and "Swing Me A Polka".

As an educator, Serry founded and operated a music studio in Jamaica, Queens in New York City and Long Island, New York. Between 1945 and the late 1980s he provided instruction on accordion, piano, and organ. His pupils included Anthony Ettore, president of the American Accordionist's Association, and Robert Davine, an accordionist and educator at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver as well as his son John Serry Jr. In addition, he was invited to contribute to the annual series of Master Accordion Classes and seminars sponsored by the American Accordionists Association in New York City in August 2000. He also published several method books for his elementary, intermediate, and advanced grade students between 1945 and 1983. In addition, he took note of the limitations imposed by the Stradella bass system during performances of classical music. In an effort to circumvent these limitations, he designed and developed a working model of a free-bass system for the accordion during this decade. It incorporated dual keyboards for the soloist's left hand while incorporating two sets of reeds which were tuned in octaves. This gave the soloist access to a range of tones which exceeded three and one-half octaves.

The 1950s: Broadway and television

Shubert Theatre in New York City
Shubert Theatre NYC

During the early days of network television in the 1950s, Serry performed at CBS as a staff member of the original CBS Orchestra (1949–1960) and an accompanist on several live network television programs including The Jackie Gleason Show in 1953, The Frank Sinatra Show in the 1950s, and on the prime time drama I Remember Mama in 1953 starring Peggy Wood.

In 1951 he also arranged his compositions La Culebra and African Bolero for solo flute. He dedicated the scores to his close friend Julius Baker. During this time he also performed under the musical direction of Andre Kostelanetz at CBS. As the first accordionist in the Serry Sextette, he recorded his own arrangements of several popular melodies and classical themes for the RCA Thesaurus electrical transcriptions catalog in 1954 during Ben Selvin's tenure as A & R Manager for RCA Victor. Performances on the radio also continued during this period and included: appearances as a member of the Magnante Accordion Quartet, on The Lucky Strike Hour, Waltz Time, and The American Melody Hour (1940s). He occasionally substituted for the quartet's founder Charles Magnante.

On the Broadway stage he performed under director Harold Clurman in a production of Arthur Laurents play The Time of the Cuckoo with Shirley Booth and Dino Di Luca. By 1953, he had also arranged music which was edited by Lawrence Welk and utilized in a course of study for the piano accordion by the U. S. School of Music, which was described years later as the oldest home study music school chartered by the Board of Regents in New York State with a total worldwide enrollment of over one million students. In the same year, he appeared as a featured soloist at an accordion concert hosted at the Rajah Theatre in Reading, Pennsylvania.

In 1956 Serry composed, arranged and performed several compositions for Dot Records (#DLP3024) with Al Caiola and Bernie Leighton on his album Squeeze Play during Billy Vaughn's tenure as music director at Dot Records. The production received a critical review as a new popular album in The Billboard in 1956 and was cited for establishing a beautiful soothing mood. The album was also critically reviewed in Cash Box magazine later that year. It features his original composition Garden In Monaco which is adapted from the theme of an ancient Italian serenade. Serry was applauded for establishing a wide variety of musical moods with grace, while simultaneously emphasizing a relaxed performance style. In 1958 several songs from the album were released once again in France by Versailles records (# 90 M 178) as Chicago Musette - John Serry et son Accordéon. These activities led to Serry's nomination to the "Who Is Who In Music International" in 1958.

C.W. Post College, Brookville, Long Island. LOC gsc.5a29157

His advanced grade composition for accordion, American Rhapsody was completed and published during 1955. In addition, his Concerto For Free Bass Accordion was completed in 1966 and transcribed for piano in 2002.

As the decade of the 1960s unfolded, public interest in the accordion began to diminish in the United States while the popularity of rock music continued to grow. As a result, many established accordion studios either diversified or closed down entirely. With this in mind, Serry devoted the remaining thirty-five years of his professional career to the performance of liturgical music as a freelance organist at the Interfaith Chapel of Long Island University C W Post Campus in Brookville, New York (1968–2002). As more rabbis sought to unite couples of different faiths without first requiring conversions in the 1960s and 1970s, he collaborated with several clergymen of both the Jewish and Catholic religious traditions including: Rabbi Nathaniel Schwartz and the Rev. John Heinlein

Death

Serry died after a brief illness on Long Island, New York in 2003, age 88.

Performance style

Several of John Serry's early live performances and recordings were reviewed by critics in such noted magazines as The Billboard, Cash Box and The Players Magazine - National Journal of Educational Dramatics. His recording with the Biviano Accordion and Rhythm Sextette for Sonora Records in 1945 (Accordion Capers) was reviewed by Billboard magazine, which noted that the music on the album was strictly for listening as opposed to dancing. While accompanying a dramatic vocalist he was cited for contributing to an intriguing and nuanced performance. His recording of Latin American music with the Alfredo Antonini Viva America Orchestra was described as "as amongst the most attractive" by critics at The New Records in 1946. His musical arrangements were also cited for using the accordion to convey a variety of musical moods with easy-going grace intended for low-pressure listening. Above all else, he was applauded on his album Squeeze Play for utilizing the accordion to establish a beautiful, relaxed and soothing mood while avoiding a more common type of "show-off" performance.

Works

Compositions and arrangements

External audio
You may hear John Serry Sr. performing his "Leone Jump" with the Joe Biviano Accordion Rhythm Sextette and Tony Mottola in 1947 Here on Archive.org
You may hear John Serry Sr. and the Shep Fields Orchestra performing "Whistle While You Work" in 1937 Here on Archive.org

His compositions include:

• Desert Rumba (for accordion, 1939; publisher Antobal Music, 1951)
• Glissando (for accordion, publisher Biviano Music, 1942)
• Tarantella (for accordion, 1942; publisher Alpha Music, 1955)
• Valse (Composer Pytor Ilych Tchaikovsky (Opus 39 No. 8), arr. for accordion, publisher Viccas Music, 1946)
• Fantasy in F (for accordion, publisher Viccas Music, 1946)
• Consolation Waltz (for accordion, publisher O. Pagani & Bro., 1948)
• Uncle Charlie's Polka (for accordion, publisher O. Pagani Bro., 1948)
• The Bugle Polka (for accordion, publisher O. Pagani Bro., 1948)
• Leone Jump (for accordion, publisher Pietro Deiro, 1956)
• La Culebra (for accordion, 1950; arr. accordion & flute; 1950, arr. flute solo 1991; publisher Antobal Music, 1951)
• African Bolero (for accordion, 1950; arr. accordion & flute; 1950, arr. flute solo 1991; publisher Antobal Music, 1951)
• The Syncopated Accordionist (for accordion, publisher/editor Charles Colin, 1952)
• The First Ten Lessons for Accordion (for accordion, publisher Alpha Music, 1952)
• Accordion Method Books I, II, III, IV (for accordion, publisher Alpha Music, 1953)
• Rhythm-Airs for Accordion (editor John Serry, publisher Charles Colin & Bugs Bower, 1953)
• La Cinquantaine (m. Gabriel Marie, arr. accordion quartet, publisher Alpha Music, 1954)
• Allegro (m. Joseph Hayden, arr. accordion quartet, publisher Alpha Music, 1954)
• Top Ten Accordion Solos – Easy to Play (editor: John Serrapica, publisher Alpha Music, 1954)

External audio
You may hear John Serry Sr. with the tenor Luis G. Roldan and the Alfredo Antonini CBS Pan American Orchestra performing the boleros "Esta Noche Ha Pasasdo" (Sabre Marroquin) and "Tres Palabras" (Osvaldo Farres) in 194? Here on Archive.org
You may hear John Serry Sr. with the Shep Fields Rippling Rhythm Orchestra performing "In The Merry Month of May" (Ed Haley) in 1938 Here on Archive.org

• Junior Accordion Band Series (arr. accordion quartet, publisher Alpha Music, 1955)
• Tango Verde (m. Romero, arr. accordion quartet, publisher Alpha Music, 1955)
• Holiday in Rio (m. Terig Tucci, arr. accordion quartet, publisher Alpha Music, 1955)
• En Tu Reja (m. Romero, arr. accordion quartet, publisher Alpha Music, 1955)
• Tango of Love (for accordion quartet, publisher Alpha Music, 1955)
• Manolas (m. Escobar, arr. accordion quartet, publisher Alpha Music, 1955)
• Petite Tango (for accordion quartet, publisher Alpha Music, 1955)
• The Lost Tango for accordion, Words by Edward Steinfeld, 1956)
• Garden in Monaco (for accordion, publisher Alpha Music, 1956)
• Rockin' the Anvil (for accordion, publisher Alpha Music, 1956)
• Selected Accordion Solos (arr. accordion, publisher Alpha Music, 1956)
• Spooky Polka (for accordion, publisher Alpha Music, 1957)
• Reeds in a Rush (for accordion, publisher Alpha Music, 1957)
• American Rhapsody (for accordion, publisher Alpha Music, 1957)
• Processional for Organ (liturgical bridal march for organ, 1968)
• Falling Leaves (for piano, 1976)
• A Savior Is Born (Christmas liturgical for organ & voice, 1991)
• The Lord's Prayer (liturgical Lord's Prayer for organ and chorus, 1992)

Advanced compositions

Serry's compositions in the symphonic jazz and classical music genres include:

• American Rhapsody (for accordion, 1955: published by Alpha Music 1957; transcribed for piano, 2002)
• Concerto For Free Bass Accordion (for accordion, 1966; transcribed for piano, 1995–2002, unpublished, a.k.a. Concerto in C Major for Bassetti Accordion)

Discography

External audio
You may hear John Serry Sr. with Juan Arvizu and the Alfredo Antonini CBS Tipica Orchestra performing the boleros: "Viva Sevilla", "Mi Sarape", "Que Paso?", "El Bigote de Tomas" and "De Donde?" in 1942 Here on Archive.org
You may hear the complete album "Squeeze Play" (Dot Records,1956) Here on Archive.org

• Squeeze Play – Dot Records (catalogue #DLP-3024) (1956)
• RCA Thesaurus  - RCA Victor Transcriptions series of over thirty works. John Serry Sr. as a contributing arranger and soloist with The Bel-Cordions accordion Sextette ensemble and Ben Selvin – Music Director (1954). List of musical arrangements -Allegro - Joseph Haydn, The Golden Wedding( La Cinquantaine) - Jean Gabriel-Marie, Tango of Love - John Serry Sr., Shine On, Harvest Moon - Jack Noworth & Nora Bayes, My Melancholy Baby - Ernie Burnett & George A. Norton, Singin' in the Rain - Arthur Freed & Nacio Herb Brown, Nobody's Sweetheart - Elmer Schoebel/Gus Kahn, Chicago - Fred Fisher, If You Knew Susie - Buddy DeSylva & Joseph Meyer, Somebody Stole My Gal - Leo Wood, Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay - Paul Stanley (composer), Old McDonald - children's music, Beer Barrel Polka - Jaromir Vejvoda/Eduard Ingris, I Love Louisa - Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz, Oh You Beautiful Doll - Seymour Brown/ Nat D. Ayer, Chinatown, My Chinatown -William Jerome/Jean Schwartz
• Accordion Capers - Sonora Records (catalogue # MS 476) - as a member of the Biviano Accordion & Rhythm Sextette. (1947)List of musical selections: Little Brown Jug- Joseph Eastburn Winner, The Golden Wedding (La Cinquantaine) - Jean Gabriel-Marie, Leone Jump - John Serry, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot- Wallace Willis, That's a Plenty - Lew Pollack, Scotch Medley - folk music, The Jazz Me Blues - Tom Delaney
• Latin American Music - Alpha Records (catalogue # 12205A, 12205B, 12206A, 12206B) - as a member of the Viva America Orchestra - Conductor Alfredo Antonini (1946)List of recordings: Caminito de tu Casa - Julio Alberto Hernández, Chapinita - Miguel Sandoval, Adios Mariquita Linda - Marcos A. Jimenez, Mi Nuevo Amor, La Zandunga - Andres Gutierrez/Maximo Ramo Ortiz, La Mulata Tomasa - Lazaro Quintero, Tres Palabras - Osvaldo Farres, Noche de ronda - Augustin Lara
• Granada - Decca Records (catalogue # 23770A) - as a member of the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra with the lyric tenor Nestor Mesta Chayres (1946)
• Chiquita Banana - Alpha (catalogue # 1001A) - as a member of the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra, conductor Alfredo Antonini, vocalist Elsa Miranda (1946)
• Leone Jump – Sonora Records (catalogue # 3001 B) - as a member of the Biviano Accordion & Rhythm Sextette. (1945)
• Clarinet Polka - Bluebird (catalogue # B-11294-A) - John Serry (aka John Serrapica) as a member of the Charles Magnante Accordion Band (1941).
• Swing Me a Polka - Victor (matrix # BS-067555) - John Serry (aka John Serrapica) as a member of the Charles Magnante Accordion Band (1941).
• Le Secret - Victor (matrix # BS-067556) - John Serry (aka John Serrapica) as a member of the Charles Magnante Accordion Band (1941.
• Halli-Hallo-Halli - Victor (matrix # BS-067556) - John Serry (aka John Serrapica) as a member of the Charles Magnante Accordion Band (1941.
• Tres Palabras and Esta Noche Ha Pasado - Columbia Records (catalogue # 6201-X) - as a member of the CBS Pan American Orchestra - Conductor Alfredo Antionini, Vocalist Luis G. Roldan (194?)List of songs: Tres Palabras - Osvaldo Farres, Esta Noche Ha Pasado - M. Sabre Marroquin
• Asi and Somos Diferentes - Columbia Records (catalogue # 6202-X) - as a member of the CBS Pan American Orchestra - Conductor Alfredo Antonini, Vocalist Luis G. Roldan (194?)List of songs: Asi - María Grever, Somos Diferentes - Pablo Beltran Ruiz

External audio
You may hear John Serry Sr. with Los Panchos Trio and the Alfredo Antonini Viva America Orchestra performing a chilian cueca dance "La Palma" circa 1946 Here on Archive.org
You may hear John Serry with the Charles Magnante Accordion Band performing "Clarinet Polka" in 1941 Here on Archive.org

• La Palma and Rosa Negra - Pilotone Records (catalogue # 5067 & # 5069) - as a member of Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra, Vocalists Los Panchos Trio (194?)List of songs: La Palma (Chilian cueca dance), Rosa Negra (Conga)
• El Bigote de Tomas and De Donde - Columbia Records (Catalogue # 36666) - as a member of the CBS Tipica Orchestra conducted by Alfredo Antonini with tenor Juan Arvizu (194?) List of musical selections: El Bigote de Tomas - Valie, De Donde - María Grever
• Mi Sarape and Que Paso? - Columbia Records (catalogue # 36665) - as a member of the CBS Tipica Orchestra conducted by Alfredo Antonini with tenor Juan Arvizu (194?)List of musical selections: Mi Sarape - María Grever, Que Paso? - Cortazar
• Viva Sevilla! and Noche de Amor - Columbia records (catalogue # 36664) - as a member of the CBS Tipica Orchestra conducted by Alfredo Antonini with tenor Juan Arvizu (194?) Musical selections: Viva Sevilla! - Lavidad/Delmoral, Noche de Amor - Tchaikovsky arr.Arvizu/Antonini
• Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra - Bluebird Records - as the accordionist (1938)List of recordings 1938: A Stranger in Paree (#B-7566), I Wanna Go Back to Bali (B#7566) - Harry Warren/Al Dubin, Cathedral in the Pines (#B-7553) - Charles Kenny/Nick Kenney, Somewhere with Somebody Else (#B-7555), That Feeling Is Gone (#B-7555), Good Evenin', Good Lookin (#B-7553), My Walking Stick (#B-7592), Havin' Myself a Time (#B-7581) - Ralph Rainger/Leo Robin, Fare Thee Well, Annie Laurie (#B-7581), This Time It's Real (#B-7579), If It Rains - Who Cares? (#B-7579), Now It Can Be Told (#B-7592) - Irving Berlin, I've Got a Pocketful of Dreams (#B-7581), In Any Language (#B-7604), Where in the World (#B-7604), Any Little Girl, That's a Nice Little Girl, Is the Right Little Girl for Me (#B-7606) - Thomas J. Gray/Fred Fisher, In the Merry Month of May (#B-7606) - Ed Haley, Don't Let That Moon Get Away (#B-7697) - Johnny Burke (lyricist)/James V. Monaco

External audio
You may hear John Serry and the Shep Fields Rippling Rhythm Jazz Orchestra playing "With a Smile and a Song" in 1937 Here on Archive.org
You may hear John Serry and the Shep Fields Orchestra performing the fox trot "There's a New Moon Over the Old Mill" in 1937 Here on ucsb.edu

• Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra - Bluebird Records - as the accordionist (1937)List of recordings 1937: With a Smile and a Song (#B-7343) - Frank Churchill/Larry Morey, Whistle While You Work (#B-7343) - Frank Churchill/Larry Morey, It's Wonderful (#B-7333), I'm the One Who Loves You (#B-7333), There's a New Moon Over the Old Mill (#B-7355) - Allie Wrubel/Herb Magidson, Goodnight, Angel (#B-7355) Allie Wrubel/Herb Magidson, Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?) (#B-7345) - Bernard Hanighen/Johnny Mercer
• Chicago Musette-John Serry and His Accordion - Versailles (catalogue # 90 M 178) released in France (1958) List of musical arrangements: Rock and Roll Polka - Mort Lindsey/George Skinner, My Heart Cries for You- Percy Faith/Carl Sigman, Secret Love -Paul Webster/Sammy Fain, Granada - Agustín Lara

Filmography

• The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938) – as himself, performing with the Shep Fields Orchestra.

Invention

Serry was granted a patent in 1966 by the United States Patent Office for his design of a protective shield for collapsible toothpaste tubes (US Patent #US3269604).

Bibliography

• Serry, John (November 1937), "Accordions & Orchestras: Past Present & Future", Accordion World.
• Serry, John (March 1939), "Those Neglected Basses", Accordion World.
• Serry, John (1964), "Jazz And The Student Accordionist", Accordion World.
• Serrapica, John (1952), The Syncopated Accordionist, Charles Colin.

Archived works

• Selected examples of Serry's original compositional scores, arrangements, LP recordings, reel to reel recording tapes, biographical articles and other biographical reference materials have been donated for archival purposes to the Eastman School of Music's Sibley Music Library within the Ruth T. Watanabe Special Collections Department to benefit both researchers and students. Researchers may contact the staff archivist directly for further assistance in obtaining copies of scores or reviewing LP recordings compiled in the "John Serry Sr. Collection".

Professional affiliations

Serry was an active member of the BMI, SESAC, American Federation of Musicians (Local #802) (1933–2003), and The American Guild of Organists. For a brief period he served as a charter member of the American Accordionists Association (1938). He pursued professional musical studies with: Joseph Rossi (accordion, 1926–1929); Albert Rizzi (piano and harmony, 1929–1932); Gene Von Hallberg (counterpoint and harmony, 1933–1934) (a founder of the American Accordionists Association); Jascha Zade (piano, 1945–1946); Arthur Guttow (organ, 1946), and Robert Strassburg (piano, advanced harmony, and orchestration, 1948–1950).

See also

Accordion music genres
Bolero
Easy listening

External links

• Chicago Musette - John Serry et son Accordeon - sound recording of Serry performing "Granada" by Agustin Lara on BnF Gallica.bnf.fr (in French)
• Tres Palabras - sound recording of Serry performing "Tres Palabras" by Osvaldo Farres - CBS Pan American Orchestra, Vocalist Luis G. Roldan on Archive.org
• Esta Noche Ha Pasado - sound recording of Serry performing "Esta Noche Ha Pasado" by M. Sabre Marroquin with the CBS Pan American Orchestra, Vocalist Luis G. Roldan on Archive.org
• La Palma; Rosa Negra - sound recording of Serry performing "La Palma" & "Rosa Negra"- Viva America orchestra, Vocalists - Los Panchos Trio on Archive.org
• Granada - sound recording of John Serry Sr. performing "Granada" by Agustín Lara with the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra, Vocalist Nestor Chayres on Archive.org
• Leone Jump, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Jazz Me Blues - sound recordings of John Serry Sr. with the Joe Biviano Accordion & Rhythm Sextette on Archive.org
• Viva Sevilla!; Noche de Amor; Mi Sarape; Que Paso?; El Bigote de Tomas; De Donde - sound recording of John Serry Sr. performing as accordionist in the CBS Tipica Orchestra conducted by Alfredo Antonini with tenor Juan Arvizu on Archive.org
• Asi, Esta Noche Ha Pasado, Somos Differentes, and Tres Palabras - Sound recordings of John Serry Sr. performing as accordionist in the Orquesta Pan Americana with Alfredo Antonini conducting with vocalist Luis G. Roldan at the University of California Los Angeles on fronter.library.ucla.edu
• It's a Grand Night for Singing - CBS radio program excerpt from Program of the Three Americas -Viva America Orchestra sound recording at the New York City Public Library Online Catalog at catalog.nypl.org
• Latin American Music - Viva America Orchestra 78 RPM sound recordings at The Library of Congress Online Catalog at catalog.loc.gov
• Copies of selected radio broadcasts by the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs - Radio Division as archived at the United States National Archive www.archives.gov
• Discography of American Historical Recordings: University of California Santa Barbara - Audio recordings online of John Serry and the Shep Fields Rippling Rhythm Orchestra 1937 - 1938
• The Syncopated Accordionist, Rhythm-Airs, The Bugle Polka, Consolation Waltz - Musical scores by John Serry on WorldCat.org
• Fantasy In F - Musical score by John Serry on WorldCat.org
• Glissando - Musical score by John Serry on worldCat.org
• Tarantella - Musical score by John Serry on WorldCat.org