A musical instrument requiring much skill to play, but with few popular outlets for performing, is the spurned accordion. During June, fans of this neglected musical instrument have been celebrating National Accordion Awareness Month, with the idea of increasing its popularity beyond polka bands. The earliest ancestors of the accordion are traced to China of some 5,000 years ago, while the modern instrument had its beginnings in Germany in the 1820s. Older Americans might recall that the accordion was featured for years, played by Lawrence Welk on his long-running television show from 1955 to 1982. Accordions are part of the nearly $1.8 billion worth of musical instruments manufactured each year in the U.S. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
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I was fortunate enough to attend and enjoy The Manhattan’s sold out performance in the newly opened opry house, Performing Arts Center if you prefer. The opry house and the performance are deserving of some praise. The theater it is visually appealing inside and the view of the stage throughout the theater is unobstructed except for those seated after row AA. The sound board’s LED lighting, dials, and knobs are visually distracting to those sitting in row AA on back. The seats are comfortable and the space between rows is similar to couch class seating on a US based airline. The building’s acoustics did not temper (to my ears) the overly loud sound systems. Lighting was superb following the lead singer and other Manhattans movements across the stage. The opry house popcorn was very good, not too oily (buttery) nor too salty. The bottled water was reasonably priced. I didn’t imbed, yet good to know a glass of wine is near if wanted.
The performance was well worth the time to attend even for someone who is unfamiliar with The Manhattan’s or Mr. Alston’s long musical history. Those attending with a family tie to Mr. Alston, or said they remember him from back in the day made the evening better. I wanted to know more about Mr. Alston’s life and time in Henderson especially, after his praise for the late Ben E, King, another Henderson native. According to Wikipedia, Mr. Alston is a second cousin to Shirley Alston Reeves, lead singer for The Shirelles. From our little hamlet came The Manhattans, The Shirelles and Ben E. King! ‘What if’ one or more of these performers had been able to make Henderson their home base of operation. Maybe the opry house could feature The Shitelles one night.