Memories of Rudy Burkhalter

I remember my dad telling me a story of when he was a young man in Switzerland. There were accordian contests and he entered. And of course when he started, he didn't win; in fact, he was toward the bottom of his age group. He kept entering, and he worked his way up until he was winning every time. Finally the contest organizers asked him not to enter anymore, because if his name was on the list of participants, others did not enter.

He told me a story of how he first came to America. There was a band called The Moser Boys. They had an accordian player who tended to drink too much. When it came time to perform, he was too drunk to play. So the The Moser Boys decided to hold auditions, Dad entered and won the job. That was right before they came to America for the Chicago World's Fair in 1936. While performing at the Fair, my mother and two sisters from Le Seuer, Minn. attended. They heard the music and yodeling, and decided to go check it out. When they entered the tent, my dad's and mother's eyes met, and sparks flew. They were eventually married in Switzerland.

One of the things my father was most proud of was the time when his accordian bands played during parades around the Capitol Square in Madison. As the first ones were leaving the Square, the last ones entered. The whole Square was filled with accordian players.

As a teenager I was practicing my trombone next to my parent's bedroom. My father came in, and asked me what I was playing. I replied that it was the Michigan fight song. He asked me to play a certain passage several times. Then he left the room, whistling as he did so. I was curious, so I put down my trombone and went into my parent's bedroom. He was sitting at the desk writing music and whistling at the same time. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was writing a song for Monroe Cheese Days. I like to think I contributed a small way to that song

- Jerry Burkhalter