Louie Bashell

Louis Bashell was born July 1, 1914, in Milwaukee. His parents emigrated from Slovenia. He died on December 17, 2008, at the age of 94, due to complications of pneumonia. He began playing the accordion when he was 7 years old in his father’s neighborhood tavern located at 6th and Virginia Streets. Today it is Conejito’s Place. His father, Joseph Bashell, was also a master of the traditional button box accordion. His career spanned 8 decades, performing in his family’s bar for 50 years. He was known for his Slovenian-style polka, and was nicknamed “Milwaukee’s polka king.” In the 1930s, Louis formed a trio sometime in the 1930s and put together a 5-piece band in the late 1940s. His best-selling record was 1947’s "The Silk Umbrella Polka.” He became the first Wisconsinite to win a National Heritage Fellowship grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1987.