Guido Deiro, the Italian-American accordion virtuoso-- frequently called "The Great Deiro"-- was of paramount importance in the popularization of the accordion in the early 20th century. The first accordionist to perform on the Vaudeville stage (1910), he was also the first accordionist to make sound recordings (Edison Wax Cylinders, 1911). For many years Deiro was a headline attraction at the great vaudeville houses throughout America and abroad, and made more than 100 recordings for the Columbia record company. On Bridge's 2-CD set, Henry Doktorski's sparkling performances of Deiro's music quickly confirm the reason for Deiro's immense popularity.

In 1913, Deiro met the young vaudeville performer, and later-to-be Hollywood starlette, Mae West, while both were performing on a vaudeville show in Detroit. The couple quickly fell in love and secretly married. Henry Doktorski's liner notes detail Deiro and West's torrid love affair, and early photograph's of Deiro, provided by Deiro's son, Count Guido Deiro Jr., add to the significance of this release. Deiro's delightful compositions are a window onto an era long past, much like the re-discovery of Scott Joplin's music, twenty-five years ago.