Jo Basile was an influential French accordionist, composer, and later publisher and arranger during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. During his lifetime he sold millions of records and was a household name in Europe, and to a lesser degree in the eastern half of the United States. Basile was born Giuseppe Ottaviano Baselli in Somain, in northern France. His parents ran their own café that catered to the wave of Italian immigrants who entered the Somain, Nord region of France after WWI. They were music enthusiasts who passed on their passion to sons Giuseppe (nicknamed Joss) and Enrico. Both began playing the accordion when they were children. Their first gigs were playing for patrons in the café, but during their teens they graduated to playing weddings and other local celebrations.
Source ALLMusic.
Columbia 1967