b. 9 April 1920, Norway, Michigan, USA. Raised in Chicago, Illinois, Van Damme heard accordion played on records when he was aged nine, liked the sound and asked for one. Within a year he was playing in public. Although he enjoyed the sounds of swing era music that became popular during his teenage years, he stayed with the accordion, which was a long way from being an instrument associated with the form, and played in a trio in local clubs
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