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Billed during their heyday as "America's daffiest, laughiest swing quartet," the Vagabonds (Attilio Risso on accordion, Pete Peterson on stand-up bass and comedy guitarists Dominic Germano and Al Torriere) were comedians first and musicians second. There were seemingly a million groups like this after the second World War working the taverns and nightclubs on both coasts; a couple of guitars, an accordion and a stand-up bass, doing "special material," song parodies and comedy routines, usually to hide the woeful vocal deficiencies of the group itself. Not as corny or as rural in content or presentation as the Hoosier Hot Shots, nor as manic as Spike Jones and His City Slickers or the Schnickelfritzers, the Vagabonds were just the kind of light comedy act that made great nightclub entertainment after the second World War, and made comic relief appearances in several RKO movies during the same time period.
