DAPHNE, Ala.—There was a time when the accordion was such a popular instrument that its flexing, bellowing chords could be heard from nearly all four corners of the world.

Reeds inside whistling accordions provided a daily soundtrack for Spanish, Italian, Greek and Polish immigrants, settled mainly in northern American urban centers, who considered the accordion a staple.

But the instrument imported into the United States with waves of European settlers in the 19th century, that once enjoyed firm footing in the mainstreams of many societies, seemingly has faded from public consciousness.

Enter Julie Council, one of three Daphne residents bucking the trend. Council, who started taking accordion lessons when she was 9, still plays the instrument at church functions and social gatherings; she practices with fellow enthusiasts who remember the instrument from their youth.

But she doesn’t limit herself to playing with people her own age.

Council also plays the accordion with her 5-year-old grandson, Christopher Conger, who has a growing number of pieces committed to memory.

“I started when I was 4,” he said, while finishing a flawless rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Conger practices regularly with Council, who also plays with members of the Alabama Accordionists Association. “The association was formed at a convention of the American Accordionists Association in New Orleans a few years ago,” Council said.

Founder Jim Wadowick, a retired accordionist, said there was a need for a state accordion association.

Members meet regularly to perform and to promote the instrument at concerts.

See the rest of this story in the April 4 Daphne Bulletin.