Special People, A Unique Instrument And A Beautiful Story.
Pictured: Barry William White ~ Sail Loft Folk Club 1983
As a child, I remember watching my father, Barry William White, play the accordion. I can still see the joy in his eyes whenever he nailed a tune. Music wasn't simply something he played—it was part of who he was. A hard-working man; music was his escape from the graft of the day.
Sadly, our family was told one day that my father was very unwell and had only a few months to live. I spent as much time with him as I could, listening to his stories and learning from his wisdom.
One day, I asked him, "Dad, what's your final wish?" He picked up his accordion, handed it to me and said, "Learn that. You need it in your life." At that time, I was on a rebellious path and had some important choices to make. I made him a promise—not only that I would learn to play, but that one day I would create an accordion carrying his name. A short while later, we lost him.
Pictured: Kevin Barry White (Left) and Claudio Beltrami (right) Beltrami Accordions ~ Stradella
After that time, life brought its share of challenges, but I never forgot his words or the promise that music could lead me to something better. Over the years, I played every accordion I could get my hands on, learning the strengths and weaknesses of each instrument, always with the vision of one day fulfilling my promise.
My journey took me to many places and introduced me to many remarkable people. One of the most important was Claudio Beltrami of Stradella—an accordion genius and a true master of tuning. I shared my mission with Claudio and told him about the promise I had made to my father.
For many years we worked together, discussing ideas, refining designs and pursuing a shared vision of creating a truly beautiful instrument.
Pictured: Bluebelle Pemberton White, Kevin Barry White, Claudio Beltrami, Silvano Palmieri, Marco, Francesco Stacchiotti ~ Fismen Accordions, Castelfidaro, Italy
Claudio introduced me to the talented craftsmen at FISMEN in Castelfidardo, Italy—a family-run artisan company with extraordinary knowledge and experience. I brought my designs and drawings to them, and together we agreed that this dream could become a reality.
In 2024, we finalised our design and decided to produce our accordions in exclusive collections of just twelve instruments per series. This allows us to continually refine our work and create the very best professional diatonic accordions possible.
Pictured:: Kevin Barry White, Claudio BeltramI, DAmien Mullane
I also wanted our instruments to be tested by someone who truly explored every aspect of the accordion. One name immediately came to mind: Damien Mullane.
I called Damien and said, "If I build you an accordion, will you play it, push it to its limits and give me your honest opinion?"
His reply was simple: "Yes, of course—but be prepared for honesty." Challenge accepted.
Today, in 2026, we are producing our third series of twelve instruments. Damien not only loves his accordion but has become an important part of our collaboration and our team.
A promise to a father became a journey. A journey became a vision. And that vision became BW White & Son—a collection of handcrafted professional diatonic accordions built with passion, tradition and purpose.
~ Kevin Barry White, Founder.
