Ray Arent
Hall of Fame – 2004
Ray Arent (1916-2004) of St. Anthony, Minnesota was a true master of the concertina. He started playing at the age of 12. He could proficiently play in twelve keys and perform more than 1,000 songs from memory.
Ray received his first concertina when he was 9 years old. He began learning from his brother who also played violin. At 15 years old, he was teaching concertina to eight students. In 1924, Ray formed the Arent Brothers Band with his brothers Henry and Louis, and they performed through the 1930s.
In 1940, Ray formed “The Ray Arent Orchestra” and performed throughout Northeast Minneapolis until his retirement in 1976.