Tulsa's accordion playing tire dealer

Tulsa has an extensive musical history and lots of famous places and famous faces are part of that history. Some places aren't so famous, like a Tulsa tire shop with its own accordion player. The

Wednesday, November 30th 2005, 10:13 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa has an extensive musical history and lots of famous places and famous faces are part of that history. Some places aren't so famous, like a Tulsa tire shop with its own accordion player. The musician is also the owner.

News on 6 reporter Rick Wells says there are lots of sounds at the tire shop at 15th and South Yale. There's one you don't hear often, but Bill Puroff who owns Bill's Tire Service plays the accordion.

He's got two of them at the shop so he can play when he feels like it, which is pretty often. He plays because it makes him feel good. "I just come in here and goof off and enjoy it." He learned to play when he was a kid. He has a picture on the wall of him in an accordion band when he was 13. He gave it up for about 40 years then picked it up again.

"He's very talented he really is. How he catches those keys with those big fat fingers in beyond me." The ribbing is good natured, but it makes no difference, because Bill loves music.

"I've always heard music is good for the soul and I think it is." But you can't get tires and accordion music always. "Not at every store, course probably alot of people are glad of it too."

Oh I don't know, there's music all around. Toby Keith on the radio out in the shop and accordion music coming out of the front office. How can that be bad? "Music is good for you." Yeah, I think it is.

Bill Puroff and some of his music playing buddies meet at a neighborhood church on Monday afternoons to play and sometimes they also entertain at area nursing homes.