About Conquistador Accordions

Juan Santos, Founder

Founder Juan Santos, an accomplished self-taught accordion player, hails from Laredo, Texas. At age eleven, he bought his first accordion (a two-row wooden Hohner) and taught himself by listening to the recordings of popular accordion players of the time. His influences include Tony De La Rosa, Gilberto Perez, Ruben Vela, Ernesto Guerra, Conjunto Bernal, Los Relampagos del Norte, and other accordion greats. In 1965, Juan formed his own Conjunto (in which he also played the bajo sexto) with some fellow schoolmates, playing local dance halls, weddings, and parties. He toured the state of Texas with various groups, then moved to Michigan and formed the Conjunto La Nueva Generacion. They performed in several states, including Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. In 1970, Juan returned to Texas with Tony De La Rosa to play for Beto Martinez and Joe Ramos. He recorded several songs for De La Rosa's LaReDo Records Label at the historical Ideal Studio in Alice, Texas. In 1971, upon recommendation by Joe Ramos to Eloy Bernal, He joined the popular Conjunto Bernal where he showcased his great talent on the ever-challenging five-row chromatic accordion. Later that year, he formed the Laredo Conjunto Nosotroz and made several recordings for Paisano Records (owned by the popular orchestra leader of the time, Dave Gutierrez) in Austin. The group's tour included performances in cities throughout Eastern Texas such as Killeen, San Antonio, Austin, and Waco.

Over the next several years, Juan relocated to Florida and took a long break from music to support his growing family. However, as he puts it,"When it's in your blood, you can't just give it up," and In 2002, He began teaching accordion lessons to several eager young students. The accordion bug bit again, and he formed the Conjunto Juan Santos Y Los Conquistadores.

Currently, He enjoys attending events and festivals such as the Tejano Conjunto Festival of San Antonio. He is also a board member of The Reyes Accordion Foundation. He teaches accordion lessons several afternoons a week. In both Florida and Texas, He has recently performed at weddings, parties, and dances. His accordions of choice are the three-row button diatonic and the five-row chromatic.

The Company

In late 2005, Juan created his own accordion brand and Florida-based company, Conquistador Accordions. At the time, button accordions were growing ever more popular but especially difficult to find in Florida (most were purchased through mail-order from other states). He contacted some friends in the accordion business, as well as two of Italy's top reed manufacturers, and came up with an original design for his first model.

Juan's vision: to provide musicians with professional quality, completely affordable instruments. He produces top quality accordions by installing and tuning all reeds himself to ensure the best sound. He knows accordions- he has over 45 years experience playing, repairing, and customizing them!

Check out The Conquistador Gallery!