Art Form: Rhythm bones playing

Location(s): Calumet (Houghton County)

Giovanni Battista Perona

Johnny Perona with his Finnish-made rhythm bones

Johnny Perona holding his Michigan Heritage Award

Johnny Perona playing the spoons

Giovanni Perona (1920-2009), known locally as "Johnny," was a farmer, laborer, custodian, and always a musician. He was regarded as a virtuoso on the concertina, accordion, violin, mandolin, and guitar, instruments on which he played old-time dance music for Italians, Finns, Slovenians, and Croatians at house parties and community dances for more than 60 years. According to Oren Tikkanen, he was considered "a one-man Yooper multi-ethnic festival." (Yooper is the term for residents of the Upper Peninsula). It was his mastery, repertoire, and performance style with bones and spoons, however, that were most widely appreciated. Musician Randy Seppala said of Johnny, "He just may be the greatest bones and spoons player in the country. He is certainly a great master, playing with an intensity and technical precision unequaled by anyone I am aware of." (1)

Johnny's preferred instruments were four rib-shaped bones crafted of smooth, curved ebony wood by a Finnish immigrant carpenter. His introduction to the bones began in 1948. Johnny was playing his concertina in a local tavern that a bones and spoon player often frequented, playing to the music of the jukebox for drinks. He also kept time to Johnny's music, using spoons. He showed Johnny how to hold the spoons, but fearing competition, he was not encouraging when Johnny found them awkward. At that time, Johnny happened to find a set of bones, and he also made a set from horse ribs. Thus Johnny began his love for the bones.

Although Italian-American by ethnic heritage, it is not surprising that in this densely Finnish American area of the Upper Peninsula Johnny was well acquainted with Finnish-American music. In the early 1980s he began playing traditional Finnish music with local Finnish American musicians. Consequently, in this region of the country, traditional Finnish American music includes bones and spoons. Johnny explained about himself, "Johnny's bones were made by a Finnish immigrant, so, although he has not Finnish blood in his veins, he does have Finnish bones in his hands." (2)

As a lifelong resident of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Johnny was also a treasure trove of stories, ethnic jokes, knowledge about the history of the area and butterflies. He was always fascinated with butterflies, and since 1961 he compiled a large scientific collection of lepidoptera. Whether it was music, butterflies, bugs, musical instrument refinishing projects, or gardening, Johnny continued as master of his lifelong interests.

Johnny passed away on February 1, 2009. Many of his friends spent time with him in the last few days, playing music to ease his final hours

(1) Seppala, Randy. Nomination letter to panelists. 1 December 2001.

(2) Tikkanen, Oren. "Johnny Perona: Butterflies & Bones." Peninsula People September/October 1991):12