The Bal-Aires

Artist: The Bal-Aires

LP: A Groovin' Polka Style

Song: "People My People Polka"

[ listen ]

♫ "I'm a gay young fellow—I am gay and carefree, (♪)I am gay and carefree when I'm with my loved one going to a party..." ♫ Ahh, how I wish I could have been around in the early '60s—when gay men could just be happy and carefree (and wear red suits with bow-ties)—back before being gay became so complicated and political. You can (re)visit the Polish Pride website here to order the Bal-Aires' compilation CD (if they weren't out of stock, I mean) and for no information whatsoever about The Bal-Aires, please visit Tampa's WMNF 88.5 Community Radio website here.

Frankie Yankovic and his Yanks

Artist: Frankie Yankovic and his Yanks

LP: It's Polka Night

Song: "Alpine Climber's Ball"

[ listen ]

Song: "Three Yanks Polka"

[ listen ]

Friday's finally here, and you know what that means—Polka Night! Though "America's Polka King" Frankie Yankovic (no relation to Weird Al) was born in West Virginia, his family moved him to Cleveland when he was just a tot and it's there that he rose to polka fame—as I learned during my visit last summer to the city's Polka Museum, where I laid eyes on Yankovic's accordion and some of his stage outfits. Frankie began "fooling around" with the accordion at the tender age of six, eventually even learning to play the thing. He nearly lost his fingers to frostbite during his service in WWII, but fortunately for polka-lovers everywhere the fingers stayed on. This 1957 Columbia LP offers a collection of Yankovic favorites, both waltzes and polkas, both with vocals and without. And one of them has yodeling! You can read about the life and career of Frankie Yankovic on Wikipedia here and in the liner notes below. And as you go twirling around the house tonight, take care not to polka your eye out!

[ Frankie Yankovic: July 28, 1915 — October 14, 1998 ]

Cecilia Valencic w/ The Almars Orchestra

Artist: Cecilia Valencic w/ The Almars Orchestra

LP: Cecilia Sings In Polkatown U.S.A.

Song: "I Won't Get Married"

[ listen ]

This Cecilia Valencic LP is another of the many fine records I picked up at the Polka Hall of Fame in Euclid, Ohio last month. Euclid is located just outside Cleveland—the "Polkatown U.S.A." referred to in the album's title. You can tell it's Cleveland, aka "The Buckle of the American Polka Belt," by the drawing of the city's famous Terminal Tower on the front cover. Though a Cleveland native, Cecilia Valencic is of Slovenian heritage and she's spent much of her lifetime sharing the joy of Slovenian music with anyone and everyone who's willing to listen. Under the name "Cecilia Valencic Dolgan," the talented singer is quoted in this terrific 2010 article about the Polka Museum and Hall of Fame in Euclid, and you can find a recent photo of Cecilia here, from a website where, credited as "Cecilia Dolgan," she's listed as the host of the Circle 2 Super Button Box Bash 29, which took place in April of 2011. Notes and photos from Cecilia's debut Delta International release are included below.

[ Cecilia Valencic w/ The Almars Orchestra and Mr. J. R. Gayer ]

The Bell Hops

Artist: The Bell Hops

LP: Polka Hops

Song: "She's There, I'm Here"

[ listen ]

I was bummed that I didn't have time to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during my brief visit to Cleveland, but I'd really have been devastated if I'd missed out on the Polka Museum too. The Polka Hall of Fame is located in the same building as the Softball Hall of Fame, which conjures up all sorts of glorious visions of what it would be like if the two sporty activities could somehow be combined into one. The museum showcases the history and array of polka talent in the Cleveland area, including "America's Polka King," Frankie Yankovic. To my delight (and to the delight of the museum staff too, I'm sure, since I bought so many), I discovered lots of wild and wonderful vintage polka records for sale in the museum gift shop! This 1964 LP by The Bell Hops may be my favorite of the ones I found there. The Bell Hops are led by two fellows named Henry Jasiewicz, a father and son. You can read about the life and career of Henry Sr. here, and read all about the younger Henry Jasiewicz here.

 [ The Polka Hall of Fame — Euclid, OH ]

[ Vintage Polka Albums for sale at The Polka Hall of Fame gift shop ]

Stan Wolowic and the Polka Chips

Artist: Stan Wolowic and the Polka Chips

LP: Stan Wolowic and the Polka Chips Play the Million Seller Polkas
Song: "Hoop-Dee-Doo"
[ listen ]

Hoop-Dee-Doo is right! Even when you think you're in no mood for dancing, Stan Wolowic and the Wilson Sisters will polka you in the ribs and get you up on your feet and twirling. That's what happened last night, anyway... and I discovered that my apartment floorplan (living room, dining room and kitchen connected in a circle with an island of stove, counter and fridge in the center) is a great setup for polka dancing.

"We sure do hope all the people will enjoy this album,"
says Stan Wolowic, whose idea it was to gather together
these all-time favorites and present them in the
style of his famous polka band.

"Actually, the songs aren't all polkas, because every good
polka set has a few waltzes. We like to think of these as
polka-style waltzes—polka lovers will all know what I mean.

"Because we wanted to have plenty of singing and fun in
every single tune, we've called on the Wilson Sisters to
sing along with the regular members of the Polka Chips
gang. They are almost regulars with us, for these are the
two wonderful girls who appear with us on television.

"This is a very special album for all of us, one that was a
lot of fun to make. And when we listen to it ourselves, or
play these songs for dances, we'll be thinking about our
friends all over the country who may be thinking of us,
too, while they dance to our versions of these
wonderful songs."

Peter and Paul

Artist: Peter and Paul

LP: Sounds of Peter and Paul

Song: "No Beer Today"
[ listen ]

Along with (and amongst) all the Christians in North and South Dakota, there are lots of Germans—see here. The Dakota thrift stores are filled with the polka albums of Lawrence Welk (German heritage, born in Strasberg, North Dakota in 1903). But Lawrence Welk isn't the only Polka king in the region—just ask Peter and Paul! (here's their website.) I found their LP at Antiques On Broadway in Fargo. The Wendinger Brothers were reportedly in their early-to-mid 20s when photographed for the cover of this album, but to me they both look like they're pushing 50.

[ Peter and Paul with Santa (center) in Branson, MO in 2008 ]

The Emeralds

Artist: The Emeralds

LP: Bird Dance
Song: "The Bird Dance—Version II"
[ listen ]

Song: "Rivers of Babylon"
[ listen ]

Here's one I picked up for a dollar at the Goodwill thrift store in Mitchell, South Dakota. I had pulled into town to see The Corn Palace, but spent the night in this quaint little place so I wouldn't have to keep driving in a huge midwestern rain storm—and plus, I wanted to watch the new Johnny Depp movie. To learn the bird dance, please follow these simple steps found on the back of the record:

* * * * * * *

[ The Emeralds ]

Lou Logist, His Chorus and Orchestra

Artist: Lou Logist, His Orchestra and Chorus

LP: Polka Pie
Song: "El Rancho Grande"
[ listen ]
Song: "Bash Basha"
[ listen ]

Here's something lively to kick off the weekend. To learn all about Lou Logist, I just had to flip the record cover over:

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Lou Logist was born in Oplinter, Belgium in 1914. Mr. Logist's musical
education began at the age of 9 when he studied the accordion. In
later studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, he
mastered the bassoon. He was not aware, at the time, that the
accordion would become his main instrument. In 1939, he discovered
"Jazz" and played "this new type music" with all the
important bands in the country.

Here are the liner notes about "Polka Pie," also from the back of the record sleeve:

Webster defines the polka as a dance of Bohemian origin, performed
by two persons; or music suitable for such a dance.

Since the first portion of the definition is impossible to offer on any
recording, our basic interest is the latter segment—music suitable for
such a dance. And music more suitable for polka dancing than this
"Polka Pie" treat by Lou Logist, his Chorus and Orchestra is just
about impossible to find anywhere.

For in this peppy polka package, Logist presents polka music as the
listener desires it most—full of the spirit and joy that the music calls
for, colorfully enhanced by the happy sound of a chorus and zestfully
fired up by the large polka orchestra.

To add further color to this delightful dance, Logist has chosen music
from the many countries of the world to make up the tasty
slices of his delectable "Polka Pie."

The first piece of "Polka Pie" comes from Italy as we hear an
exciting polka rendition of "Reginella Campagnola." Another luscious
slice is the wonderful "Flamenco Polka"—a polka with an exciting
Latin flair dramatized by the sounds of castanettes. For proper
seasoning, Logist changes the pace as he offers a mazurka—the
"Warsaw Mazurka" representing Poland. Never was there a polka
that made you want to dance as much as Logist's imaginative
arrangement of Mexico's "El Rancho Grande." Two basidc ingredients
in the pie are the delightful polka evergreen—America's own "Pennsyl-
vania Polka" and the new favorite, "The Liechtensteiner Polka."

Making up the remainder of probably the most delicious polka pie you've
ever sampled is polka music from Canada, Iran, Austria, Israel and Sweden.

Although the name Lou Logist is new on the American horizon,
in Belgium, his homeland, and throughout Europe, he has long been
regarded as one of the Continent's leading accordionists, arrangers,
bandleaders and composers.

As a result of the tremendous public acceptance accorded him in
his various musical associations with other groups, Logist formed
his own band in 1944 and became a number one artist in Northern
Europe, a position which he still holds today. His familiarity with vast
numbers of instruments has made him one of the top arrangers in all
of Europe, a talent one can easily recognize in this "Polka Pie" album.

Sample a slice of this "Polka Pie" and see if you don't come back
for a second helping. We promise you that a wall-flower will be
a rarity in your household.

I was initially only going to post the song "El Rancho Grande," but if I found out that someone had a record with an Iranian polka on it and they didn't let me hear it, I'd be plenty mad. And I don't know about wall-flowers, but while I was playing Lou Logist's "Polka Pie" LP, the fungus on my bathroom ceiling disappeared.