International Polka Association
Encyclopedia
The International Polka Association, IPA is located in Chicago
, Illinois
and dedicated to the study and preservation of polka
music and the cultural heritage
of Polish Americans who have made this music tradition part of their heritage. The IPA hosts an annual festival
and convention
as well as its Annual Polka Music Awards banquet. During the banquet, important figures in polka music are inducted into the Polka Hall of Fame.
. In 1968, a steering committee began preparations for the formation of the International Polka Association. The Association was officially chartered by the State of Illinois
as a "not for profit" corporation and was registered with the County of Cook (Chicago) in August 1968. As stated in its charter, the International Polka Association was organized as: "An educational and charitable organization for the preservation, promulgation and advancement of polka music and; to promote, maintain and advance public interest in polka entertainment; to advance the mutual interests and encourage greater cooperation among its members who are engaged in polka entertainment; and to encourage and pursue the study of polka music, dancing and traditional folklore
."
The IPA is structured to serve as an educational resource. The IPA is also responsible for the continued operation and growth of the Polka Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It is through this branch that the Association has been able to continue its historical, educational and research goals on behalf of polka music.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and dedicated to the study and preservation of polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
music and the cultural heritage
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
of Polish Americans who have made this music tradition part of their heritage. The IPA hosts an annual festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
and convention
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
as well as its Annual Polka Music Awards banquet. During the banquet, important figures in polka music are inducted into the Polka Hall of Fame.
History
The concept of a national polka convention had been developed and pioneered in Chicago, and the first polka convention was held in 1963. This convention developed into the International Polka Convention which was presented each succeeding year in Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. In 1968, a steering committee began preparations for the formation of the International Polka Association. The Association was officially chartered by the State of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
as a "not for profit" corporation and was registered with the County of Cook (Chicago) in August 1968. As stated in its charter, the International Polka Association was organized as: "An educational and charitable organization for the preservation, promulgation and advancement of polka music and; to promote, maintain and advance public interest in polka entertainment; to advance the mutual interests and encourage greater cooperation among its members who are engaged in polka entertainment; and to encourage and pursue the study of polka music, dancing and traditional folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
."
The IPA is structured to serve as an educational resource. The IPA is also responsible for the continued operation and growth of the Polka Music Hall of Fame and Museum. It is through this branch that the Association has been able to continue its historical, educational and research goals on behalf of polka music.
Hall of Fame membership
| Adamczyk, Steve | Barthalt, Adam | Bass, Kenny | Belina, Billy | Biskup, Michael "Mitch" |
| Blazonczyk, Antonina | Blazonczyk, Eddie Eddie Blazonczyk Eddie Blazonczyk is a polka musician and leader of the band The Versatones. He was born in Chicago to Polish Immigrant parents. Their album Another Polka Celebration won the 1986 Grammy in the Polka Category. He was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 1998... |
Bomba, Johnny | Borek, William "Wesoly Bolek" | Bright, Roger |
| Budzilek, Ray | Bulinski, Fred | Check, John | Chesky, Larry | Czerniak, Bill |
| Czerniak, Joe | Czupta, Bill | Dana, Walter | Darlak, Jerry | Data, Marisha |
| Demerski, John | Dorschner, Ray | Dragon, Chet | Duchow, Lawrence | Dusseault, Happy Louie |
| Dziagwa, Andy "Day" | Fedorchak, Joe | Fiedor, Joe | Floren, Myron | Forman, Eddie |
| Fritsche, Fezz | Fuzzy, Cousin | Goetsch, Jerry | Gomulka, Lenny | Gosz, Romy |
| Goydish, Bernie | Grebnick, Al | Groller, Walt | Grybosh, Frankie "Gee" | Gulinski, Chet |
| Guzevich, Hank | Haas, Johnny | Haller, Hank | Henry, Ray | Herzog, Marv |
| Hoyer, Matt | Hicks, Charlie | Hyzny, Johnny | Hudy, Fred | Jagiello, Walter "Li'l Wally" Walter Jagiello Walter "Li'l Wally" Jagiello, "Mały Władziu" , was an American polka musician and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. A self-taught Chemnitzer concertina and drum player, who sang perfect Polish as well as English in many of his songs... |
| Jarusinski, Raymond "Ray Jay" | Jasiewicz, Henry | Jasinski, Stan | Johantgen, Vi | Karas, Johnny |
| Karas, Thomas | Kendzierski, Freddy "K" | Korosa, Eddie | Kowalkowski, Chet | Kozicki, Leon |
| Kryger, Brunon | Kryger, Brunon (Bruce) | Kryger, Lucian | Kucera, Ernie | Lazarz, Joe |
| Lesser, Adolph | Libera, Jackie | Libera, Johnny | Liszka, Frank | Loeffelmacher, Harold |
| Lucki, Don | Lush, Marion | Lyskawa, Stanley | Madura, Mattie | Maduzia, Wally |
| Maksymowicz, Ted | Marggraff, Norman | Marcissuk, Joe | Matousek, Michael | Meisner, Verne Verne Meisner LaVerne Donald "Verne" Meisner was an American polka musician born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Whitewater, Wisconsin. He was inducted into five halls of fame, including the International Polka Association Hall of Fame as a "Living Legend" in 1989... |
| Menko, Johnny | Mikos, Bruno | Miskulin, Joey Joey Miskulin Joseph M. Miskulin is a hall of fame accordionist and producer of Grammy Award-winning music albums. In a music career spanning more than four decades, Joey Miskulin has collaborated with a range of artists including Paul McCartney, John Denver, Ricky Skaggs, Andy Williams, Ricky Van Shelton,... |
Mrozinski, Tom | Nowakowski, Michael |
| Nowicki, Adam | Oskierko, Eddie | Ostanek, Walter | Paterek, "Joe Pat" | Pecon, Johnny |
| Pietrzak, Wanda "Koziol" | Podgorski, Ignacy | Polisky, Dennis | Piatkowski, Al | Pillar, Dick |
| Pinter, Emily | Prohut, Lou | Przasnyski, Stanley | Przasnyski, John "Jas" | Rhamy, Gary |
| Robak, Jan | Robel, Jolly Jack | Rock, Joe | Rodgers, Dick | Rohwetter, Carl |
| Sajewski, Alvin C. | Saleski, Stan E. | Schafer, Chet | Seretny, Virginia | Seweryniak, Dave "Scrubby" |
| Siebert, Gary | Siwiec, Eddie | sewierski, Casey | Skinger, Eddie | Sladky, Matt |
| Solek, Walt Walt Solek Walter Solek or Walt Solek was a Polish-American lyricist, musician, performer, and radio show host who introduced English-language lyrics into polka music in the United States... |
Soyka, Al | Stolzenberg, Ray | Stras, Keith | Struzik, Joe |
| Sturr, Jimmy | Szczypula, Rev. Walter | Timmer, "Jolly" Joe | Tokarz, Richie | Towalski, Li'l Richard |
| Trebar, Lou | Vadnal, Johnny | Walk, Larry | Wasielewski, Matt | Watters, Pat |
| Weber, Jimmy | Welk, Lawrence Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk was an American musician, accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted The Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1982... |
Wilczynski, Henry "Will" | Wilfahrt, "Whoopie John" | Wisniewski, Gene |
| Witkowski, Bernie Wyte | Wojkiewicz, Joe | Wojnarowski, Frank | Wolan, Sylvester "Shep" | Yankovic, Frank |
| Zablocki, Chester "Chet" | Zapolska, Teresa | Zavaski, Eddie | Zielinski, Bruno "Jr." | Zima, Eddie |