Walt Solek
Encyclopedia
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. Solek was known as the "Clown Prince of Polka" and died on 1 April, 2005 at the age of 94.
Solek was honored by the International Polka Association
, the Polka Hall of Fame
in Chicago
, he is a Meriden Hall of Fame member, and "the first sailor in 1940 who could sing Anchors Aweigh in Polish". He hosted the Polka Show on WMMW
radio for 28 years starting in 1947, and had a 75 year music career.
in 1940 to serve in the United States Navy
. After World War II
, his song Julida Polka was one of his earliest hits on Columbia Records
.
"The hit vaulted him right to the top of the polka world." The band was booked into dance halls all over the eastern states, billed as the “Polish Spike Jones
”. His success continued with other hits including "Coal Miners Polka", "Pierogi Polka", "Green Parrot" and "They’re Always In The Way". The polka business fell on hard times in the '50s
and his band made the switch to cutting records with English lyrics. During this period he released the hit song "Who Stole The Keeshka
". He spent 35 years in the music business recording with Columbia Records
, Harmonia
, Dana, Reprise
, Starr
, and Rex Records
.
music provided tough competition, and Solek suggested disc jockeys who run polka programs play more tunes with English lyrics. He was a DJ at WMMW
in Meriden
, Connecticut
starting in 1947.
Walt was known for his exuberant performances and unusual outfits, and he wasn't bothered by criticism deriding the polka music form "He was a musician, a showman, an actor, and an entertainer." When he was home, Walt lived with his wife, Marilyn, and son, Joe, the drummer in his orchestra, son Tom and daughter Anita.
Solek's popularity was helped by his ability to effectively mix comedy and polka together.
His song "Who Stole the Kishka?
" (originally spelled Keeshka) has been a popular popular party tune since it was recorded in the '50s with English Lyrics. The song was also a hit for the Matys Brothers
who recorded it in 1963, and has been performed regularly by other bands and remains a cult classic. His 1981 recording of "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay" or "We Don't Have Any Money (but We Have a Lot of Fun)" was also popular.
His motto was "Bringing people together through music!". He played polka music during a time when polka was considered un-cool, competing with Elvis and The Beatles
, but "he knew how to have a good time and he also new how to make people laugh and forget their worries for a while."
Walt was inducted into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame in 1974. He was a parishioner of
St. Stanislaus Church.
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, musician, performer, and radio show host who introduced English-language lyrics into 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 in the United States. Solek was known as the "Clown Prince of Polka" and died on 1 April, 2005 at the age of 94.
Solek was honored by the International Polka Association
International Polka Association
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...
, the Polka Hall of Fame
Polka Hall of Fame
The Polka Hall of Fame is a museum in Euclid, Ohio, United States. It traces the history of the Cleveland-style polka, from its roots in Slovenia in the 19th century, through American factory and mining towns where it absorbed jazz and country expressions, to the post-war years when top ten polka...
in Chicago
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...
, he is a Meriden Hall of Fame member, and "the first sailor in 1940 who could sing Anchors Aweigh in Polish". He hosted the Polka Show on WMMW
WMMW
WMMW is a radio station licensed to serve Meriden, Connecticut. The station is owned by Buckley Broadcasting of Connecticut, LLC. It airs a Talk format...
radio for 28 years starting in 1947, and had a 75 year music career.
Early career
Solek's first break was with the Krakowska Orchestra organized by his brother Henry, with which he recorded on the RCA Victor label. In 1939 he organized his own polka band before being calld up by Uncle SamUncle Sam
Uncle Sam is a common national personification of the American government originally used during the War of 1812. He is depicted as a stern elderly man with white hair and a goatee beard...
in 1940 to serve in the United States Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, his song Julida Polka was one of his earliest hits on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
"The hit vaulted him right to the top of the polka world." The band was booked into dance halls all over the eastern states, billed as the “Polish Spike Jones
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
”. His success continued with other hits including "Coal Miners Polka", "Pierogi Polka", "Green Parrot" and "They’re Always In The Way". The polka business fell on hard times in the '50s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
and his band made the switch to cutting records with English lyrics. During this period he released the hit song "Who Stole The Keeshka
Who Stole the Kishka?
Who Stole the Kishka?, originally spelled "Who Stole the Keeshka?" is a traditional polka tune, written by Walter Dana , and by Walter Solek , and recorded and performed by various bands...
". He spent 35 years in the music business recording with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, Harmonia
Harmonia
-Art:* Harmonia , an outdoor sculpture by Achim Kühn in Turku, Finland-Antiquity:* Harmonia , the Greek goddess of harmony and concord* Harmonia -Art:* Harmonia (sculpture), an outdoor sculpture by Achim Kühn in Turku, Finland-Antiquity:* Harmonia (mythology), the Greek goddess of harmony and...
, Dana, Reprise
Reprise
Reprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...
, Starr
Starr Records
Starr Records was a record label manufactured by the Starr Piano Company of Richmond, Indiana, which was also the parent company of the better known Gennett Records....
, and Rex Records
Rex Records
Rex Records has been the name of at least five record companies:* Rex Records , a United States-based company* Rex Records , a United Kingdom-based company selling through Marks & Spencer department stores...
.
Popularity
"When asked about the greatest places he ever appeared, he replied that the band drew their biggest crowds at Lakeside and Lakewood Ballrooms in Barnesville, Pennsylvania numbering over 3,000,000 polka lovers." The emergence of Rock and RollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music provided tough competition, and Solek suggested disc jockeys who run polka programs play more tunes with English lyrics. He was a DJ at WMMW
WMMW
WMMW is a radio station licensed to serve Meriden, Connecticut. The station is owned by Buckley Broadcasting of Connecticut, LLC. It airs a Talk format...
in Meriden
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 59,653.-History:...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
starting in 1947.
Walt was known for his exuberant performances and unusual outfits, and he wasn't bothered by criticism deriding the polka music form "He was a musician, a showman, an actor, and an entertainer." When he was home, Walt lived with his wife, Marilyn, and son, Joe, the drummer in his orchestra, son Tom and daughter Anita.
Solek's popularity was helped by his ability to effectively mix comedy and polka together.
His song "Who Stole the Kishka?
Who Stole the Kishka?
Who Stole the Kishka?, originally spelled "Who Stole the Keeshka?" is a traditional polka tune, written by Walter Dana , and by Walter Solek , and recorded and performed by various bands...
" (originally spelled Keeshka) has been a popular popular party tune since it was recorded in the '50s with English Lyrics. The song was also a hit for the Matys Brothers
Matys Brothers
The Matys Brothers were a rockabilly musical act made up of the four Matys brothers, and their sister Vera for a time, were born and raised in Chester, in the Philadelphia area...
who recorded it in 1963, and has been performed regularly by other bands and remains a cult classic. His 1981 recording of "Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay" or "We Don't Have Any Money (but We Have a Lot of Fun)" was also popular.
His motto was "Bringing people together through music!". He played polka music during a time when polka was considered un-cool, competing with Elvis and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, but "he knew how to have a good time and he also new how to make people laugh and forget their worries for a while."
Walt was inducted into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame in 1974. He was a parishioner of
St. Stanislaus Church.
Songs
- Almighty Dollar Polka
- Bartender Polka
- Blondie Polka
- Coal Miners Polka
- Drunkers Lament
- Girl From Chicago Polka
- Green Parrot
- Happy Weekend Polka
- Have Another, Brother Waltz
- I Don't Want To Go Home Polka
- In A Dark Cellar Waltz
- Iron Casket Oberek
- Jolly Farmer Polka
- Julianna Polka
- Mama Told Me Polka
- Na Debowym Moscie (on the Oak Bridge)
- Oh Mama Mama Polka
- Peddler Polka
- PierogiPierogiPierogi are dumplings of unleavened dough - first boiled, then they are baked or fried usually in butter with onions - traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit...
Polka - Poor Old Man Oberek
- Stealing Chickens Polka
- They’re Always In The Way
- Under The Star Polka
- Where Can She Be? Waltz
- Wedding Dress Polka
- Whoop Dee Doo
- Who Stole the Kishka?Who Stole the Kishka?Who Stole the Kishka?, originally spelled "Who Stole the Keeshka?" is a traditional polka tune, written by Walter Dana , and by Walter Solek , and recorded and performed by various bands...
- Young Bachelor Polka