Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Eddie Blazonczyk, 70, "Polka King"
3 views
Skip to first unread message
Evan Hulka
May 23, 2012, 2:29:43 AM5/23/12
to
http://news.yahoo.com/polka-king-eddie-blazonczyk-dies-70-222034715.html
CHICAGO (AP) — Grammy Award-winning polka great Eddie Blazonczyk, who
began playing the lively music in the 1950s and went on to earn the
nickname "Polka King" after starting his own band and label, has died.
He was 70.
His record label, Bel-Aire Recordings, and his son, Eddie Blazonczyk
Jr., said Tuesday that Blazonczyk died of natural causes Monday at a
hospital in the Chicago suburb of Palos Heights.
Blazonczyk retired in 2001 after suffering a stroke, and his son took
over his band, Eddie Blazonczyk and the Versatones. The band formed in
1962, after Blazonczyk's brief venture into pop music that landed him
on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand," and toured the U.S., Canada and
parts of Europe.
"He attracted so many people to the polka audience, whereas previously
they were scared away by the word polka," Eddie Blazonczyk Jr. said.
"After hearing his style of the music they weren't afraid of polka
anymore. They knew it wasn't 'She's Too Fat For Me' or 'Roll Out the
Barrel.' They knew it was an evolution of the music."
The Versatones, which picked up a Grammy in 1987, played their last
show on Dec. 31, 2011.
The younger Blazonczyk described his father as a kind of music mogul,
a founding member of the International Polka Association, a disc
jockey and polka music promoter who ran a publishing company and music
school.
"He was very good at what he did," said Dave Ulczycki, president of
the International Polka Association. "That's why he was called the
'Polka King.' He was the top guy."
The association said on its website that Eddie Blazonczyk and the
Versatones was "unchallenged in its height as America's No. 1 Polka
Band." Blazonczyk was a member of the association's Polka Music Hall
of Fame.
Blazonczyk was born to Polish immigrant parents on July 12, 1941, in
Chicago. His parents operated music clubs in the city and he started
playing in the 1950s with "Happy Eddie and his Polka Jesters,"
performing at Polish festivities.
For a time, Blazonczyk performed pop music with Mercury Records as
"Eddie Bell and the Bel-Aires," when he appeared on "American
Bandstand." But he returned to polka in 1962, forming the Versatones
and going on tour.
Blazonczyk played many instruments but preferred the bass, and he sang
lyrics in both English and Polish. Some of his biggest hits include
"Angeline Be Mine Polka" and "Poor Boy Polka."
Blazonczyk earned many accolades throughout his career. He was named a
National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow in 1998. His
son said many friends have been sending him condolence messages since
learning of his father's death.
"For them this is truly the day that the music died," Blazonczyk said.
CHICAGO (AP) — Grammy Award-winning polka great Eddie Blazonczyk, who
began playing the lively music in the 1950s and went on to earn the
nickname "Polka King" after starting his own band and label, has died.
He was 70.
His record label, Bel-Aire Recordings, and his son, Eddie Blazonczyk
Jr., said Tuesday that Blazonczyk died of natural causes Monday at a
hospital in the Chicago suburb of Palos Heights.
Blazonczyk retired in 2001 after suffering a stroke, and his son took
over his band, Eddie Blazonczyk and the Versatones. The band formed in
1962, after Blazonczyk's brief venture into pop music that landed him
on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand," and toured the U.S., Canada and
parts of Europe.
"He attracted so many people to the polka audience, whereas previously
they were scared away by the word polka," Eddie Blazonczyk Jr. said.
"After hearing his style of the music they weren't afraid of polka
anymore. They knew it wasn't 'She's Too Fat For Me' or 'Roll Out the
Barrel.' They knew it was an evolution of the music."
The Versatones, which picked up a Grammy in 1987, played their last
show on Dec. 31, 2011.
The younger Blazonczyk described his father as a kind of music mogul,
a founding member of the International Polka Association, a disc
jockey and polka music promoter who ran a publishing company and music
school.
"He was very good at what he did," said Dave Ulczycki, president of
the International Polka Association. "That's why he was called the
'Polka King.' He was the top guy."
The association said on its website that Eddie Blazonczyk and the
Versatones was "unchallenged in its height as America's No. 1 Polka
Band." Blazonczyk was a member of the association's Polka Music Hall
of Fame.
Blazonczyk was born to Polish immigrant parents on July 12, 1941, in
Chicago. His parents operated music clubs in the city and he started
playing in the 1950s with "Happy Eddie and his Polka Jesters,"
performing at Polish festivities.
For a time, Blazonczyk performed pop music with Mercury Records as
"Eddie Bell and the Bel-Aires," when he appeared on "American
Bandstand." But he returned to polka in 1962, forming the Versatones
and going on tour.
Blazonczyk played many instruments but preferred the bass, and he sang
lyrics in both English and Polish. Some of his biggest hits include
"Angeline Be Mine Polka" and "Poor Boy Polka."
Blazonczyk earned many accolades throughout his career. He was named a
National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow in 1998. His
son said many friends have been sending him condolence messages since
learning of his father's death.
"For them this is truly the day that the music died," Blazonczyk said.
0 new messages