John “Johnny” Krawisz was born on September 5, 1964.  His grandmother, Anna Kamien, bought him his first accordion when he was 5 years old.  She owned a tavern in the old polish neighborhood by St. Peter and Paul on the Southwest side of Chicago.  So many polka musicians grew up in this area.  At age 9, Johnny started taking lessons from Chester Kordelewski, who was the accordion player from the Johnny Bomba orchestra and who heavily inspired Johnny to play polka music.  He quickly developed a love of polka music that his mom and dad would listen to on the radio, every day and night.  At the age of 11, Johnny formed a friendship with Ray “Melvin” Rzeszutko, at St. Peter and Paul.  Ray happened to be a drummer and also loved polka music.  Ray is the youngest of the Rzeszutko brothers, with Robert “Ode” and Rick, of the Music Company band at the time.  Johnny and Ray formed a two-piece band and named it the Little Tones, performing at local churches and taverns in the Chicagoland Area.  They performed for a few years, and his parents then moved to a suburb called Oak Lawn.  There, Johnny joined the high school band as a trumpet player.  During this time, Johnny would also go to a local lounge called the Omen, owned by Ted and Gennie Okrzesik, and had the opportunity to meet a lot of Chicago great musicians.  Two in particular, Jimmy Mieszala and Ted “Tadziu” Kiewicz.  Jimmy had a band called the Music Explosion, and they were looking for an accordion player and took Johnny under their wings.   Johnny was lucky enough to record his first album with them, “Polkas with a Blast”.  Johnny became a member of the band and performed with them for many years.  This is where Johnny met Ray Czmiel.  Together, Johnny and Ray decided to form a new band and called it “Chicago’s Milwaukee Avenue”.   Ray was the manager, Johnny was a band member along with Ray’s son Joe, Jerry Jendreas, Timmy Okrzesik and Greg Helton.  Johnny’s good friend, Brian Kapka, also joined the band at one point, and so did his longtime friend Ted Kiewicz.  Johnny started working at Ray’s Trucking company, and a few years later, in 1984, Johnny would marry Ray’s daughter Vickie.  They would then have two children together, Holly born in 1986 and Tiffany born in 1988.  Chicago’s Milwaukee Avenue was around for several years and recorded one album called “The Best Part of Polka Town” and performed at all the major festivals, in and out of town, as well as all the polka hot spots.  They ran a few bus trips to Seven Springs.  Johnny would learn to play bass on the left hand by watching John “Foo” Furmaniak.  After the band broke up, Johnny was reunited with his childhood friend Ray Rzeszutko, performing with the Downtown Sound, under the leadership of Dan Mateja, also a longtime friend.  He played with them for a few years on the Accordion and Keyboards, at many weddings, private events, and festivals.  Johnny also started to fill in with many bands that needed help on accordion, such as Marion Lush and the White Eagles and Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones.  During this time, he would also win the United Polka Association, Piano Player of Year Award.  After his divorce and leaving Ray’s Delivery Service, in 1995, Johnny started a pallet business, and is currently celebrating their 30th year in business.  In 1998, Johnny and Christy married, had a daughter named Katie in 2000 and, Hayley in 2004.   Johnny left the Downtown Sound and joined a band called Freeze Dried in 1998, as he wanted to play in a polka band that was a little more progressive.  Members of the band at the time were Joey Derus, Kevin Altenburg, Mike Maduzia, Teddy Okrzesik Jr., Tony Blazonczyk, and Wally Maduzia.  Johnny became the leader of the band not too long after joining it.  In 2003, FreezeDried won the IPA Song of the Year for Angelina.  Johnny also wrote two songs on the CD Artistically Challenged, Ooh Baby and Dreams of You Tonight, both polkas.

In 2006, Johnny decided that Freeze Dried could use some backup singers, so he hired three ladies, Angie, Mitzi and Storm, the Icicles, they performed on the FreezeDried recording and live at the Summer Music Festival in Frankenmuth, Michigan, the crowd went crazy and to this day is one on the many highlights of Johnny’s musical career.  They also performed at the Roncesvalles Polish Festival in Canada, the USPA Convention in Ohio, Chicago’s Millennium Park, as well as some others.  The Icicles played certain jobs with Freeze Dried until 2010.

In 2010, Johnny, still performing with Freeze Dried, started to perform with the Music Company, with the Rzeszutko brothers, Rick and Bob (Ode), and once again performing with his childhood friend, Ray “Melvin”, and lifelong friends, Dan and Laura Mateja, in 2013 with the IPA Tribute band.  Johnny continued to manage playing with all three bands at the same time.  During his time playing polka music, Johnny has had the privilege and honor to fill in and perform with the greatest polkas bands and musicians, such as Marion Lush and the White Eagles, Eddie Blazonczyk and the Versatones, John Gora and Gorale, Polka Family, Lil Wally, Crusade, Toledo’s Polka Motion, Tony Blazonczyk’s South Side Sounds, Polka Country Musicians, Dynabrass, Lenny Gomulka and the Chicago Push, Scubby and the Dynatones, Buffalo Touch, Tone Aires, Craig Ebel’s Dyversco, The Beat, The Boys, One More Tyme, Jimmy Kilian and Honky Chicago, Lil Wally, Stas Bulanda and The Average Polka Band and Dyno Chicago, Eddie Forman Orchestra, Tony Blazonczyk’s New Phaze, The D Street Band, Keith Stras and Polka Confetti, Stephanie, The Knewz, Daryl Welton and the New Brass Express and Phocus.

Unfortunately, Freeze Dried stopped performing in February of 2020.

Johnny was on the IPA board from 1994 to 1998 and returned to the board in 2010 until September of 2024, as a Director from Illinois.  Johnny, Christy, and Jerry Wantroba were DJ’s on WPNA radio from 1995 to 1998, and Johnny and Christy returned to the Radio in 2010 on WPNA and were in the rotation of the IPA board members that did the IPA show on the Polka Jammer Network.

Johnny appeared on the ETC (Ethnic Television Channel based in Chicago) with Chicago’s Milwaukee Avenue, on the Mollie B Polka Party on RFD-TV with Freeze Dried and the IPA Tribute Band.  He has also been featured on several news clips on local channels in the Chicago Area, including WGN TV, CBS 58 in Milwaukee with John Gora and Gorale.  When John Gora was nominated for a Grammy in 1998, Johnny was featured on Accordion with John Gora as a Canadian news crew followed them around their Florida tour.  He was also quoted in a Chicago Tribune article written on August 2, 1999, for being a part of a band that is trying to modernize polka music by turning songs by the Grateful Dead and the Beatles, into polkas, as well as trying to show young kids that playing the accordion can be cool.

For several years Johnny has donated his warehouse in Plainfield Illinois for numerous Polka Jammerthons, and was extremely proud to have been able to donate his warehouse during Covid, to the IPA for their weekend extravaganza in 2020 for the IPA Virtual Festival, with an amazing pallet background for 3 full days, in addition to recording game shows and the accordion races.

Johnny has volunteered to help with fundraisers such as the All for Al benefit to raise money for his good friend Indiana Al Zawislak, The Center for Independence for Children with disabilities, such as Cerebral Palsy and The Stas Bulanda Family Fundraiser and Benefit dance, as well as donating his time performing with the bands at the event’s.

Johnny has always wanted to do whatever he can to keep polka music going, so for over 15 years, he performed at the Northwestern University in Chicago with Chicago’s Milwaukee Avenue and then FreezeDried, trying to get the college kids interested in Polka Music.  He would encourage them to come to other polka events in the area.  There were a few years that a couple of kids came to the Chicago Festival of Polka Bands to check out all the bands and did some research on the music.

Johnny has been a member of the Chicago Polish Carolers that performed at Christmas time at Misericordia and visits families and friends in the polka industry.  He was also a member of Eddie Blazonczyk’s Christmas Brass Show Band for many years.  He is a member of the International Polka Association, United States Polka Association, Midwest Polka Club, Toledo Area Polka Society and Cleveland Polka Association.

The Accordion is his main instrument, but he has also played Trumpet, Sax, Clarinet, Concertina and Piano on jobs as well as on Polka recordings.  He is also a vocalist.

He has recorded on the following albums:

Jimmy Mieszala’s Music Explosions - Polkas with a Blast; Chicago’s Milwaukee Avenue – The best part of Polka Town; The Pea Pod Polka on Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones album – Smokin’ Polkas; Lil Teddy and Bernie Gorak – Proud and Polish; Lil Teddy – I’m Proud to be a Polish American; Freeze Dried – Artistically Challenged, Deliberate Confusion, Degeneration Gap and Bodacious Ditties; Divas – Girl’s Night out; The Downtown Sound – All Wound Up; Keith Stras’ - Hooray for Honky; Jimmy Kilian’s – Bandstand Favorites; Polka Generations – It’s a Family Affair; Honky Holiday featuring Stas Bulanda, Stas Golonka, Chet Kowalkowski, Richie Gomulka, Stephanie Pietrzak and Keith Stras; Tony Blazonczyk’s New Phaze, Phase One Complete, Have a Shot with New Phaze,  2K10 The Next Phaze and At Phaze Value; Stas Bulanda and Dyno Chicago One More Tyme – After All These Years; I.P.A. Tribute Band – Yesterday’s Songs and “Here’s a Gift” Single with IPA Hall of Fame Inductees; Live Wire – Up and Coming CD; Keith Stras and Polka Confetti – Under the Polka Big Top;  and Stephen Kaminski and the Dream Team Volume 3 – Legends and Fables

Johnny has a huge heart and is a very generous man.   He donated a clarinet to a boy named Dominic for Christmas in 1999, as he really wanted one for Christmas, but his parents were not able to afford it.  Dominic loved polka music and was excited to be able to learn how to play.   Johnny helped a person in need of a hearing aid, getting one from a friend who worked at a company that sells them.  Johnny gave one of his truck drivers an extra accordion he had, as the driver was a younger gentleman and saw Johnny practicing one day at work and took an interest to the instrument.  He hired a homeless veteran at his pallet shop and paid for a hotel for him for a month until he got on his feet, and also provided him with a cell phone to use.   He paid the salary of one of his employees for 6 months as he was dealing with cancer treatments and was not able to work, but still had to provide for his wife and small children.  These are just a few of the many stories.

Johnny continues to perform with the Music Company, the IPA Tribute Band, The Bratwurst Brothers, some jobs with John Gora and Gorale, and now performs with the new band, PolkaMojo and Gone Coastal.  He will also fill in with other bands if he is available.

He has also enjoyed performing non-polka music with his 2 youngest daughters, Katie and Hayley, with a band called Katie and the K Crew, at local bars and clubs.

When he is not playing, he enjoys shopping, playing ice hockey, traveling, spending time at his Florida home, dinner with family and friends, and gambling, that is why some people call him Johnny Casino.

Johnny believes God put him on this earth to play polkas and is blessed, if it weren’t for polkas, he wouldn’t have the wonderful family and life that he has today.