Bill Czerniak was born on June 20th, 1946, to Martha and Joe Czerniak–Joe is a 1989 inductee to the Polka Hall of Fame–of Duluth, Minnesota. At the age of six, Bill began taking concertina lessons from his father. Within a couple of years, Bill was making appearances with his dad and brother at local talent shows, wedding receptions, and parties. In addition, Bill and his younger brother Greg, made numerous appearances on a…
Having been raised in an ethnic community in Niagara Falls, New York undoubtedly had something to do with Freddie Bulinski’s early exposure to and fascination with Polka music. He was born February 5, 1947 to Fred and Martha Bulinski, the eldest of three children. His sister, Suzanne is administrative head of the Emergency Department at Rochester General Hospital; and his brother Dan is a Colonel in the U.S. Army, serving as the Professor…
With the unique sound of an accordion and the oom pah pah of the tuba, “Abie”, Nebraska’s Ernie Kucera and his band has been entertaining people with polka music for the past fifty years. Kucera first started playing drums in his brother’s band, The Kucera Accordion Band in 1938. When war broke out many of the musicians were drafted, and Kucera reorganized the band in 1942. “Since the war took most of the…
Jan Robak was born in Poland on December 1, 1890, and passed away on September 8, 1967. He came to this country and Chicopee, Massachusetts with his violin at the age of ten. He started to play the violin in Poland and continued his study of violin and music after coming to this country. His first job in Chicopee was at the Johnson and Johnson Textile Mill. As he grew older he formed…