George Lesnansky, a business promotion student at Youngstown University had an idea for a new image in polka programming which he felt was needed to update the image of polka radio shows. In May of 1964, the radio career of Larry “Polka’ Walk was born. An idea and determination and a desire to make people happy was what ft took to take station management at WNIO Radio to realize that polkas could fit into…
An explosive entertainer, polka dynamite, and charged with TNT describes one of the 1994 Polka Music Hall of Fames inductees. Born on the Fourth of July and growing up on the East Side of Buffalo, known as the city’s Polonia, “Scrubby” was exposed to polka music at a very early age. When he was six he started to play the accordion, first by ear, then with formal lessons. Later in his early teens,…
“Still going strong after 47 years,” best describes Chet Zablocki. His “Polish Festival” radio program is still in the same time slot on WTOD – 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon. In the late ’50s and early ’60s the show was heard seven days a week, and later changed to Sunday mornings. Chet was born in 1920, and at an early age he showed a love for music. At age 15 he started…
The late Lawrence Welk is no stranger to millions of people. Through his efforts the polka and the accordion have become two items that have always been identified with making people happy. Welk was born to immigrant parents in March of 1903, in a farmhouse near Strasburg, North Dakota. He was one of eight children. Early on, his father taught him how to play the accordion, and by the time he was…
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