Craig Ebel has been involved in polka music all his life. Craig grew up in a musical family with his mother, LaVay, singing and playing guitar in country western bands and his father, Elhart, building and operating the Bel-Rae Ballroom in Mounds View, Minnesota, from 1964 to 1971. The Bel-Rae became one of the most popular dance spots in the country and the foundation of Craig’s musical career. Craig has been playing…
Wally Dombrowski’s journey into music began when he started taking trumpet lessons at five years of age. Once he got the basics of the instrument down, it was evident that he could play by ear and would play along with recordings at home without the aid of any written music. His perfect pitch assisted him in teaching himself how to play concertina at the age of six. At the age of nine, Wally’s…
Tommy was born and raised on the north side of Chicago near Humboldt Park. He attended Bernard Moos Grade School and Lane Technical High School. Shortly after graduating from high school, he served an apprenticeship in the lithography trade, became a journeyman and spent most of his adult life employed in that field. Tommy’s love for polka music developed and nurtured while still in grade school listening to polka artists and DJs, namely…
When one hears “Wendinger,” it is difficult to think of Peter without Paul. “Peter and Paul,” the concertina playing duo, had been a household name in the polka industry for over 47 years. Their partnership began as children playing with their tractors, pretending to be farmers. As they became older, they farmed 400 acres of land, milked cows, operated a large hog set-up, raised their families and did what they loved most –…
You must be logged in to post a comment.