Joe Zalewski was born in Toledo, Ohio, on June 26, 1963, the oldest of five children born to Rosemary (Bullinger) and Stanley Zalewski. Joe’s first instrument is Drums, and he also plays Bass Guitar. Joe’s first band was called the Peanuts Polka Band and included his brothers Jim and John. In May 1978, Joe got his big break. At a wedding reception, Joe’s family was seated with IPA Hall of Famer Chet Zablocki. The next…
It was Polka Day, 1962, when Peter and Paul’s father, Herbert Wendinger, purchased their first concertina from the Christy Hengel display in New Ulm. They began their lessons on August 1st of that year in Hutchinson, MN, with teachers Leonard Krulikosy, Merle Zuehl, and Janette Weber. After one year, they continued lessons with Johnny Helget of New Ulm, MN. Their first playing engagement was on October 1, 1963, for the wedding reception of their neighbors,…
June 21, 1951, Dan Gury was born in Dearborn MI. Dan has been exposed to music since the early age of five when playing and recording music on his parents reel to reel tape machine. Dan would listen to the hits of the 1950’s from bands of Li’l Wally and Marion Lush. Dan would park himself by the jukebox in his dads bar and play 45’s all day long. Dan started piano lessons at the…
John Zelasko was born on March 22, 1967, at Fort Carson Army Base in Colorado Springs, CO. Within his first year, John’s parents John and Christine (Chris) moved back to Michigan once his father was honorably discharged. John was influenced by his father, who played accordion and was also the leader of the Polka Kavaliers (The Kavaliers) until the band retired in 2006. In 1977, he attended a dance in Detroit with his parents and…
Rich was born and raised in Norwich, Connecticut, and fell in love with the accordion after attending numerous Polish functions with his parents, Walter and Sylvia Bernier. At the age of nine, he started taking private lessons on the accordion. Rich remarks that during his seventeen years of instruction, his teacher had to give him a polka or oberek to keep up his interest along with the lessons he was given. Since then, Rich and…