Donald Lee Cialkoszewski was born to John and Frances Cialkoszewski of Polish, Russian and German ancestry in Trilby, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo. Don’s entire family was musically inclined, and at age seven, he asked his parents for a red accordion for his birthday. He began formal accordion instruction at the Faust White Music Company and at eight years of age, he gave his first paid performance at a Christmas party. In the 1950’s, Don…
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Michael Costa was born on July 5, 1961 to William and Phyllis Costa of Irvington, NJ. He is the first born of two children. His parents met in the mid 50’s at the Irvington Polish Home where weekly polka dancing was extremely popular. As their children grew, they were exposed to Chicago-style polkas at the Dover Polanka in Dover, NJ. Michael’s Dad, played bass and guitar with local bands. Growing up in a home filled…
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Florian Chmielewski is the product of a family that has been synonymous with polka music for six generations. One of 15 children, he was born in Sturgeon Lake, MN on February 10, 1927. As he progressed from a dairy farmer, to County Commissioner, to Minnesota State Senator, Flo-rian always maintained his love for the accordi-on. At age 18, he received his first accordion in 1945 and began to lead a band. Florian’s children later…
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In his youth, Jan Cyman was an avid boy scout in his home-town of Buffalo, New York. He also was first music chair at his high school. The year was 1965, Buffalo, New York. Fifteen-year-old Jan Cyman played the trumpet in school. A couple of good friends, Larry Trojak and Whitey Ryniec, wanted to start a polka band, but Cyman had no idea what polka music was. They brought him to see…
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Bill Czupta was an acclaimed musician and formidable accordionist. He learned to play the accordion at an early age, and became a member of the group known as Bobby Sawicki and the New Englanders. Bill resided in Massachusetts, and in 1970 he joined The Golden Brass, which soon became a much-sought-after national polka band. He excelled at playing the accordion to the extent that many polka fans described him as having “walking…
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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…
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John Check was born near Rosholt, Wisconsin. When he was 14, he had saved a total of $15 from picking cucumbers on his father’s farm and used this money to purchase his first single reed concertina. Within several days he had learned to play several simple melodies. Buying additional concertina music from the Vitak-Elsnic Company, he learned to play these new selections with the usual pattern of reading numbers instead of notes. Within…
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Joseph F. Czerniak of Duluth, Minnesota, was elected to the polka Music Hall of Fame in the Pioneer category. Joe was inducted along with other inductees, on Saturday, August 5, during the annual International Polka Association Convention and Festival, at the Ramada O’Hare Hotel, in Chicago. Joe Czerniak has been long acknowledged as a Pioneer in many aspects of the polka industry. Joe, 65 years young at the time of his induction,…
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Since his birth November 17, 1933, Larry Chesky has resided in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Thanks to his parents, Wanda and Joe, Larry was introduced to music at the age of six. He was given his first accordion. Whenever you saw Larry, you saw that accordion. They were inseparable. With the help of his father, Joe, Larry’s first band, “The Polka Dots,” was formed when he was twelve years old. After its first regional radio…
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