National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum
605 East 222nd Street
Euclid, OH 44123
USA
E-mail: Polkashop@aol.com
Phone: 216-261-3263
Toll Free: 1-800-66POLKA
Fax: 216-261-4134
Dolores “Dolly” Baker and sister Polly Popovich were the singing sweethearts of the
golden age of Cleveland-Style Polka Music. As the Kendall Sisters, they appeared
with top bands and hosted their own radio show and TV broadcast. Dolly was born in
Wickhaven, Pennsylvania, to a coal-mining family. The girls learned the Slovenian
songs their father played on the accordion and, when they moved to Cleveland in 1945,
fit right in on the city’s burgeoning polka scene. They joined Ernie Benedict to
sing Cleveland-Style classics with his Polkateers and country favorites with his
Range Riders on WGAR radio. The Kendalls performed daily on radio and weekly on television
for six years. They sang on early TV broadcasts on WEWS and debuted the Kendall Sisters
show in 1952. In 1949, they were signed by the Victor label. Polly also played guitar
and bass, while Dolly handled the guitar. The girls were featured Sundays at Harmony
Ranch Park, in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. In a career spanning 30 years, Dolly and Polly
worked with Ernie Benedict, Johnny Pecon and Lou Trebar, Frankie Zeitz, Kenny Bass
and the Polka Poppers, and other Cleveland-Style greats on television, radio and
in person. Some of the Kendalls’ most memorable renditions were recordings with Benedict
and Bass, including "Over Three Hills" (based upon a Slovenian folk song with English
lyrics by Polly), "The Jolly Lumberjack," "Polka Dots and Polka Dreams," and "Beautiful
Eyes."
Inducted in 1993
www.polkafame.com © National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame and Museum, 605
East 222nd Street, Euclid, OH 44123, USA.
