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Two polka bandleaders are to be inducted into the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame at the annual awards ceremony on November 28, 2009. Del Sinchak of Youngstown, Ohio, and the late Art Perko of Cleveland were voted for their lifetime achievements by the membership of the Hall of Fame and announced at the October meeting.
Two all-time Cleveland-Style hits were also chosen by voters, "The Waltz of Love," with music by Stan Blout, and "Glas Harmonike" (The Sound of the Accordion), composed by Lojze Slak of Slovenia. The Board of Trustees added six honorees to the Polka Hall of Fame Honor Roll.
Accordionist Art Perko brought national acclaim to the Cleveland-style polka sound with his popular recording of "Peanuts Polka" in the 1960s. His band was one of the top Cleveland-based polka ensembles from the late 1950s into the 1990s. Art recorded five albums. He passed away in 2008.
Del Sinchak first led a polka band in Youngstown as a teenager in the 1950s. He has been honored by the Polka Hall of Fame for Best Album and twice for Band of the Year. From his nine albums, Del's best-known polka composition is "Roseann." The accordionist also hosted a weekly polka radio show for many years.
The Polka Hall of Fame trustees placed five individuals and an organization on their Honor Roll for contributions to polka music. The SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio, has hosted summer Sunday polka dances since 1939 when America's Polka King Frank Yankovic performed for the opening. Polka promoter Greg Drust has hosted a weekly polka show on Milwaukee radio for nearly two decades. Since the 1970s, Kathy Hlad has been one of the leading women performing the diatonic "button box" accordion, in her hometown of Cleveland and internationally.
Ron Luznar is Mr. Polka Man in Florida, having led a band and hosted a weekly radio hour for 40 years. Saxophonist Johnny Spetich devoted a half century of musical service to his brother Frankie's top polka band in Barberton, Ohio, and appeared on twenty albums. The late Mirk Yama was one of the leading bass players in the golden age of polka. As a member of the Johnny Pecon Orchestra, he played on nationwide hits, like "Sweet Polka Dot," and later appeared with the Jeff Pecon Orchestra.
Both all-time Cleveland-style hits this year are waltzes that became standards soon after their first recordings were released in the early 1970s. Stan Blout wrote the lyrical "Waltz of Love" for his orchestra with vocalist Jack Tankovich. Slovenia's legendary accordionist Lojze Slak introduced his wistful composition, "Glas Harmonike" (The Sound of the Accordion) in 1973. Both songs have been performed and recorded by orchestras in the United States, Canada and abroad.
The 22nd annual National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame awards ceremony takes place on Saturday afternoon, November 28, in the Slovenian National Home auditorium, 6409 St. Clair Avenue, in Cleveland, Ohio. This year's all-star program features an international theme with Slovenian, Italian, German and Polish polka presentations. A reception and dance follows at the downtown Marriott Hotel. The awards show is the high point of the annual Thanksgiving polka music weekend hosted by radio personality Tony Petkovsek.
For ticket information, call (216) 261-FAME, toll-free (866) 66-POLKA.
Joe Valencic, Trustee
