Commodores are an American funk and soul band, which were at their peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for the Jackson 5 while on tour.
Eddie Blazonczyk, Sr. was a Grammy award-winning polka musician and founder of the band The Versatones. He was inducted into the International Polka Hall of Fame in 1970, and was a 1998 National Heritage Fellowship recipient. He has been called "one of the most important figures in the creation of the contemporary Polish-American polka sound." He released more than 60 albums.
Albert Leornes Greene, better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including "Take Me to the River", "Tired of Being Alone", "I'm Still in Love with You", "Love and Happiness", and his signature song, "Let's Stay Together". After an incident in which his girlfriend died by suicide, Green became an ordained pastor and turned to gospel music. He later returned to secular music.
Chicago is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967. The group was initially billed as The Big Thing before calling themselves the Chicago Transit Authority in 1968, and then shortening the name in 1969. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" blended elements of classical music, jazz, R&B, and pop music. They produced numerous top-40 hits over two decades, and continue to record and perform live.
Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists called the Ikettes. The Ike & Tina Turner Revue was regarded as "one of the most potent live acts on the R&B circuit".
The Grammy Award for Best Polka Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality polka albums. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
The Six Fat Dutchmen was an American polka band, formed around 1932 by Harold Loeffelmacher in New Ulm, Minnesota, United States. The band was known mostly for playing the "Oom-pah" style of polka music that originated from Germany and the German-speaking areas of Czechoslovakia. They were regular performers at the then-famous George's Ballroom in New Ulm, and were voted Number One Polka Band for seven years in a row by the National Ballroom Operators Association. Compilations of their music continue to be produced and sold, more than 70 years after the band's founding.
Los Amigos Invisibles is a Venezuelan band which plays a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms. In addition to releasing eleven critically acclaimed albums, the band have been lauded internationally for their explosive, live shows, spanning nearly 60 countries. They are considered the Venezuelan band with the greatest international recognition.
Nole Floyd "Nokie" Edwards was an American musician and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was primarily a guitarist, best known for his work with The Ventures, and was known in Japan as the 'King of Guitars'. Edwards was also an actor, who appeared briefly on Deadwood, an American Western drama television series.
Rex Records, sometimes identified by its record series Rex Heritage, was an independent record label based in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was founded by Joe and Wanda Chesky who marketed it as "the king of polkas" releasing a substantial catalog of polka bands primarily from the New England area, as well as the Great Lakes states. Their artists included Bob Uguccioni, Wesoly Bolek, Fred Gregorich & the Del Fi's, Big Ted Nowak, Big Steve & the Bellaires, Walt Cieslik, Happy, Louie, Walt Solek, Jimmy Sturr, Al Soyka, and their son, Larry Chesky, who became largely identified with the label. While primarily a producer of LPs, the label also produced some 45 singles, as well as cassettes and 8-tracks. In its earliest years, the label appeared as a subsidiary of Al Solka's "Glo Records" of Somers, Connecticut, and for two decades was based out of 3 Granville Street, expanding into a larger space at 34 Martin Street in 1972. Rex Records remained active in some capacity into the late 1980s, releasing a limited set of 100 cassettes recording the music rolls of the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round organ in 1988, during the fundraising effort which saved it—Chesky himself having been a fixture at Mountain Park for decades.
Walter Solek or Walt Solek was a Polish-American lyricist, musician, performer, and radio show host who introduced English-language lyrics into polka music in the United States. Solek was known as the "Clown Prince of Polka" and died on April 1, 2005, at the age of 94.
Lenny Gomulka is an American musician, singer, songwriter, bandleader, composer, and publisher. One of his bands, Lenny Gomulka and Chicago Push, specializes primarily in Polish-style and Chicago-style polkas. Gomulka has also collaborated numerous times with Jimmy Sturr and others.
Larry Chesky, born Lawrence J. Ciszewski, was an American accordion player, Polka band leader, inductee in the International Polka Hall of Fame, and manager of the Rex Records label.
