Lenny Gomulka

Last updated

Lenny Gomulka is an American musician, singer, songwriter, bandleader, composer, and publisher. One of his bands, Lenny Gomulka and Chicago Push, popular for American & Polish-style and Chicago-style polkas. Gomulka has also collaborated numerous times with Eddie Blazonczyk Sr., Jimmy Sturr and others.

Lenny Gomulka is the author of "Say Hello to Someone in Massachusetts", the official polka of the State of Massachusetts. [1] He is an inductee of the International Polka Association Hall of Fame, [2] and a twelve-time Grammy Award nominee. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polka</span> Style of music and dance of Bohemian origin

Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech and Polish culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Sturr</span> American musician

James W. Sturr Jr. is an American polka musician, trumpeter, clarinetist, saxophonist and leader of Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra. His recordings have won 18 out of the 24 Grammy Awards given for Best Polka Album. Sturr's orchestra is on the Top Ten List of the All-Time Grammy Awards, and has acquired more Grammy nominations than anyone in the history of musical polka awards.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenny Kravitz</span> American musician and actor (born 1964)

Leonard Albert Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Known for his unique fusion of rock, funk, reggae, hard rock, soul, and R&B, Kravitz is recognized for his powerful vocal range and distinctive style. In addition to his music career, Kravitz has ventured into acting, appearing in films and TV shows.

The Grammy Award for Best Polka Album was an award presented at the Grammy 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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Guy</span> American blues guitarist and singer

George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr. and John Mayer. In the 1960s, Guy played with Muddy Waters as a session guitarist at Chess Records and began a musical partnership with blues harp virtuoso Junior Wells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard to Say I'm Sorry</span> 1982 single by Chicago

"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" is a 1982 power ballad by the group Chicago. It was written by bassist Peter Cetera, who also sang the lead vocals on the track, and producer David Foster. It was released on May 17, 1982, as the lead single from the album Chicago 16. On September 11 it reached No. 1 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group's second No. 1 single. It was their first top 50 hit since "No Tell Lover" in 1978 and it spent twelve weeks in the top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in September of the same year. Songwriter Cetera, a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), won an ASCAP Pop Music Award for the song in the category, Most Performed Songs.

<i>5</i> (Lenny Kravitz album) 1998 studio album by Lenny Kravitz

5 is the fifth full-length studio album by American rock musician Lenny Kravitz, released on May 12, 1998, by Virgin Records. The album produced six singles released over the course of 1998 and 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hard Habit to Break</span> 1984 single by Chicago

"Hard Habit to Break" is a song written by Steve Kipner and John Lewis Parker, produced and arranged by David Foster and recorded by the group Chicago for their 1984 album Chicago 17, with Bill Champlin and Peter Cetera sharing lead vocals. Released as the second single from the album, it reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was prevented from charting higher by "Caribbean Queen" by Billy Ocean and "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder. "Hard Habit to Break" also peaked at No. 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The lyrics of the song appear to describe a man having a hard time getting over a significant other getting away after he took her for granted and she left him for someone else. Overseas it peaked at No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Say Hello to Someone in Massachusetts", was made the official Polka of Massachusetts on October 1, 1998. It was written by Lenny Gomulka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly High School (Chicago)</span> Public, secondary school in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Thomas Kelly College Preparatory High School is a public 4–year high school located in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school is named for Irish nationalist Thomas J. Kelly. Kelly is the third largest Chicago public high school in terms of student population. Over 80% of students are Hispanic. The school's team name is Trojans. Opened in 1928, Kelly is a part of the Chicago Public Schools district.

<i>Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live from the London Palladium</i> 2007 video by Rufus Wainwright

Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live from the London Palladium is a DVD by the Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released under Geffen Records in December 2007. The film consists of live recordings from his sold-out February 25, 2007, tribute concert at the London Palladium to the legendary American actress and singer Judy Garland. The DVD complements the release of Wainwright's Grammy Award-nominated double album, Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, which contains the same songs from Garland's well-known 1961 album, Judy at Carnegie Hall. The DVD also includes several songs not included on Wainwright's album release.

Polka is a music and dance style that originated in Bohemia in the 1830s and came to American society with immigrants from Europe. A fast style in 2
4
time, and often associated with the pre–World War II era, polka remains a dynamic "niche" music in America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenny Kravitz discography</span>

American singer Lenny Kravitz has released 11 studio albums, one greatest hits compilation album, four box set compilation albums, two extended plays, sixty-one singles, and eight video albums, including three live albums. His debut album Let Love Rule (1989) peaked at number 61 in the US, and while receiving generally positive reviews, it became a huge success in Europe but took a long time to reach success in the US. Its followers, Mama Said (1991) and Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993) sold better overall than his debut, achieving platinum and multi-platinum status respectively, establishing Kravitz in the music industry and expanding his success in Europe and South America. However, despite only a two-year gap between albums, personal issues such as substance abuse problems, the aftermath of divorce, and his mother Roxie Roker's illness led to a decline in commercial sales with Circus (1995).

The Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 as the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the regionally based traditional American music, including Hawaiian, Native American, polka, zydeco and Cajun music genres. 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".

"5:15" is a song by American recording artist Bridgit Mendler, from her debut studio album, Hello My Name Is... (2012). It was composed by Mendler, Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou, Priscilla Renea and Andrew "Goldstein" Goldstein, and produced by Kiriakou and Goldstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Chesky</span> Musical artist

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marisha Data</span>

Marisha Data was a Polish-American comedian, singer, and composer. She was a successful performer for both English and Polish audiences. Her career encompassed numerous genres, ranging from serious opera to polka to vaudeville. Her comic performances were often in the character of Aggie Klepaczka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hello (Adele song)</span> 2015 single by Adele

"Hello" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 23 October 2015 by XL Recordings as the lead single from her third studio album, 25 (2015). Written by Adele and its producer, Greg Kurstin, "Hello" is a piano ballad with soul influences, and lyrics that discuss themes of nostalgia and regret. Upon release, the song garnered critical acclaim, with reviewers comparing it favourably to Adele's previous works and praised its lyrics, production and Adele's vocal performance. It was recorded in Metropolis Studios, London.

References

  1. "General Laws > Part I > Title I > Chapter 2 > Section 44". MA Legislature. Archived from the original on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2020-08-18. Section 44. The words and music of Say Hello to Someone in Massachusetts by Lenny Gomulka shall be the official polka of the commonwealth.
  2. "Lenny Gomulka". International Polka Association. 1988. Archived from the original on 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  3. "Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push". Grammy Awards . Recording Academy. 2020-05-19. Archived from the original on 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2020-08-18.