Hall of Fame

Kenny Bass (Peter Bastasic, Jr.) was considered one of the all time polka greats that made Cleveland the great polka center that it is.  Since 1948 he had hosted radio programs on local area stations including former WSRS, WJMO, WBKC, WELW, WLYT and currently on the Chardon station.

Billy Belina has spent a major part of his life playing and promoting polka music. Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1947, Billy has his parents to thank for much of his success in the polka industry. In his early years, Billy often joined his parents on the two-hour drive to Connecticut to watch the local polka bands. He endeared himself to accordion greats such as Ray Henry and Al Soyka and soon desired to try the instrument on his own. At the age of eight, Billy convinced his parents to buy him his first accordion and sign him up for lessons. By his mid-teens, Billy's practice and dedication began to pay off as he started a band of his own, known as the BelAirs.

Eddie Blazonczyk was a native Chicagoan, son of Fred and Antoinette Blazonczyk, who for years operated the Pulaski Village Ballroom and later the Club Antoinette in Chicago. Eddie started playing polkas in the early fifties with a four-piece combo known as "Happy Eddie and his Polka Jesters." They performed at many Polish weddings, anniversaries and other engagements in Chicagoland.

Richard J. Bobinski was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, on January 18, 1939, to Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bobinski. Rich began playing the trumpet when he was about nine years old after seeing a Harry James movie. His first instructor was Polish and it wasn't long before he had Rich playing music from the instructor's collection of Polish music. He and his brother Bob started their own band shortly after they were out of high school and played at local weddings and clubs under the name of Bob Bobinski and His Orchestra. Around 1955 they changed the name to Bob & Rich & the Harmony Kings Orchestra. They made a couple of connections and started to travel. Their first job on the road was in Prospect Hill in Brooklyn, New York, and from then on, the road trips kept coming.

Roger Bright of New Glarus, Wisconsin, was a musician, bandleader, recording artist, deejay and performer. Roger Bright was born February 12, 1937, and died August 28, 2001, at Boulder Colorado Community Hospital from a heart attack he suffered while performing at a polka festival in Boulder. Roger began his musical career at age twelve. He formed a band at age fifteen and made his first recording at the age of nineteen.  Roger is no stranger to the music and recording industry, releasing fifteen albums of his own assisting others on thirty-five albums and countless singles.  He also produced the 150th Anniversary Wisconsin.  Every Sunday he hosted "The Roger Bright Show," which aired on radio station 1260AM, WEKZ in Monroe, Wisconsin.

Having been raised in an ethnic community in Niagara Falls, New York undoubtedly had something to do with Freddie Bulinski's early exposure to and fascination with Polka music. He was born February 5, 1947 to Fred and Martha Bulinski, the eldest of three children. His sister, Suzanne is administrative head of the Emergency Department at Rochester General Hospital; and his brother Dan is a Colonel in the U.S. Army, serving as the Professor of Military Science at William & Mary College. Freddie attended St. Stanislaus Kostka parochial school followed by Bishop Duffy High School and graduated from Niagara University with a degree in Russian History.

2023 marks Peter J. Danielczuk's 53rd anniversary of being involved in polka music. Very rarely is there a DJ/IJ who becomes involved in all aspects of polka music the way he has. He started his polka career in 1970 at WADS 690AM in Ansonia, CT as the engineer for the Victor and Sophie Zembruski "Polish Eagle Polka Show" while he was still attending the University of Connecticut. When Sophie had to have an operation, he took over the show on his own for a few months. After his work with the Zembruski's, Peter worked full time on radio for a few years always playing at least one or two polkas every morning on his radio show. He later teamed up with Dick Yash for a few years on a show entitled "Polka Carousel." The two would become one of the best Polka radio duos in the country. He and Dick would do live remote broadcasts from the New England Polka Fest every year which was held at Warsaw Park in Ansonia, CT.

John Demerski is a life-long resident of Forestville, Connecticut. He attended Butler University, the University of Hartford, Central Connecticut State University and has a degree in Industrial Management. John served in the U.S. Army Infantry and in the Connecticut Army National Guard. He was believed to be the youngest Infantryman to ever attain the rank of Master Sergeant at the time of his honorable discharge.

Craig Ebel has been involved in polka music all his life. Craig grew up in a musical family with his mother, LaVay, singing and playing guitar in country western bands and his father, Elhart, building and operating the Bel-Rae Ballroom in Mounds View, Minnesota, from 1964 to 1971. The Bel-Rae became one of the most popular dance spots in the country and the foundation of Craig's musical career. Craig has been playing drums professionally for over 35 years in all styles of music including rock, country, big band and polka. He has performed and traveled with America's Polka King Frank Yankovic, Canada's Polka King Walter Ostanek, Myron Floren of the Lawrence Welk Show, Dick Contino, The Mrozinski Brothers Aleatoric Ensemble, The Six Fat Dutchmen, Nashville's Joey Miskulin, Al & Alex Meixner, Karl & the Country Dutchmen, Frankie Kramer and countless more.

oe was born in Mt. Pleasant Township, Pennsylvania, on February 26, 1931.  He graduated from Hurst High School in 1948. Joe was always attracted to Polka music and it is easy to understand why he would become an outstanding Polka promoter.  With a strong determination and the use of his personal he was able to bring Polka music into an area that was relatively foreign to this type of music.  Beginning in 1951, he began his career as a Polka disc jockey with WHSB radio in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.