Hall of Fame

Adam Barthalt was born in Ridgewood, Queens, NY on June 11, 1935. Adams's deep-rooted interest in music began unpretentiously at the age of three with a toy accordion he received from his grandparents while on a visit with his mother to Europe. By the time Adam was seven, he had graduated to the "real thing" and began his formal musical education. At the age of twelve he earned his first pay, which was $5, when he performed with a local band. At the age of ten he heard a recording by Frankie Yankovic which inspired him to go into the polka field. At the age of 16, he formed his own polka band, which had a series of constant engagements at leading resorts in the Catskill area.

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.

Michael "Mitch" Biskup born in Montreal Canada, joined a new polka band back in 1969 called the Golden Brass, which soon became one of the top five polka bands in the nation and in 1971 captured the "Triple Crown" by winning the IPA Awards for Best LP, "Let The Sunshine In," Best Instrumental Group and Best Single Recording.

Antonina "Antoinette" Blazonczyk was born and raised in the southern mountainous part of Poland in a village called Chocholow.  Also known as "Gazdzina z Chocholowa" - Antoinette was a "goralka" and extremely proud of her Polish Heritage. Antonina "Antoinette" Blazonczyk was born and raised in the southern mountainous part of Poland in a village called Chocholow.  Also known as "Gazdzina z Chocholowa" - Antoinette was a "goralka" and extremely proud of her Polish Heritage. Back in the 1940's Antoinette Blazonczyk recorded four 78 rpm records as a vocalist featuring authentic "goralska" music on the Podhalan Record label.  In 1948 she had purchased the Pulaski Village located at 17th & South Ashland Avenue.  It was here where Antoinette began promoting and strictly enforcing polka music exclusively.  Music, dancing, and polka lovers filled Pulaski Village five days a week.

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.

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. 

John Gora was born on July 27, 1959, in Poland and emigrated to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with his parents in 1974. He learned to play clarinet and saxophone in 1977. John formed a musical group "Gorale" catering to "Continental" music crowds and they played their first polka engagements in the Catskills and at Erie Polka Days. The band has performed throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. As a DJ heard on several radio stations, he has introduced many new immigrants from Poland to polka music.

Bernie Goydish has been an active member of the polka community for more than 28 years.  He is a musician, bandleader, promoter, record manufacturer, distributor, and polka disc jockey.  He introduced more young new polka bands to the field than anyone else.  His Sunday polka radio show is the longest running in New Jersey, 18 years.  He has unselfishly donated thousands of hours to polka oriented charitable functions and organizations.  Through the use of his polka radio show, he has helped raise over $100,000 for the Heart Association, the Cancer Society, and has aided many organizations as well as individuals.

The First Chet Gulinski Show was broadcast at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, November 5, 1955. Since that time, many thousand Chet Gulinski Shows were broadcast. Approaching its 43rd anniversary, The Chet Gulinski Show was broadcast Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and at 11 a.m. over WNDZ (750AM), a 5,000-watt station that can be heard in Chicago, all its suburbs, and large cities like Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee, Rockford, South Bend, covering an area of approximately 200 miles from Chicago. The broadcast could be listened to in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa. In past years, The Chet Gulinski Show has been aired over many radio stations - WOPA, WOPA-FM, WTAQ, WBMX, WEAW, WYLO, WREN, WIVS, WAIT, WONX, WPNA, WVVX and WNDZ.

Hank Haller of Westlake, Ohio, is a musician, vocalist, bandleader, deejay, has made numerous recordings and leads a traveling band. Mention Hank Haller and visions of oompah music and "lederhosen" [short leather pants], come to mind.  But Haller is more.  He is a very prolific recording artist in the polka field with seventy albums and three videos to his credit, with over one quarter of a mullion albums sold.