Each year, the International Polka Association recognizes select polka professionals, living and deceased, with induction into the IPA Polka Hall of Fame. The Board of Trustees reviews the qualifications of Hall of Fame nominees to determine if they meet the criteria for placement on the ballot. An academy of 195 electors from across the country uses these ballots to determine those to be inducted in the annual voting cycle.
The pages below detail the accomplishments of each of those individuals.
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.
Li'l Wally has been one of the most important and influential polka musicians in America. He was responsible for creating the Chicago-style polka, a slower, more danceable, more improvisational sound, whose core appeal lay with Polish-Americans.
Johnny Krizancic was born March 31, 1929, and at the age of eight years old he started his musical career with the area tamburitzans. After serving in the Air Force and attending college, he married Martha Dzurinda and performed with many musicians. In 1960, Johnny and his wife established Marjon Records, which produced over 350 LPs for various music labels.