Bob Kames (April 21, 1925 – April 9, 2008) was an American
musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
who specialized in
genres
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
such as
polka
Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas.
History
Etymology
The term ...
. Kames is credited with developing and popularizing the modern-day version of the song "
Dance Little Bird," which is much better known by its more common name,
The Chicken Dance.
Kames is a member of the
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
Area Music Industry's Hall of Fame.
Kames recorded over seventy albums throughout his career.
[ He owned and operated a chain of music stores called Bob Kames Wonderful World of Music, based in ]Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
.
Early life
Kames was born Robert Kujawa to his parents Valentine Kujawa and Esther Kujawa.[ (Bob Kames was his professional, stage name.) His father worked as an ]alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
in Milwaukee's south side.[ He began playing the ]piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
when he was 12 years old.[
Kames was drafted into the ]United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.[ He was a member of the service for approximately one year, when an ]army chaplain
A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations.
Although the term '' ch ...
heard his playing the piano. The chaplain reportedly asked Kames if he could play the organ. He did not know how to play this instrument, but decided to give it a try. As result, Kames earned his first job in music as both the Army chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
organist, as well as the chaplain's full-time assistant.[
Kames earned his stage name, Bob Kames, when an announcer on ]Armed Forces Radio
The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which i ...
could not pronounce Kujawa.[ Kames also began playing for ]United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
troops during the war. For example, he performed as an accompanist
Accompaniment is the musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in different genres and styles of ...
USO
The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
dancer named Edith Campbell in 1945.[
Kames and Campbell later married in 1955.][ Their legal married name remained Kujawa, though the couple became known as Bob and Edith Kames.
]
Career
Kames returned to Milwaukee after World War II. He bought a Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
and continued to record independently. He composed his first pop song, '' You Are My One True Love'', in 1949, which was based on a Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
folk song
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...
.[ Kames released the song through a Wisconsin ]record company
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
, as he was rejected by the major record labels
A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
.[ He paid for the first 5,000 copies himself.][ His luck changed when the song was picked up by London Records, an ]English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
record label. The song became a hit, selling over a million copies, and was later recorded by Frankie Yankovic
Frank John Yankovic (July 28, 1915 – October 14, 1998) was an American accordion player and polka musician. Known as "America's Polka King", Yankovic was considered the premier artist to play in the Slovenian style during his long career. He ...
and Lawrence Welk
Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, tele ...
.[
Kames' ]music producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
first heard "Dance Little Bird" at a German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
music fair in 1982.[ The producer sent Kames a copy of the song, who recorded his own version, known as "The Chicken Dance".][ He released it in 1982.] The song hit solid gold when it was released in 1983 in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, selling 300,000 copies.[ He received 2 of the 35 cents from each sale.][ Since he could not take the money out of the country, he donated all of it to for a ]relief fund
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
.[ The success of the song stunned Kames. He commented in a 1995 ]interview
An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...
, "This stupid little thing, it's infectious. It has only two chords
Chord may refer to:
* Chord (music), an aggregate of musical pitches sounded simultaneously
** Guitar chord a chord played on a guitar, which has a particular tuning
* Chord (geometry), a line segment joining two points on a curve
* Chord ( ...
, it doesn't even change for the bridge. It implants the melody
A melody (from Greek language, Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a Linearity#Music, linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most liter ...
in people's minds—it just sticks in there. That's gotta be the secret...It just keeps on going. People come up to me at jobs and tell me how happy it makes them. You get a song like this once in a lifetime."[
Kames released a string of successful albums, including ''Happy Organ''.][ His recording success eventually led to ]television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
. Kames began producing his first television show
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
, '' The Bob Kames Family Room'', in 1966.[ He made several family-oriented television specials over the next 17 years. His guests included ]Bobby Vinton
Stanley Robert "Bobby" Vinton (born April 16, 1935) is a American former singer and occasional actor, who also hosted his own self-titled TV show in the late 1970s. As a teen idol, he became known as "The Polish Prince", as his music paid trib ...
, Don Ho
Donald Tai Loy Ho (August 13, 1930 – April 14, 2007) was a Hawaiian traditional pop musician, singer and entertainer. He is best known for the song "Tiny Bubbles" from the album of the same name.
Life and career
Ho was a singer of Native ...
, Hildegarde
Hildegarde Loretta Sell, known as Hildegarde (February 1, 1906 – July 29, 2005) was an American cabaret singer, who was well known for the song " Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup".
Early life
She was born Hildegarde Loretta Sell in Adell, Wis ...
, Frankie Yankovic
Frank John Yankovic (July 28, 1915 – October 14, 1998) was an American accordion player and polka musician. Known as "America's Polka King", Yankovic was considered the premier artist to play in the Slovenian style during his long career. He ...
and Lawrence Welk.[ he also performed for a short time with the Lawrence Welk Orchestra.][ Kames performed at numerous festivals, including ]Summerfest
Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's central business district. Summerfest attracts app ...
, Festa Italiana, Polish Fest
Polish Fest is an annual ethnic festival held at the Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was established in 1982. One of the largest Polish festivals in the United States, it attracts Polish Americans from all over Wisconsin an ...
, and Rainbow Summer.[
Kames was hospitalized with a serious case of ]stomach ulcer
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...
s in the mid-1960s. Doctors had to completely remove his stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...
.[ In 1968, Kames took his family to ]Disneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
following his recovery.[ His trip to Disneyland inspired Kames to record the ]theme song
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
to the Disney ride It's a Small World
"It's a Small World" is a water-based boat ride located in the Fantasyland area at various Disney theme parks worldwide, including Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California; Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida; Tokyo D ...
.[ Kames personally asked ]Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
for permission to record the song, which Disney granted.[ Kames became one of the first non-Disney employees to record a version of the song.][ This was absolutely incredible at the time, as Walt Disney passed in December 1966. Kames and wife, would dine with Frankie Yankovic and his Yanks at the Barth's and the Bridge Restaurant in Cedarburg, Wisconsin a suburban village north of Milwaukee in 1993 and dine on steak and lobster, known as 'surf and turf', which was most incredible if you are to believe that Kames had his entire stomach removed, from ulcers. Simply, a second miracle.
Kames suffered from ]Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
and prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...
when he died on April 9, 2008. He was survived by his son, Bob Jr, John, and his grandchildren, Brian, Wendy and Rebecca. Kames' wife, Edith, died in 2005, and daughter Barbara died in 2001.[
]
Discography
Kames recorded over 70 albums in his career.[
*''Bob Kames in a German Beer Garden'', 1960 (Chess)][ Bob Kames discography ]Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
; Retrieved April 13, 2008
*''Dance Little Bird'', 1992 (GNP)
*''Melodies of Love'', 1995 (GNP)
*''Songs I'm Sure You Remember'', 1996 (King)
*''The Enchanting Organ of Bob Kames'', 1996 (King)
*''Dad & the Kids (Play for Dancing)'' (GNP)
*''Fun & Fitness Over 50'' (GNP)
*''The All Stars of Polkaland USA'' (King)
References
External links
Bob Kames Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kames, Bob
1925 births
2008 deaths
Polka musicians
Musicians from Wisconsin
United States Army soldiers
United States Army personnel of World War II
Musicians from Milwaukee
20th-century American musicians