This is a list of polka artists. It includes notable

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 ...

s and

musical group Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

s that play

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 ...

Notable artists

Slavko Avsenik Slavko Avsenik (November 26, 1929 – July 2, 2015) was a Slovene composer and musician. Beginning in 1953 with the formation of the Avsenik Brothers Ensemble, Avsenik produced more than 1,000 songs and garnered success both in Slovenia and in ...

Eddie Blazonczyk Eddie Blazonczyk, Sr. (July 12, 1941 – May 21, 2012) 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 Fell ...

, The Versatones *

Brave Combo Brave Combo is a polka/rock/worldbeat band based in Denton, Texas. Founded in 1979 by guitarist/keyboardist/accordionist Carl Finch, they have been a prominent fixture in the Texas music scene for more than thirty-five years. Their music, both o ...

, Texas, alternative, two-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

winner *

The Bravery The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best known ...

* Tom Brusky, Wisconsin *

The Chardon Polka Band The Chardon Polka Band is an American, Ohio-based, Cleveland-Style polka band. It was started by Jake Kouwe in 2003 when he recruited four other teenagers to form a polka band at Chardon High School, and the group was originally called "The Cha ...

, Ohio *

Walter Dana Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...

, polka promoter and founder of Dana Records *

Eläkeläiset Eläkeläiset (Finnish for "pensioners") are a Finnish humppa band founded in 1993. They specialise in humppa and jenkka music and have been successful in Germany, Finland and elsewhere. Current members of the band are Onni Waris (keyboard, voca ...

Myron Floren Myron Floren (November 5, 1919 – July 23, 2005) was an American musician best known as the accordionist on ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' between 1950 and 1980. Floren came to prominence primarily from his regular appearances on the weekly televis ...

* FreezeDried *

Global Kryner Global Kryner were a six-piece Austrian folk group, consisting of clarinet player Christof Spörk, bass trombonist, tenor and yodeller Sebastian Fuchsberger, guitarist Edi Koehldorfer, trumpet player Karl Rossmann, accordion player Anton Saupr ...

, Austrian band/pop/jazz/polka *

Romy Gosz Roman 'Romy' Louis Gosz (August 2, 1910 Grimms, Wisconsin - August 29, 1966, Manitowoc, Wisconsin) was a popular and commercially successful polka musician in the upper Midwest. Gosz's music featured the Bohemian brass style and appealed to the ...

Walt Groller Walt Groller (born February 12, 1931 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American polka musician. He is generally considered one of the premier polka musicians in the world. Early years Groller was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh V ...

Happy Louie and Julcia's Polka Band Happy Louie, born Louis George Dusseault on August 4, 1934 in Ware, Massachusetts, was a musician and leader of the Happy Louie and Julcia's Polka Band. He received a Grammy nomination for Best Polka Album in 1995. He was inducted to the Internati ...

Walter Jagiello Walter "Li'l Wally" Jagiello stage names Władysław Jagiełło, Li'l Wally, also Mały Władziu and Mały Władzio, which both mean "Li'l Wally" in Polish (August 1, 1930 – August 17, 2006) was a Polish American polka musician, songwriter and ...

- Li'l Wally * The Knewz *

Harold Loeffelmacher Harold Loeffelmacher (March 14, 1905 – January 30, 1987) was an American musician and bandleader best known for forming the polka band known as the Six Fat Dutchmen. The band, based in New Ulm, Minnesota, traveled extensively and played as many ...

, Dutchman/Oompah *

Loituma Loituma is a Finnish quartet whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the kantele. Loituma were selected Ensemble of the Year at the 1997 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. History Loituma’s initial incarnation was in ...

Walter Ostanek Ladislav John "Walter" Ostanek, CM (born 20 April 1935) is a Canadian musician. He is known as "Canada's Polka King." He has received twenty-one nominations for Grammy Awards and won three. Early life Born in Duparquet, Quebec in 1935, his f ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, three-time

winner, Slovenian-Canadian *

Polka Floyd Polka Floyd is an American band that covers many Pink Floyd songs by using the accordion to introduce polka into the music. One reviewer commented, "Cutting a vast swath across Pink's entire discography, the band injects the late great classic ...

Polkacide Polkacide was a band based in the San Francisco Bay Area that played "punk polka". Band history Polkacide was founded in 1985 by Ward Abronski, originally organized to play a one-time show for the 50th anniversary of the Deaf Club in San Fra ...

, San Francisco punk-polka band *

POLKAHOLIX POLKAHOLIX is a polka/rock band from Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within ...

(Berlin Speed Polka) (Germany) *

The Mike Schneider Polka Band The Mike Schneider Polka Band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a Slovenian-style polka group that performs at approximately 100 events annually in Wisconsin and throughout the United States. Founded in 1996 by Mike Schneider, the band is a four-time ...

Slovenian-style polka Slovenian-style polka (also known as Cleveland Style polka) is an American style of polka in the Slovenian tradition. It is usually associated with Cleveland and other Midwestern cities. Instruments The Slovenian style polka band always includes ...

band from

Milwaukee, WI 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. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Six Fat Dutchmen The Six Fat Dutchmen was an American polka band, formed around 1932 by Harold Loeffelmacher in New Ulm, Minnesota, United States. The band was known mostly for playing the "Oom-pah" style of polka music that originated from Germany and the German ...

Walt Solek Walter Solek or Walt Solek (September 28, 1910 – April 1, 2005) was a Polish-American lyricist, musician, performer, and radio show host who introduced English-language lyrics into polka music in the United States. Solek was known as the "Clown ...

, the "Clown Prince of Polka" *

Jimmy Sturr 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 Te ...

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 ...

, eighteen

s *

Those Darn Accordions Those Darn Accordions, commonly abbreviated as TDA, are an American accordion band from San Francisco, California, originally formed in 1989 by Linda "Big Lou" Seekins. Boasting several accordionists whose numbers have fluctuated over the years ...

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 ...

, South Dakota *

Whoopee John Wilfahrt John Anthony Wilfahrt, (May 11, 1893 – June 15, 1961), the eldest son of John Wilfahrt and Barbara Portner, was a professional polka musician who recorded with Vocalion and from 1934, Decca. He went by the moniker "Whoopee John." He was inducte ...

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...

(Every studio album except his self-titled debut and "

Even Worse ''Even Worse'' is the fifth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on April 12, 1988. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between November 1987 and February 1988, this album helped to revitaliz ...

" has a polka medley on it of popular music) *

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 ...

, Slovenian-AmericanRegistry Titles with Descriptions and Expanded Essays, Library of Congress
/ref> *

The Dreadnoughts The Dreadnoughts are a Canadian 6-piece folk-punk band from Vancouver. The band combines a wide range of European folk music with modern street punk. The band has six full-length albums and three EPs on various labels, and has played around 500 ...

References

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Notable artists

References

See also