Rex Records, sometimes identified by its record series Rex Heritage, was an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

based in

Holyoke, Massachusetts Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

. It was founded by Joe and Wanda Chesky who marketed it as ''"the king of polkas"'' releasing a substantial catalog of

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 ...

bands primarily from the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

area, as well as the

Great Lakes states The Great Lakes region of North America is a binational Canadian– American region that includes portions of the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin along with the Canadia ...

. Their artists included Bob Uguccioni, Wesoly Bolek, Fred Gregorich & the Del Fi's, Big Ted Nowak, Big Steve & the Bellaires, Walt Cieslik, Happy, Louie,

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 ...

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 ...

, Al Soyka, and their son,

Larry Chesky Larry Chesky, born Lawrence J. Ciszewski, (November 17, 1933 – January 25, 2011, Holyoke, MA) was an American accordion player, Polka band leader, inductee in the International Polka Hall of Fame, and manager of the Rex Records label. Early ...

, who became largely identified with the label. While primarily a producer of LPs, the label also produced some 45 singles, as well as

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

s and 8-tracks. In its earliest years, the label appeared as a subsidiary of Al Solka's "Glo Records" of

Somers, Connecticut Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. The population was 10,255 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). In 2007, ''Money Magazine'' listed Somers 53rd on its "100 Bes ...

, and for two decades was based out of 3 Granville Street, expanding into a larger space at 34 Martin Street in 1972. Rex Records remained active in some capacity into the late 1980s, releasing a limited set of 100 cassettes recording the music rolls of the

Holyoke Merry-Go-Round The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round (PTC #80) is a historic carousel in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Previously a ride in the city's now-defunct Mountain Park, it was purchased and restored by a volunteer fundraising campaign following the park's closure in ...

organ in 1988, during the fundraising effort which saved it—Chesky himself having been a fixture at Mountain Park for decades.

Genres and artists

While the label was primarily dedicated to polka, especially big band polka, the label would also expand to include pressings

Irish traditional music Irish traditional music (also known as Irish trad, Irish folk music, and other variants) is a genre of folk music that developed in Ireland. In ''A History of Irish Music'' (1905), W. H. Grattan Flood wrote that, in Gaelic Ireland, there w ...

in the 1970s, producing more than a dozen such albums under the heading "Rex Heritage Disc", including several from the Emerald Isle as well as local Holyoke Irish artists. Notably the label produced the debut solo album of Irish accordionist James Keane and the American debut album of rebel music band

The Barleycorn The Barleycorn (also written as The Barley Corn) was an Folk music of Ireland, Irish traditional music and rebel music band. The band, consisting of Paddy McGuigan, Liam Tiernan, Brian McCormick and John Delaney, was formed in mid-1971 in Belfas ...

Polka

* Wesoły Bolek * Larry Chesky and His Orchestra * Walt Cieslik And The Musical Ambassadors * Al "Cocoa" Czelusniak * Fred Gregorich And The "Del Fi's" * Regina Kujawa *

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 ...

* Johnny Menko * Ed Podolak & His Polka Cats * Johnny Prytko * The Rhythm Orchestra * Bob Siwicki And His New Englanders Orchestra * Walter Solek * Al Soyka *

* Bob Szymanski Orchestra

Choirs

* The Lutnia Choir, Holy Mother of the Rosary Parish (Chicopee) * Mater Dolorosa Choir * St. Cecilia Choir, Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish * The St. Joseph Choir of Webster, Massachusetts * United Choirs Of New England

Irish folk

* Butch & Maeve :* Butch Moore :* Maeve Mulvany * The Dustmen * Dermott Flynn & David Stone * Chris Henshaw * The Irish Tradition * James Keane * Dickie McManus and the Irish Revolution * Michael Owens * Chris Tabb And His Emerald Isle Orchestra

References

External links

Rex Records
incomplete catalog at Discogs
Larry Chesky

International Polka Association The International Polka Association (IPA) is located in Chicago, Illinois and dedicated to the study and preservation of polka music and the cultural heritage of Polish Americans who have made this music tradition part of their heritage. The IPA ...