National Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame Winners

Winners 2009

2009 Greatest All-Time Hit Song

WALTZ OF LOVE

Stan Blout / Jack Tankovich, Composers

Original recording by Stan Blout And His Orchestra

Polka Sounds Of The 70's

Delta International Records DI-7013-LPS

Stan Blout, Accordion

Jack Tankovich, Vocals & Sax

Dennis Marold, Bass

Lou Pavlik, Drums

Al Markic, Guitar

Frank Piccirillo - Piano

2009 Greatest All-Time Hit Song

GLAS HARMONIKE

Lojze Slak, Fanika Pozek, Nico Zlobko, Composers

Original recording by Ansambel Lojzeta Slaka

Glas Harmonike

Helidon Records FLP-04-027

Ansambel Lojzeta Slaka

Joze Sifar, Vocals

Lojze Slak, Harmonika

Niko Zlobko, Guitar

Franci Sever, Bass

Fantje S Praprotna

Andrej Bergant, Vocals

Franci Rebernik, Vocals

Janez Habjan, Vocals

Janez Kalan, Vocals

Janez Dolenc, Vocals

2009 Trustees Honor Roll

JOHNNY SPETICH

A band leader can not make good music without good sidemen, and Lifetime Achievement Winner, Frankie Spetich, had a great saxophone and clarinet player, his brother, Johnny Spetich. Johnny played in the Spetich band from 1946 until he retired in 1994. In fact, the last six years after developing a lung illness, Johnny played piano in the Spetich Orchestra. Throughout the years with his brother Frankie, Johnny could be heard vocalizing, playing sax, clarinet, bass, piano and drums. When full-time drummer Frankie Zupec would play button box, Johnny would put down the sax and clarinet, and slide behind the drums and play along. Johnny was featured along with the orchestra as they made their way through the 1960’s and 1970’s at the polka hot spots in Ohio and Pennsylvania, along with trips to Europe. They also were a favorite on “Polka Varieties” and at the Slovene Center in Barberton, Ohio. Johnny also was a part of over 20 recordings with his brother Frankie and the band and also composed lyrics to a few songs including “Half and Half Polka”. He was also the saxophone player that many other polka bands wanted as a sub, but he didn’t have the time to help them out because of his commitment to his brother and his band. As the band slowed down a bit, he enjoyed playing piano with the Magic City Button Box Showcase and was featured in that role on their first LP in the 1980’s. Johnny was a versatile musician who also loved to play jazz and big band music, something that many polka fans and promoters did not know. Johnny was never one who wanted to be in the spotlight. He enjoyed being sideman for his brother and enjoyed the Cleveland-Style Polka for almost 50 years on the bandstand.

2009 Trustees Honor Roll

KATHY HLAD

The "Queen of the Button Box Kathy Hlad has been around Slovenian polkas & waltzes her entire life. At an early age she was the star pupil of the late great Frank Novak and her playing was influenced by the music of Lojze Slak, Johnny Pecon, Lou Trebar, Eddie Habat, Johnny Vadnal, and Kenny Bass. She has been teaching button box since she was fifteen and twice won the button box player of the year award at the Cleveland Style Polka Music Hall of Fame.

2009 Trustees Honor Roll

GREG DRUST

Greg Drust, deejay and music historian has a personal collection of 240,000 records meticulously organized and stored in his south side home. His basement is lined floor to ceiling with shelves, and each shelf is stacked with 45s and 78s. There's a section for Cajun zydeco and western swing, for Irish folk, rockabilly and hymns. Polka has its own subsections: for the oompah, Slovenian and Polish styles, and for accordion music. Greg is a musicologist of the highest order with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of many different styles. He's one of the world's foremost authorities on American roots music. Greg Drust is blind, so the albums have Braille labels. They're cross-referenced by artist, chronologically, by record number, and by genre. And the stuff in the basement is just part of his collection. More albums, all of a uniform height and skinny as pencils, are crammed onto shelves in his living room, dining room, bedroom and hallways, and the overflow is kept in the garage. When Drust was 19, he was in a near-fatal car accident in California. He survived, but lost his eyesight. Music gave him a reason to live. He studies all forms of indigenous ethnic music, but his favorite is polka.

Trustees Honor Roll

RON LUZNAR

Ron Luznar has been a polka promoter for many years. As an orchestra leader, button accordionist and president of SNPJ Lodge 603. Ron has a weekly radio show. He has also appeared on Cleveland's Polka Varieties TV Show. Ron hosted in 1977 the first Florida overseas polka tour to Slovenia.

2009 Trustees Honor Roll

SNPJ FARM

SNPJ Farm founded in 1939.
The Cleveland Federation of SNPJ Lodges started looking in 1929 for property suitable for their Slovenski Dom. Finally the Federation had money to purchase property on Heath Road in Kirtland, Ohio. The SNPJ Recreation Grounds was founded in 1939 and the Founders Farm Board consisted of twenty-four men representing six Lodges. The Ladies Auxiliary Founders consisted of eighteen women in 1949. The 1999 Recognition Plaque on the dining-side wall of the kitchen memorializes about fifteen dozen dedicated SNPJ women and men who worked hard to promote activities at the Farm and to continue our Slovenian heritage. The Recreation Grounds consists of the Pavilion, a Clubroom in the caretaker's house, three auxiliary buildings, picnic tables, balina courts, playground equipment, an outdoor stage, horseshoe pits, walking areas, a soccer field, basketball courts, softball field, and a defunct putt-putt golf course. This complex was built in a rural area as our Slovenski Dom out in the country or on the Farm. These Recreation Grounds are for the enjoyment of SNPJ Members and their families and the friends of SNPJ. There is a Slovenian drying rack or kozolec, one Linden or Lipa tree which was planted in 2004 to commemorate the Centennial Anniversary of the founding of SNPJ, and other Slovenian memorabilia to promote our Slovenian heritage. The Farm or Recreation Grounds provides enjoyment by activities such as, but not limited to, dinners, dances, banquets, pancake breakfasts to begin and end the SNPJ season, the annual Grape Festival in the fall, singing, Slovenian activities, balina, horseshoes, walking, children playground, hay rides, softball, and soccer. From May through October, SNPJ Lodges and Federation groups have dinner/dances each Sunday featuring delicious dinners and sandwiches and bands favoring the Cleveland style polkas.

2009 Trustees Honor Roll

MIRK YAMA

Bass player Mirk Yama's love for music goes clear back to Slovenia where he was born in 1923. As a smal boy, he would listen in the ae to the traditional button box musicwhich was so much a part of their culture. Mirk immigrated to the U.S. In 1938. Mirk found an oportunity in the U.S. To study music at the Wurlitzer Music Studio. Later, hs talents landed him a job wit Tony Malavasic's Blue Jackets Polka Band. With the advent of World War II the Malavasic group splitup and mike entered the air force. On his return from the service, he played with various groups such as: johnny Vadnal, Frankie Mullec, Al Strukel, Georgie Cook and Mickey Ryance. In 1952 he joined the Johnny Pecon Band with his bass fiddle.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT CRYSTAL AWARD

Ray Somich (For 20 years of contribution and service)

CULTURAL / HERITAGE

SNPJ Heritage Center

SUPPORT / PROMOTION

John & Helen Kuzman

BEST BUTTON BOX-INDIVIDUAL

Ron Likovic

BEST BUTTON BOX-GROUP

Fairport Jammers

BEST VOCALIST

John Ross

BEST MUSICIAN-INDIVIDUAL

Joey Tomsick

BAND OF THE YEAR

Joey Tomsick Orchestra

RECORDING OF THE YEAR

Polka Funhouse (Joey Tomsick Orchestra)

BEST MUSICIAN – SIDEMAN

Hank Guzel (Joey Tomsick Orchestra)

Phil Hrvatin (Joey Tomsick Orchestra)

BEST NEW ORIGINAL POLKA OR WALTZ

Polka Funhouse (Joey Tomsick, Frank Doblekar)

2009 Lifetime Achievement

ART PERKO

Art Perko, who passed away in 2008, was previously named to the PHOF Trustee’s Honor Roll for his contribution to polka music. Art brought national acclaim to Cleveland style polka music with his hit recording of “Peanuts Polka.” The Perko band, based in Cleveland, was together with the same musicians for more than 25 years, and had an identifiable sound. Art recorded ten albums.

2009 Lifetime Achievement

DEL SINCHAK

Del Sinchak is a bandleader, accordionist, and owner of Peppermint Recording Studio. Since the 1980s, Del has had a leading polka band in Youngstown, and has performed in many states. Del has had a nomination for the polka Grammy. He has been a polka disc jockey, and president of the local Musicians Union, and he served for 25 years as president of the Penn-Ohio Polka Pals. He has recorded seven albums with his band. He was inducted into the Ironworld Hall of Fame.

National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame