Articles

Frankie Mullec

Article - #4

         Articles

Click on NEXT for another article

Frankie Mullec

Frankie Mullec, polka band leader, is one of the acknowledged masters in the polka field. Quote in Billboard Magazine. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio of Slovenian parents, polka melodies were a natural gift. By the age of 10, and before the end of high school, there were several radio engagements and appearances at Slovenian halls on Waterloo Rd. and Holmes Ave and the Great Lakes Exposition in the 30’s had the Nationalities Village. Naturally, I played in the Slovenian Village. There was the usual period of struggle for young musician, finally forming my own band and playing for anyone who would listen, always waiting for a break. At the outbreak of World War II, I went to Pearl Harbor arriving in January 1942. After the island was secure, which took about 6 months, I started to play at the base in shows to entertain the men at the Navy Base. Someone from the U.S.O. heard me and offered me the opportunity to entertain the armed forces in the South Pacific for about a year. Then Capt. Maurice Evans heard me and offered me the opportunity to join the Army Special Service, which I accept. After the war ended, I stayed in Hawaii and played with several Hawaiian groups, but homesick and decided to return home. Now back in Cleveland, I immediately formed another band. The band appeared before polka lovers in many sections of the country. People loved the Cleveland Style accordion polka music. A number of recording offers followed. So with a group of local musicians, we recorded “Tell Me A Story” which was one of several I wrote. This 78 RPM record became a smash hit, selling well over a quarter of million copies, which was a lot in 1950.