Celebrating the lively dance music that draws together generations of Polish Americans, "Polka Happiness" captures the energy, excitement, and shared sense of belonging embodied in polka sociability. With rich descriptive material and 150 historical and contemporary illustrations, the book focuses on the musicians, the fans and the cultural institutions that keep the polka party going. From family gatherings and weddings to local fan clubs, night spots and churches to national and regional festivals, the polka scene is a year-round carnival, full of high jinks, hilarity, ethnic pride and tears an intensely felt experience drawn from sources deep in Polish America. The testimony of musicians and fans, old timers and young enthusiasts, tells how polka culture has resisted the melting pot for more than a century. Interviews, memorabilia and photographs spotlight the stars of the polka world Li'l Wally, Walt Solek, Eddie Blazonczyk, Frankie Yankovic, the Dyna-Tones as well as the many regional favorites in Buffalo, Milwaukee and Chicago that have delighted millions of fans. "Polka Happiness" chronicles the immense popularity of the music in nineteenth century Europe and its enduring popularity in the United States. After tracing the history of polka's spread throughout the world, the authors focus on the emergence and intense rivalry of the Chicago and Eastern styles in the United States. The book also traces the role of the International Polka Association in establishing networks, promoting events and providing an environment in which Polish Americans can celebrate and nourish their cultural heritage. For twenty years, the authors have been part of the social world of polka music and dancing in the bars, church halls and ballrooms of Rust Belt America; their exuberant descriptions reflect the enthusiasm of wholehearted participants. Author note: Charles Keil is Professor of American Studies at State University of New York, Buffalo, and the author of "Tiv Song and Urban Blues". Angeliki V. Keil is a writer and researcher and the compiler of an autobiography of Markos Vamvakaris. Dick Blau is Professor of Film at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"[A]n inspiring account, with strikingly eloquent photographs ... based on material collected over twenty years... This is research con amore." --Popular Music "The collection of 150 color and b&w photos of Poles having the time of their lives at weddings, nightclubs, festivals and parties needs only the accompaniment of the accordion to make the experience complete for readers." --Publishers Weekly "[A] definitive look at the music and the colorful, high-octane cast of polka musicians and accordion-happy fans." --Milwaukee Sentinel "The sensitive insights of the Keils in a very readable text and the lively photographs by Blau capture the dynamic spirit of Polish Americans who would rather dance than disappear." --Polish-American Journal
From the Publisher
Interviews and photographs celebrate America's rollicking polka culture
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Overdue scholarly book on polka music is great,
By Kathleen L. Jozwiak (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Polka Happiness (Visual Studies) (Hardcover)
Excellent scholarly book on polka music, concentrating predominantly on the Polish style, although one chapter is devoted to the Slovenian-American-style. This book along with Victor Green's "A Passion for Polka" mark two MUST READS for any serious polka aficianado/scholar.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Polka Happiness is a Polish American "essential",
By Tom (Rochester, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Polka Happiness (Visual Studies) (Paperback)
There once were polka dances every weekend in every Polish Town scattered throughout the Rust Belt. Those days are almost at an end but, ah, the memories linger. Polka was an intergral part of Polish Americana.
Polka Happiness is an absolutely fabulous survey of the polka scene right before the sun set on Polish Town and everyone scattered for the suburbs. This book was published in 1992 but much of the material comes from the 70's and 80's. Although it's not completely focused on Polish American polka, it comes close. There's one chapter devoted to Slovenian legend, Frankie Yankovic and everything else is Li'l Wally, Walt Solek, Eddie Zima, Marion Lush, Happy Louie, Eddie Blazonczyk, Lenny Gomulka, and my personal favorite, David "Scrubby" Seweryniak, former frontman extraordinaire for Buffalo's Dynatones. It's all here, folks, from Eastern-style to Chicago-push. The photos are fantastic. Is their anything hotter than a shapely Polskie dziewczyny twirling around the polka dance floor? I once heard a self-righteous, Chopin-loving, stick-up-his-dupa Pole say he couldn't stand polka, describing it as "bottom-feeder" music. Well, I wouldn't trust that kupa any farther than I could throw him. His great-grandparents probably picked ziemniakow and kapusta right next to mine. Bravo and hats off to Keil, Keil, and Blau for putting some of that polka happiness to print before it completely faded away.
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