Frank wojnarowski biography
- Frank Wojnarowski, a resident of Fairfield, Connecticut, was born in Sanok, Poland.
- Frank Wojnarowski Biography by Greg Prato.
- Services for Polish-born Polka Hall of Fame member Frank Wojnarowski, 83, were held here Monday.
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•Basia Syzdlowski
Henry (Ray Henry) Mocarski of Windsor, CT. At an early age Henry learned to play the accordion. In 1939 at the age of 16, he formed a polka trio with friends who played the saxophone and drums. The trio played for over two years in a local restaurant; with their earnings used to build a library of music and shortly thereafter formed a 10-piece band called the Ray Henry Orchestra.
Although he band played a variety of music, Ray's first love was the polka and he was known as " Ray Henry, the Polka Maestro." The band toured all over the northeast playing at Polish clubs and social events from Chicago to Canada.
In 1947 popular recording artist Frank Wojnarowski stopped to visit Ray who was rehearsing in Hartford. On Frank's advice Ray contacted Walt Dana with regards to recording. "Don't Get Married Son" which was recorded on a 78 rpm single. There was a total of 84 78 rpms recordings for Dana, "Blonde Bombshell Polka" became a hit in 1952, a standard in the music field; "Ballroom Polka" became a hit in the mid-1960s.
The orchestra had more than 1000 musical piece
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Dana Records
Record label
| Dana Records | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1945 |
| Status | Defunct |
| Genre | Polish, polka, pop |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | New York City |
Dana Records was an American record label for Polish and polka music. Founded by Walter Dana in New York 1945, it was a significant player in the United States' recorded music market for a few years mid-century, its most successful year being 1952.[1][2]
History
From its start, the label was about Polish music but focused on the polka genre. "The polka, to me, has a very powerful dance rhythm. It makes people feel happy, and I like to see people happy," Walter Dana said.[3] Dana transformed the Eastern European polka by increasing the tempo, and adding trumpet and saxophone sections to the traditional instrumentation set. This was the label's way of appealing to both traditional ethnic audiences and broadening its appeal to new listeners.[2][4]
In 1948 the label had a huge success with Helen Polka, causing pick up from distributors, and g
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IPA Hall of Fame Biography
Frank Wojnarowski, a resident of Fairfield, Connecticut, was born in Sanok, Poland. He started the Frank Wojnarowski Orchestra thirty years ago; his instrument was the violin. His sister Eleanore was the original vocalist in the band. Their first break, a recording session with Dana Records, came in 1947 – "Bije Mamcia" was their first record.
Shortly after came a big hit, "Jedzie Boat." This is the record that touched off the polka craze in New England, which, during that period, went through its golden years, lasting through the fifties.
Other hits followed, like "Goral," "Jasiu, Jasiu," "Oh Suzanna," "Rozmaria," etc. He then wrote, sang and recorded his big one – "Matka." For this he received a gold record award.
After Dana Records sold their company and discontinued making records, Frank recorded for Silverbell, Dyno, and presently is on RMI Records.
Frank toured and played all over the United States and Canada. His longest tour lasted eight weeks. Besides being popul
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