Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski was born on the south side of Milwaukee in 1914 to John and Helen (nee Mielczarek) Kuczysnski. His parents spoke Polish and broken English and the youngster switched easily between the two languages. He was called Frank and was taught to play violin and accordion. Dad led a polka band and young Frank joined up at age fifteen.
Written by Martin S. Nowak Sunday, 28 June 2009 16:35
For many of us, some of the fondest memories of grandma and grandpa are of visits to their house where the radio was set to a program that blared out polka, obereks and rhinelanders.
Theories on the origin of the polka have been well explored before. Briefly, the music and dance are of Bohemian (Czech) origin. It was called the polka either after the Czech word for "half" in reference to the dance's characteristic half-step, or in sympathy for the Poles' 1830 uprising. The very word "polka" means Polish woman in the Polish language. One theory says that it may have been a Polish folk dance borrowed by the Bohemians. Another says it has Gypsy roots. Some say it can even be traced to a single person, a Bohemian girl named Anicka Chadimova.
At any rate, form its early 1830s beginnings it spread across Europe vis theater performances and became a true craze. Its appeal was that it was so unlike any dance or music that existed at the time in western Europe, freewheeling and lighthearted. By the early 1840s it had captivated London. In 1844 it arrived in America, first performed in New York.
Written by Martin S. Nowak Friday, 26 June 2009 09:19
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Three Dog Night was one of the most popular rock music groups in the world. From 1969 through 1974, they had more top ten hit records than anyone else. One of the leaders of the group was Cory Wells.
Wells' given name was Emil Lewandowski. He was born in Buffalo, New York in 1942. His natural father was an English Canadian named Wellsley. His mother gave her son her last name. She later married a man who turned out to be an alcoholic and a less than pleasant step-father to the boy.
