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Polkas for Charity - Musician Bios |
CHRIS BORKOWSKI Christina began her singing career at the young age of 5 on a local Philadelphia TV show where she became hooked on performing. Music took a backseat to school and other activities only to resurface in her college years. In recent years, she performed with 2 local wedding bands, Serenade and Best Impression, where she met and ultimately married John “Jubber” Borkowski. She stayed on with the bands until the birth of their first child, Eva. Christina continues to perform by request for weddings, private parties and ceremonies in the Philadelphia area as well as cantoring at St. Ephraim church in Bensalem, PA.
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WALLY DOMBROWSKI Wally is no stranger to polka music. Starting on trumpet at the age of 5 and on concertina at age 6, he began performing with the Polka Country Musicians in 1977. Wally is the front man, lead vocalist, and musical force behind the PCM, as their fans often call the band. Proficient at a total of eight instruments, his playing, music writing, arranging and producing is unparalleled in the polka field today, earning him individual and band awards from the United Polka Association (UPA) and the United States Polka Association (USPA) along the way. A “musician’s musician”, he excels at adding that extra “something special” in both the recording studio and in live performances.
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GENNAROSE It was obvious that Gennarose would be a major talent at an early age. She was reading fluently before kindergarten, drawing dimensional portraits at age 3 and effortlessly creating musical harmonies in early grade school. She has appeared in numerous shows, sung at local sporting events and appeared on “Showtime at the Apollo” in New York City in 1996. After a stint as a teacher for challenged children in Massachusetts, she moved to New York, where she met her husband/producer/musician/engineer Keith Slattery in 2003. Gennarose is living her lifelong dream of being a singer/songwriter. She is presently a member of the 16 time Grammy Award winning Jimmy Sturr Orchestra, plays local New York venues and is actively promoting her new album of originals named “Spirit.”
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LENNY GOMULKA As of the year 2007, Lenny has been a professional musician for 45 years. From being inducted into the International Polka Music Hall of Fame, he has received every Polka Music Award possible and has garnered 12 Grammy Nominations to date. Lenny has functioned as a studio musician and is heard on more polka recordings than anyone in polka music. He is the proud dad of a beautiful daughter Gina and a little son Teddy who was affectionately named after his 2 Grandpas. Lenny enjoys all different styles and types of polka music and is the originator of the “Push Style” polka sound of which he coined the term decades ago. Lenny Gomulka has been titled “the most respected musician in polka music today”.
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GREG GUZEVICH Greg started playing drums at age 6 and is fluent in all styles of music including Afro-Cuban percussion and bucket drumming. He is currently a member of the award winning Polka Family Band and a director of an Allentown area middle school music program. Greg is a dad with three wonderful children Phillip, Stephen, & Timmy and an incredible wife, Tracy, who all support this project, along with supporting Greg’s return to school to receive his Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies.
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HANK GUZEVICH Hank is the leader of The Polka Family Band and is considered one of the top “entertainers” in the polka field today. Hank plays numerous instruments and enjoys passing along his musical knowledge to his many students. He has recorded numerous bands with Wizzears Studio and is widely respected for his engineering abilities. He and his wife Jody are raising three sons, Joseph, Jacob and Daniel. Hank’s dream is to one day be a star in the NBA.
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CHRIS HUNTINGTON Noted as an innovative guitarist and “one of a kind” vocalist, Chris Huntington has been tearing down musical boundaries with his own unique brand of roots rock and finger pickin’ blues since his teens. Chris has toured and recorded with countless artists and is an award winning engineer and producer. Chris currently tours with The Crawdaddies (Loud Dust Records) and Kicksville (Rope a Dope Records).Chris endorses G&L Guitars and D’Aquisto Strings and owns his own music production company, Head On Entertainment.
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FRANK LISZKA Frank Liska was inducted into the International Polka Music Hall of Fame in 1998. He was the leader of the award winning Brass Connection for many years and was an integral member of the famed Boys from Baltimore. Frank is a respected vocalist, songwriter and plays trumpet and bass guitar. He has been on numerous recordings and filled in with many of the top bands during his 38 years playing polka music. Frank is currently a member of the “honky style” polka band Old School. He resides in Ohio with his wife Denise and sons Nicholas and Daniel.
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JOHNNY KARAS Johnny started playing clarinet at age 7 and began playing for live audiences around age 10 with the Tommy K Trio in and around the Buffalo, NY area. In 1966, he was one of the founding members of the famous G-Notes Orchestra. In 1979, he started playing tenor sax and assumed lead vocalist responsibilities with the Jimmy Sturr Orchestra. Over the past 28 years he has appeared on their numerous recordings including their 16 Grammy winning recordings. Johnny was elected to the International Polka Hall of Fame in 2001.
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BOB McBRIDE Bob McBride has been playing guitar and banjo with the Dick Tady Orchestra (DTO) and its predecessor group since its inception in 1961. During that time Bob appeared on 14 recordings with DTO, including their 1992 Grammy nominated recording “Happy Polka Days”. He also participated with a song on the Walter Ostanek 1993 Grammy winning album “Accordionly Yours”. Over the years, Bob has also guest appeared on numerous recordings with many different bands.
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RYAN OGRODNY Ryan Ogrodny began performing at 2 l/2 with his Pappi and Henny & the Versa J’s. He is now 21, plays 10 instruments, and graduated with a 4.0 with a B.S. in Music Education. Ryan has had the opportunity to appear on Regis & Kathie Lee, solo with symphonies, and play along with many headliners including many of the top polka bands. Throughout his years of travel, he was privileged to play at the Czestochowa shrine in Poland and be nominated for a Grammy Award with the Versa J’s. Ryan is a studio musician in Pittsburgh and has received many awards. He is currently pursuing opportunities in Nashville.
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RICK OLAGUER A Baltimore native also known around town as “The Voice,” Rick delivers pure, raw emotion in his performances. Rick is an accomplished vocalist/guitarist and touring musician currently touring nationally with The Crawdaddies (www.thecrawdaddies.com) and performing solo at various regional venues. Rick spent several years on the West Coast composing music for national radio and TV.
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MARK TRZEPACZ Mark Trzepacz is best known for his many years as the Leader, Trumpeter and Vocalist of the legendary Dynatones from Buffalo, New York. With The Dynatones currently on hiatus from performing as a group, Mark can currently be found touring with several popular bands. He has appeared on well over 100 recordings and has engineered and produced over 350 recordings for many national acts. In addition to his trumpet and vocal abilities, Mark also plays Bass Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar and Lap Steel Guitar. When not performing and working at his full time profession as a Hydraulic Seal Engineer, Mark and his wife Cherie spend their free time traveling in their RV.
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Polkas for Charity released Let’s Get This Party Started! in early June, 2007. You can check for more info on this recording, hear samples of songs, view photos of all the musicians and much more at http://www.polkasforcharity.com or order the CD by sending $17.00 (includes $2.00 shipping and handling) to: Polkas For Charity
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