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The Joe Grkman Band
Originating from Yukon, PA (a small, coal-mining town in Western Pennsylvania), this band has been pleasing audiences with their special blend of Slovenian/Cleveland style polkas and waltzes across the United States and abroad since their formation in 1967.
Joe Grkman Sr. has been playing his accordion and publicly performing Slovenian polka and waltz music for over half a century. He is a 1997 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship recipient recognizing his lifetime achievements in cultural preservation through musical performance. He is a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship nominee and has also been inducted into the American Slovenian Polka Foundation Hall of Fame on the Trustees' Honor Roll.
The Joe Grkman Band now includes three generations of the Grkman family. Polka dancers voted them winners of the first Western Pennsylvania "Band of the Year" Award in 1998. The group features traditional Slovenian polkas and waltzes along with their original "GRKMANIA" style Slovenian button box accordion music. They have released several albums which have received international critical acclaim. The Joe Grkman Band composed and recorded on Grammy nominated albums both in 1997 and 1998.
Joe Grkman Jr. is a 1998 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship recipient and was proclaimed the "Button Box King" by the United Federation of Polkas in California. The International Polka Association in Illinois defined Joe's music as "the ultimate in button box music." The Grkman Band was selected to represent Pennsylvania folk arts and honored in a featured "Grkmania" concert in 1997 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
What the critics are claiming about Pennsylvania's most distinguished polka musicians:
"Joe Grkman Sr. is not only a cultural treasure in the Pennsylvania Slovenian community but also is an ambassador for the Commonwealth. His toe-tapping music brings a smile to everyone lucky enough to hear it..." - Philip Horn, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
"Living Treasures: Master Traditional Artists..." - Steel Industry Heritage Corporation, Rivers of Steel National and State Heritage Area
"He's just an excellent musician. He can't be topped." - Amy Skillman, Traditional Arts Program Director, Institute for Clutural Partnerships & Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation
The Grkmans have been the only polka artists selected by panels of experts in the arts for the following awards and recognition:
--- 1997 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship, Joe Grkman Sr.
--- 1998 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship, Joe Grkman Jr.
--- Pittsburgh Performing Arts on Tour (PittPAT), 1997-present
--- Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour (PennPAT), 1997-present
--- American Traditions National Touring Program, 1999-present
Photo taken at the Herminie Slovenian Ballroom in Herminie, PA, New Years 2000
Band:
Joe Grkman, Sr. - Accordion, Vocals
Joe Grkman, Jr. - Accordion, Button Box
Steve Grkman - Button Box
Michael Grkman - Bass Guitar, Keyboards
Ron Stemple - Saxophone, Clarinet, Wind Controller, Vocals
Tim Stemple - Banjo, Guitar, Tuba, Vocals
Jerry Zagar - Drums, Vocals
See some members of the band performing live on the radio...
"Prime Time Polkas with Pam, Jerry and Don" on Friday, July 14, 2000 by clicking here.
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