Larry Chesky

Larry Chesky, born Lawrence J. Ciszewski, (November 17, 1933 – January 25, 2011, Holyoke, MA) was an American accordion player, Polka band leader, inductee in the International Polka Hall of Fame, and manager of the Rex Records label.

Early life and career Chesky would take up the accordion first at the age of six and organized his first Polka band by the age of 13, debuting at the Cavalier Restaurant in Chicopee as "The Polka Dots". After graduating from Holyoke High School, he attended the Hartt School of Music. In the mid-1950s Chesky signed with the Musico Recording Company, forming the Larry Chesky Orchestra, with one of his best-known early hits being "Our Gang Oberek", created in 1956. Among Chesky's early influences was Ray Henry and his orchestra, an earlier pioneer of the Big Band Eastern style from Connecticut, who Chesky and his band would later perform with at Mountain Park. Chesky and his orchestra would remain a fixture at the amusement park when not touring or recording, starting regular performances there before 1955; he would perform there weekly with a number of other musicians for more than 30 years, until the park's closure in 1987.

Chesky would spend much of his early career touring the Eastern Polka circuit from New York to Chicago, and was inducted into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame in 1985, having recorded over 100 albums. He was a proponent of the "Big Band" or "Eastern" style of Polka, which features more band members (greater than ten), and a focus on horn and reed instruments, than the typical Polka band. Over the years he and his band would back a number of headliners, including singers Barbara Mandrell, Bobby Vinton, and James Darren. He remained active in Freemasons, particularly as a Shriner. One of his last public appearances was as a guest of a "polkathon" on UMass Amherst's WMUA in October 2010. Chesky died of heart failure at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, on January 25, 2011, at the age of 77.

Orchestra members

Instrumentalists featured: Larry Chesky (accordion) Regina Kujawa (accordion) Chet Dragon (trumpet) Bob Skibinski (trumpet) Stan Malek (trumpet) Ken Morey (trumpet) Eddie Martin (trumpet) Richie Pezda (clarinet) Bill Wezesien (clarinet) Don Szczebak (clarinet) Walt Wagner (clarinet) Dan Murphy (clarinet) Bill Kosewski (piano) Ronnie Pezda (drums) Eddie Poudier (drums) Chet Pasek (drums) Walt Jordan (bass) "Papa Joe" Chesky (bass) Anthony Chesky (bass)

Vocalists featured: Larry Chesky Regina Kujawa Andy Szuberla Gene Wiśniewski "Papa Joe" Chesky Chet Dragon

Selected discography Year Title Label Polish Party TS74 Polish House Party TS79 Polish Party TS81 Castscok REX 478 Polka Wonderland REX 653 1959 Polkarama REX 654 Polka Style Hits REX 660 Polka Hits REX 668 Broadway Hits: Polka Style REX 669 Polka Favorites REX 678 1963 Polkatively Yours REX 679 Great Polkas REX 699 Big Band Polkas REX 700 Polkas for the Girls REX 725 Polka REX 736 Larry Chesky and His Orchestra with Regina Kujawa Singing REX 754 Live At The Big E REX 758 The Polka Dolls Plus One (with Greg and Colleen) REX 803