Frank Yankovic Biography
15 July 1915, Davis, West Virginia, USA, d. 14 October 1998, New Port Richey, Florida, USA. Yankovic's parents were immigrants from Slovenia. Raised in Cleveland, Ohio, he took up the button accordion at the age of nine, then in his early teens switched to piano accordion. He gained a local reputation with his band, the Slovenian Folk Orchestra. Deliberately opting for a cheerful stage persona to match the vivacity of the music, Yankovic was also heard on radio from 1932 and in 1938 he made a few records that were sold locally. He opened a bar, playing there regularly. During military service in World War II, Yankovic suffered frostbite from which gangrene set in and for a while there were fears that he would lose hands and feet. He refused surgery, recovered, and eventually was assigned to lead a band to entertain frontline troops. The war over, he formed a new band to play at his bar but was not yet committed to a full-time career in music. Yankovic added an electric organ to the band and then hired another accordion player, thus arriving at a distinctive ensemble sound. At the end of 1947 he recorded "Just Because", which sold a million copies. In 1948 he won a polka contest, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was crowned Polka King, a title he used throughout the rest of his long career. Selling his bar, Yankovic now turned to a full-time career in music and in 1949 had another big hit recording, "Blue Skirt Waltz". Playing some 300 shows a year with his Yanks, and appearing frequently on television, Yankovic never lost his audience, indeed he extended it with tours of Canada and Europe. He did, though, have a high turnover of musicians. One who stayed on was accordionist Joey Miskulin, who first played in the band at the age of 13 in 1962. Once Miskulin was able to join the band fulltime, as performer and arranger, he stayed to the end. Among artists with whom Yankovic recorded are Chet Atkins, Drew Carey, Cowboy Jack Clement, Doris Day (in the late 40s), Kinky Friedman, Riders In The Sky, and "Weird Al" Yankovic (no relation). In 1986, he won a Grammy Award (until then the polka had not been a category) and was later nominated for more awards. Yankovic retired in 1994, but continued to play farewell dates over the next few years, eventually hanging up his accordion in 1997.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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