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Eddie Siwiec
Pioneer Category - Inducted
2005
Eddie Siwiec began playing polka music in 1969 and continues to
this day. He credits his parents, Chester and Catherine, and his
uncle, Joe Smiell, renowned musician, composer and bandleader from
Oakland, California, with introducing him to the wonderful world of
music and dance. Edward is the youngest of four children and was
born along with his twin sister on March 9, 1955 in Dearborn,
Michigan, the hometown of Henry Ford, as he likes to say.
 Eddie
began playing the clarinet in the 4th grade and also began dancing
in a Polish National Alliance dance group where he became very
intrigued with Polish music. He was quick to sign up for Polish
language class and began listening to all of the local polka radio
shows. In the ninth grade, Ed began playing the tenor saxophone and
was immediately asked by a fellow student to join his new band
called “The Intervals”. This would mark the beginning of a long
career in professional music performance.
He competed in local and state solo and ensemble competitions and
won numerous first place awards throughout his junior high and high
school years. He was asked to perform in the state “Honors Band” and
was very proud to receive a scholarship from the Fordson High School
music department to attend an “All-State” band camp at the
internationally known “Interlochen Center for the Arts”. Recognizing
his enthusiasm for polka music, Ed’s high school band director, Jack
Pierson, featured him as soloist in a symphonic arrangement of the
“Clarinet Polka”. Ed graduated with honors and received special
recognition by the music department for his talent and enthusiastic
involvement in the music program.
It was August of 1972 when Ed and his parents attended their
first IPA convention held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This, he will
tell you, was a monumental experience. Seeing and hearing bands
perform “live” at t his national venue was very exciting and after
hearing a Chicago based group called “The Tones” (Eddie’s long time
favorite band), he knew that playing polka music would become a
passion. At that time, Ed had just been recruited by aspiring polka
drummer Tony Kempinski to join his new band “The Dynasticks” (Dynastics).
According to Eddie, this group provided the “real training ground”
where he was able to perfect not only his playing proficiency, but
also develop a skill for arranging music and for writing original
musical passages and lyrics. Eddie was featured on clarinet, sax,
vocals, and he taught himself to play the trumpet in order to expand
the group’s musical capabilities. This talented and versatile group
of youngsters gained national exposure after releasing their first
recording in 1976. It was a 45rpm record of two original songs:
“Lost Your Love Polka” and an instrumental called “Shoeshine Polka”.
This led to playing on the national polka scene and the group
recording its first album called “Detroit’s Spirit of Polkas”. This
recording featured all original material, a noteworthy achievement
for such a young group. At that time, Eddie was attending Henry Ford
Community College and found time to co-host a polka radio show over
the campus radio station. The Dynastics went on to record a second
album called “Take Another Look” which also featured a number of
original songs and unique arrangements.
The Dynasticks disbanded at the end of 1979 and a new decade of
musical opportunities began. Eddie had already established a fine
reputation among Michigan-based bands and was often called on to do
both fill-in work and studio recordings. However, his desire to
perform on a national level led him to join well-known vocalist Stas
Golonka and his Chicago Masters. Eddie had no problem adapting to
Stas’s polka style and would spend the next seven years entertaining
fans nationwide with his “tight” harmony vocals, smooth solos,
exemplary harmonies and would contribute greatly to Stas’s hit
recording “Hooked on Honky”.
In 1987, Eddie returned to the reformed “Dynasticks” where he
would again become a major catalyst. Their WRS recording “Back on
Track” remains highly regarded by many musicians to this day and
Eddie’s arrangement and vocalizing on “Always” polka quickly became
his signature song.
Eddie would continue his pursuit of musical excellence in the
1990’s. First, by becoming bandleader of “Prime Time” (Detroit’s
Musical Answer) and recording “Prime Drive – Overdrive”, and later
accepting a new challenge by joining polka icon Eddie Blazonczyk and
his Versatones. After three years on the road and three Grammy
nominated recordings, he decided to slow down a bit and freelance.
Eddie welcomed the opportunity to again play with a variety of
bands, learning and adding to his vast experience with musical style
and interpretation. He seized the opportunity to work with the
famous “Polka Family Band” in 1997 and learned yet another
challenging repertoire of material. Then in 1998 he joined the
popular “Toledo Polkamotion” band, which provided him another golden
opportunity to showcase his talents and creativity. Eddie made three
recordings with TPM and was featured on vocals, trumpet, clarinet,
alto sax, tenor sax, and notably the soprano saxophone, which hadn’t
been used for decades in polka music. He remained with TPM until the
group’s retirement in 2004 and is now a member of the time honored
“Brass Connection” headed by IPA Polka Music Hall of Famer Frank
Liszka.
Eddie can be heard on 35 recordings and has performed with
numerous bands over the last 36 years including: Marion Lush, Li’l
Wally, Wanda & Stephanie, Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push, The Sounds,
Bruno Mikos, The Beat, Ray Jay & the Carousels, Jan Lewan, the
Dynatones, Jimmy Sturr, Jersey Polka Richie and many more. Other
career highlights include appearing on the soundtrack and in the
movie “Welcome to Collinwood”; attending, by invitation, the Cannes
Film Festival; performing at the movie’s premiere in Cleveland and
attending the Hollywood premiere; performing at the American
Folklife Festival sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute in Michigan
and Washington, D.C.; performing over public radio; promoting and
running a successful polka dance. His pleasing personality,
professional attitude, and tireless dedication to musical excellence
have earned him the respect of the polka community at large.
Eddie now resides in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio with his wife
and former Polka DJ “Polka Shirley Panczyk” and is currently a
representative with Diversified Sales and Service Inc., a firm
specializing in solar energy systems and other energy saving
products. |
