Photo via Cool Cleveland.
Born in 1915, the son of Andy and Rose Yankovic (recently arrived Slovenian immigrants), Frankie Yankovic would eventually become known as “America’s Polka King.” As a leading musical showman and an accomplished accordionist, he earned an enduring legacy as an inductee in the International Polka Association Hall of Fame, and the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame. As many immigrants and their children experienced, living in America influenced a blending of native-born culture with newly emerging American culture.
Representing his rich Slovenian heritage, Yankovic combined traditional Slovenian folk music, traditional polka and American musical trends of the 1930s and 1940s to create a new Polka sound eventually known as “Cleveland Style Polka.” This new style of music became a beloved part of Cleveland’s cultural identity.
Following his family’s move from West Virginia to Cleveland not long after his birth, Frankie got his first accordion at the age of 9 and began learning the instrument from various acquaintances in his Collinwood neighborhood. By his early teens, he had formed a band and was a working musician.
After having served in World War II (most notably he fought in the Battle of the Bulge in late 1944), Yankovic soon began to realize great fame as a Polka musician with two of his records, “Just Because” (1947) and “Blue Skirt Waltz” (1949), which earned platinum status. By 1948, he was crowned “America’s Polka King” and was internationally known as the leading Slovenian-style polka artist. As such, he was the first polka artist to earn a million-selling single, perform on national television, and win a Grammy in the Best Polka Recording category.
From collaborating with Doris Day in 1950, to hosting his own television show called “Polka Time,” in 1956 and 1957, to performing 325 shows a year at his peak, Yankovic eventually went on to win a Grammy award for Polka in 1986. He made over 200 recordings and sold more than 300 albums before his death in 1998. And today, Yankovic’s legacy lives on as a Slovenian and American musical and cultural icon whose Cleveland roots propelled him to international stardom.
