August 1, 1930-August 17, 2006 (IPA has his birthday as October 1st)
It is with a heavy heart that I type the following: Li'l Wally Jagiello- The Polka KING passed away shortly after his 76th birthday. He will be missed. Those familiar with The Polkaholics know that we had a soft spot, as well as great admiration for Li'l Wally and were fortunate to not only have been able to perform with him on his old stomping grounds, but also to be able to call him a friend.
As a side note the cover shot of our latest album was taken during a performance with Li'l Wally at Zakopane Lounge in Chicago, by Dick Blau. In the center by the kick drum is a Li'l Wally poster for his (I think BEST SONG) "No Beer in Heaven So Let's Drink it Here."
Wally had been performing music longer that I had been alive when I first met him a few years ago and he amazed me with his eagerness to please, as well as his shameless self promotion. "That's my inspiration: to make people happy. That's what it's all about. I respect the people. And I appreciate that they come to a dance. I appreciate when they buy a record. If they buy a couple albums, I give them a free gift. I don't have to, but I do it anyway because, see, it's nice to give. It's nice to receive, too, but it's better to give. So that's one of my opinions."
After performing for his first audience at the tender age of 8 Li'l Wally decided that he would be a polka star. Before he reached his teens he immersed himself in a form of musical guerrilla education which involved sneaking out of his house in the middle of the night to go to bars along "Polish Broadway" the strip of Division Street between Ashland and Western in Chicago to watch, listen and learn from other musicians. He then took this knowledge and taught himself how to play drums, and the concertina, and was performing with Eddie Zima at the age of 10! While a teenager he started his own group as well as his first record label (Amber). In true DIY fashion Wally created Jay Jay Records in 1951 and had his own radio show on WOPA from 1951 through 1961 with "Li'l Wally every Sunday from 4p to 5p"...and recorded and released around 50 records all before the age of 30!
Since then he has recorded over 3000 songs and has over 150 releases. Among other things Li'l Wally has performed for Pope John Paul II in 1984, has been nominated for a Grammy, and was still performing and entertaining into his 70's. He was a hell of a man.
Li'l Wally was a rebel in the polka world and may have upset some people along the way but this can also be said of another famous King: Elvis Presley had many detractors during his career with his raw style and was seen as a threat to the wholesomeness of the 50's with his sexy pelvis. I think that Li'l Wally turned the polka world on it's ear with his own unique style and shocked the other polka artists at the time with his unique tempos and hard hitting drum style, and unlike Elvis, Wally actually wrote most of his own songs- a few with "suggestive" lyrics:
Better In Than Out
When you're with me you just thrill me; please don't let me go
Cause you have that special something and I love it so
Cause you have that special something and I love it so
When you feel me, when you're in me it's better than out
Cause when I am in you baby I just don't want out
Cause when I'm in you baby I just don't want out
Leave it in you; leave it in you and enjoy it too
Cause it takes the two to make love like the birdies do
Cause it takes the two to make love like the birdies do
Hugging hugging then a-cuddling, that's the beginning
Better in than out of love and love is everything
Better in than out of love and love is everything
These lyrics could have been written and performed by a rock band such as KISS or even The Rolling Stones, or a blues band like Muddy Waters but it's Li'l Wally's polka style! He really was the King.
"He's like the Muddy Waters of polka," says Don Hedeker, "He developed the style of polka music that is by far the most popular and the most accessible.
"Imagine if you listened to the blues and all you heard were the biggest songs of B.B. King,or maybe somebody even blander than that," Hedeker continues. "You'd say that the blues don't have much power to them. Then all of a sudden you discover Muddy Waters or Robert Johnson, and you realize that the blues are amazing. That's what happened to me when I discovered Li'l Wally. He's right up there with those great American artists. I have to say he's one of the true undiscovered musical gems left in this country."
"Li'l Wally was an extremely important figure from a polka-history perspective, comparable to Charlie Parker in jazz," says ethnomusicologist Charles Keil, coauthor of Polka Happiness (Temple University Press, 1996). "He turned the whole style around, as much as any single individual."
Li'l Wally was not a man to sit still, nor was he a man content to follow others or just sit back and enjoy the ride. After a stint with Columbia records when he was all of 19 years old left a sour taste in his mouth he took matters into his own hands and decided that moving forward he was going to take complete control of his career and his songs: The way they were recorded; released; packaged; and distributed.
When he was 21 years old he started Jay Jay Records so that he would never have to deal with the hassles that being on a major label entailed, as if this was not enough he purchased his own record pressing company in the mid 50's- he was a complete DIY 1 Man Polka Business. To have even more control of his one man polka empire he created his own recording studio in the mid 60's. Anyone who has ever been in the music business knows what a gamble this can be. I have to hand to to Li'l Wally, the man was a rebel and would not put up with anyone else- it was his way or the highway. He had a mission to push his polka to the world and he did so for over 65 years!
If it were not for Lil'l Wally, The Polkaholics may never have come into being. As Scott Richert pointed out in an article about The Polkaholics:
" 'The World's Polka King' who came out of retirement in Miami to return to his roots on the Polish Broadway and play a concert with the Polkaholics in September 1999, forbade his musicians from using sheet music during performances. That meant three things: They needed to know the music by heart; they could better improvise; and, most importantly, their eyes were where they belonged—on their audience, making connections with the people.
That's the sense in which the Polkaholics are, in some ways, more traditional than a "traditional" polka band. Asked what they are really up to, James simply replies, "Bringing polka to the people." Their hope, he says, is that the audience "might look at polka music in a different light, go out and get interested in more traditional polka music," just as he did. "Before I joined the Polkaholics, I was like, ‘Polka, that's corny, that's goofy.' Then I saw the Polkaholics, was amazed by them, became a convert, started looking for records, going to shows.' "
I'd like to think that Li'l Wally's first audience members had a similar reaction.
I miss you Wally,
Jolly James
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Tuesday, February 07, 2006
A Personal Message from Li'L Wally
If you play old, worn-out 45's on your phonograph you are going to ruin your needle and needles cost dough!
All my merchandise is NEW, NEVER-PLAYED collectors music.45RPM singles, stereo and Mono ALBUMS, some cassete tapes, mini stereo LPs for Seeburg jukeboxes...33 1/3 speed. We might have some 45 EPs in the warehouse. We don't know.
We sold our historical buldings, Film-Recording...9 offices....so we have steel shelving, fixtures. 2,500 45's...15,000 albums..about 2,500 mini albums 45rpm. We need to sell alot of this merchandise, as we need to make CDs, videos and DVDs. All our merchandise is collectors music. It will sell forever. Music is my life! I've been practicing for over 65 years. Now I am ready. HA! HA!
Li'l Wally
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There will be services in Chicago next Saturday- more info will be posted as soon as it is available. Tune in to polka radio stations- many tribute shows are happening now including some interviews with Dandy Don.
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