The last name of famed Polka King "Whoopee John", well-known throughout the Upper Midwest during the 1940s and 1950s, was in fact 'Wilfahrt', spelled with only one 'L' (the name itself translates to traveler, wanderer, or pilgrim). Although he himself passed on in 1961, his band survived him, and the 'Fritz' listed here, despite the misspelled last name, is indeed distantly related to him, according to interviews conducted by Wisconsin Public Radio at the Pulaski Polka Fest in July 1989 for their musical program, "Down Home Dairyland".
Whoopee John recorded a lot of songs, especially for Decca Records. In fact, when the British label created its US division in 1934, he was the second artist signed to the label (Bing Crosby was the first).
I saw them open for Toots and the Maytals at the Crystal Palace Ballroom in Calumet City.
ReplyDeleteThere is no Crystal Palace Ballroom in Calumet City. You must have been over-sampling the ganja while the Maytals were playing.
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The last name of famed Polka King "Whoopee John", well-known throughout the Upper Midwest during the 1940s and 1950s, was in fact 'Wilfahrt', spelled with only one 'L' (the name itself translates to traveler, wanderer, or pilgrim). Although he himself passed on in 1961, his band survived him, and the 'Fritz' listed here, despite the misspelled last name, is indeed distantly related to him, according to interviews conducted by Wisconsin Public Radio at the Pulaski Polka Fest in July 1989 for their musical program, "Down Home Dairyland".
ReplyDeleteWhoopee John recorded a lot of songs, especially for Decca Records. In fact, when the British label created its US division in 1934, he was the second artist signed to the label (Bing Crosby was the first).
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