...last update 13 February 2004.

Gene Wisniewski's love for Polish polka music began at birth. His father, Stanley, came to America from the little town of Ostrolenka, near Warsaw, with the hope of using his skill as a tailor to make a new start in America. Helen, Gene's Mother, was from the town of Kaminicka, near Czechoslovakia. They eventually settled in Manchester, Connecticut, which provided a variety of work and places to raise a family.

Born in Manchester, on December 4, 1921, Wisniewski's musical career began in grammar school and high school when he took lessons on the violin, saxophone, and accordion. It was the accordion, however, that became his instrument of choice. At the age of 15, after only three months of accordion lessons, he found himself in a band with his brothers Chester and Edward playing local weddings, taverns and dances.

In the early 1940s, Gene Wisniewski traded in his accordion for a B-24, piloting the Liberator bomber for two years during the key years of World War II. Following his stint in the cockpit, Gene returned home and back to music in 1945.

He began giving accordion lessons and purchased a building in 1946 in Hartford, Connecticut. Using it as a studio and record store, it was a way to put food on the table. The big band was somewhere inside, waiting to be released again, and Gene Wisniewski answered that call reorganizing the orchestra. A few months afterward, Gene teamed with Walter Dana, of Dana records, and the musical ball started rolling. Soon, Gene Wisniewski and the Harmony Bells had cut their first record and the Wisniewski saga began.

Putting together three saxophones, two trumpets, drums, piano, bass, and accordion, he created one of the most versatile big bands of that polka era. Versatility was the key to his success in the overall market. He used instrumentation, changing it to play Polish one set, American the next, or waltzes followed by swing. He even changed billing, using Gene Wisniewski alone or The Harmony Bells or Gene Wisniewski and the Harmony Bells, depending on whether it would be Polish job, an American job or a performance requiring a specific mixture of music.

"You had to be able to play all music," stated Gene in a 1972 article. "The Polka was one part of a set and every other set at best. It was one Polka set and one American set. The records were selling good. The jobs started coming from out of town. I recall the first time we played Pennsylvania - first in Wilkes-Barre the following day in Scranton, then into the Johnstown and Greensburg areas, then into New Jersey, New York, and further and further."

As the number of road jobs increased, Wisniewski was forced to close his record store at the end of 1949, teaching music lessons and playing in the orchestra became a priority. This nine-piece orchestra led by this musician, vocalist, composer, recording artist, and record promoter, traveled the northeastern areas of the United States and Canada playing almost every type of imaginable venue. The band was constantly on the go, doing one-nighters, sleeping on the road, and often probably not sure what city they were in.

After his start with Dana, Gene -a composer of dozens of songs- shifted into the recording business on his own. He began free-lancing and created his own Dala label, cutting several of his own records and 50 or 60 of other artists. "The Open-The-Door" polka was the first big hit for Gene Wisniewski and it was followed by many more. His dynamic, warm, baritone voice was a second instrument for and tunes like "Blue Skirt" waltz, "USA" oberek, and "Monday Morning" polka all became hits with fans everywhere. With each record sold, Gene Wisniewski and the Harmony Bells found themselves further and further away from home. Stages in Buffalo, Cleveland, Maryland, Canada and Pennsylvania had the musicians putting many miles traveling two lane roads weekends and week days. Gene's fan base grew with each job and each recording.

His talent and stage presence allowed him to sell thousands of records. And he would sing in Polish, English, Spanish or Italian. Polish vocals were his specialty and his "Memories of Warsaw" album (Dala DLP 334) was a classic that perfectly illustrated his pride in the cultural heritage of the Polish people.

Just a few years ago, in 1997, Wisniewski re-mastered some of his early hits and made them available on compact disc. "The Early Hits," "Reminiscing," "and "By Request" are great CD treasures for today's polka music lovers. In 1972 the International Polka Association named Gene Wisniewski the most popular male polka vocalist and in 1973 he was inducted into the Polka Music Hall of Fame. This was a polka legend in the making.

Always concerned about the future of polka music, Gene Wisniewski offered some interesting comments in an early 1970s article written by Tom Wertz. Wisniewski commented, "The polka dances are diminishing," Gene told me with a noticeable drop in his tone. I noticed a lot of places aren't running dances anymore. I think it's because the kids aren't taking to polkas as they did before. Years back, when we played polkas, the youngsters came with the mothers and fathers, and when the mothers and fathers got too old, they themselves came."

Gene Wisniewski and polka music are synonymous. Many of the songs he composed are performed and recorded today by bands, who in some instances are not even aware that Gene penned these tunes. Music is timeless and Gene Wisniewski, musician, bandleader, vocalist, and composer, will always be with us on recording and a part of Polish polka music.

Eugene "Gene" A. Wisniewski died Thursday, March 7, 2002 at the age of 80. He was a true polka pioneer and will be missed by all.