Walter Ostanek

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Walter Ostanek
Walter Ostanek in 2011.jpg
Walter Ostanek at Marineland in July 2011
Background information
Birth name Ladislav John Ostanek
Born (1935-04-20) 20 April 1935 (age 89)
Duparquet, Quebec, Canada
Origin St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Genres Polka
Occupation(s) musician, songwriter
Instruments Accordion
Years active 1936–present

Ladislav John "Walter" Ostanek, CM[1][2] (born 20 April 1935), is known as Canada's Polka King. He has received thirteen nominations for Grammy Awards and won three.[3]

Early life

Born in Duparquet, Quebec in 1935,[4] his family moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, when he was a boy. A young Ostanek received his first accordion as a gift in 1944. After several years, Ostanek became a popular entertainer in Southern Ontario, performing Slovenian-style (also known as Cleveland-style) polkas and waltzes. He could be heard frequently on the radio in St. Catharines and Welland. Walter began playing polka after his best friend introduced him to the accordion at age 5.

Career

In 1957 Ostanek formed his own band playing Slovenian-style polka music.[5] In 1963, Ostanek and his band, the Walter Ostanek Band, would record their first of many albums. Over his career, Ostanek would record more than 50 albums and become known as Canada's Polka King.[6] He has received three Grammy Awards and he has been nominated thirteen times. His style has been compared to America's Polka King, Frankie Yankovic of Cleveland. Like the late Yankovic, Walter Ostanek is of Slovene descent.

File:Walter Ostanek.jpg
Ostanek (right) appearing at the 2006 Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest

Ostanek hosted his own television shows (one for fourteen consecutive years), radio shows, and polka tours. He has appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Phil Donahue, Tommy Hunter Show, Cleveland's Polka Varieties, and his own award-winning TV specials and telethons. He has appeared in concert with Roy Clark, the Oakridge Boys, Ronnie Milsap, Ray Price, Mel Tillis, Brenda Lee, Slim Whitman, Tom T. Hall, T. G. Shepard, Tommy Hunter, Lawrence Welk, Myron Floren, Frank Yankovic, Black Forest Band, and Weiss Blau.

Walter Ostanek is a member of Canada's Walk of Fame as well as the Polka Halls of Fame in Cleveland and Chicago. Currently Ostanek does two main concert sets each year: one at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the other during Oktoberfest in Kitchener, Ontario.

He is also the subject of the 2006 Bravo! network documentary The Cult of Walt: Canada’s Polka King. Ostanek is also cited as the inspiration for the Second City Television polka parody, the Shmenge Brothers.[7] and the Osler show.

Walter currently resides in St. Catharines, Ontario. He was the owner of the popular music store "Ostanek's" until 1 April 2013, when the store was converted to a Long & McQuade's.[8] He still plays locally.

Awards and recognition

Discography

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Singles

  • ca 1962 "Walter Ostan" Marianne
  • 1998 "Larhonda Polka" Here Come the Polka Heroes[10]

Walter Ostanek Band

  • The Walter Ostanek Band [11]

Walter Ostanek and His Band

Walter Ostanek and His Polka Band

  • I Like Frankie Yankovic [12]

Walter Ostanek and His Polka Kings

Walter Ostanek

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Walter_Ostanek&oldid=3437357"