On behalf of the International Polka Association Board of Trustees and Hall of Fame Committee, the IPA Officers and Directors are proud to announce the 2017 award winners and Hall of Fame inductees for 2018. The IPA Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet was held on Saturday, September 1, 2018 at the Millennium Hotel in Buffalo, New York. Congratulations to all award winners and inductees!

Excerpts from the IPA website: Two prominent living personalities and one deceased celebrity, who have made outstanding contributions toward the advancement of the polka music industry, are elected into the Polka Music Hall of Fame each year. An academy of 180 qualified electors from across the country select the Hall of Fame inductees and music awards recipients.The Board of Trustees also selects an outstanding candidate for induction into the Pioneer category.

Polka Hall of Fame Inductees:Living Category: 
Mollie Busta-Lange: Mollie Busta Lange, commonly known as “Mollie B,” has been active in the polka industry her entire life. she began at age three on vocals with the Jim Busta band, and to date, has performed in 35 states and eleven countries.

In addition to appearing on over 35 recordings. always involving polka music, Mollie has been an educator and role model through her performances, dance lessons, and school workshops. while best known as the host and a co-producer of the nationally syndicated TV program the “Mollie B Polka Party,” she has also co-hosted a sirius xm radio show, performed in the Warner Brothers film, “The Mule;” hosted the Wisconsin PBS documentary, “Polka!;” performed on the national PBS special, “Polka Passion;” performed on the “Big Joe Polka Show;” and has produced and directed large Christmas shows in Branson and beyond.

Mollie performs on many instruments with squeezebox, is in the Wisconsin & Iowa Polka Hall of Fame and has been named the “Favorite Female Vocalist” multiple years by the USPA & IPA
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Mollie B has been deemed deserving by the electorate of the international polka association for induction into the polka music hall of fame.

Gary Brueggen was born in the small farming community of Ashton,WI, where at the young age of two he became captivated by polka music he heard on the radio. Recognizing his potential, Gary’s parents bought him his first set of drums at five years old, and by the time he was nine, he played his first job with the Ridgeland dDutchmen.

At age 10, he was given his first concertina, which began his magical career with the bellowed instrument. gary eventually took over leadership of the band with his father and uncle, and they became a favorite throughout the midwest. they toured nationallyand internationally and went on to record 16 albums and two dvds for the Mollie B Polka Party on RFD-TV.

Along with concertina and drums, Gary taught himself to play piano, button box, tuba, trumpet, and valve trombone and is proud to represent the 1 th generation of the Brueggen family musical legacy. over the years, he also found time to perform and record with a host of other bands and to broadcast polka music on various radio stations.

For his many accomplishments in the polka industry, Gary Brueggen, “Wisconsin’s Concertina Kid”, has been deemed deserving by the electorate of the international polka association for induction into the polka music hall of fame.

Deceased Category: Leon “Bud” Hundenski

Pioneer Category:  Joe Macielag

2017 MUSIC AWARDS
Favorite International Style CD  40th Anniversary – Fred Ziwich & International Sound Machine
Favorite International Style Song   Dunaju Dunaju – John Jaworski
Favorite International Style Band – The Alex Meixner Band
Favorite International Style Female Vocalist – Mollie Busta-Lange
Favorite International Style Male Vocalist – Steve Meisner
Favorite Polish Style CD – Dance All Night – The DynaBrass
Favorite Polish Style Song – Dance All Night – The DynaBrass
Favorite Polish Style Band – Lenny Gomulka & Chicago Push
Favorite Polish Style Female Vocalist – Stacey Morris
Favorite Polish Style Male Vocalist – Lenny Gomulka
Leon Kozicki Trustees Award:  Rich Bernier

For further information:
International Polka Association
1-800-TO-POLKA
800-867-6552
ipapolkas@gmail.com

The International Polka Association is a non-profit organization whose purpose is the advancement of polka music.