This picture of the "Polka Beats" was
taken in 1975. On the left side of the picture to the right side is Tom
Thomas on sax, Christy Thomas (Chris) on the accordion,
then Dad (Christy Thomas) on guitar, John Thomas on
the drums, on the right is Joe Zdelar on the bass . This band was very
young. Except for dad, the oldest one was Chris, the accordion player.
The "Polkabeats" were the youngest band that ever played at "Kuzman's",
in Girard, Ohio, a popular night club that still today features Polka
Music. They made several appearances on the"Polka Variety Show" out of Cleveland
, Ohio. Playing n ballrooms, bars, Croatian picnics, weddings, parties
and other venues around the Youngstown, Cleveland & Pittsburg
area. Their fans followed them to dances at Kuzman's, Avon Oaks Ball Room,
Pozika's Tavern, Prodnicks Tavern, Croation Lodge 66, Strossmeyers Picnic
Grounds, and SNPJ, just to name a few. They played with enthusiasm, excitement
and energy where ever they appeared. Their music was up beat and their
harmonies were outstanding. They related to the young and the older crowds
by playing old standards and classic rock n roll to top 40 tunes of their
time. All the players in the band played other instruemnts. During their
time they were together, they also belonged to the Continental JuniorTamburitza
group from Sharon, Pa. They mixed their style of music with Croatian
music. That made their popularity even stronger. They were able to cover
a larger spectrum of music genre's.
You can email Chris at polkabeats@yahoo.com
Playing from the heart, the band STILL plays on!!
