Larry Chesky, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Larry Chesky

Polka band leader

Date of Birth: 17-Nov-1933

Place of Birth: Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States

Date of Death: 25-Jan-2011

Profession: musician

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Larry Chesky, born Lawrence J.
Ciszewski, (November 17, 1933 – January 25, 2011, Holyoke, MA) was a Polka band leader and manager of the Polka record label Rex Records.
Organizing and playing in his first Polka band at the age of 13, after graduating from Holyoke High School he attended the Hartt School of Music and spent much of his early career touring the Eastern Polka circuit from New York to Chicago.
He was inducted into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame in 1985, having recorded over 100 record albums.
He was a proponent of the "Big Band" or "Eastern" style of Polka, which features more band members (greater than ten), and a focus on horn and reed instruments, than the typical Polka band.
Jimmy Sturr, the 18 time Grammy Award Winner for Best Polka Album, said of him: "He was one of my idols.
I grew up on him...I modeled my band after his Eastern style." Lenny Gomulka, the twelve time Polka Grammy Nominee, said that Larry Chesky was a "pioneer who changed and enhanced the image of polka to the Big Band sound."