Walt Groller (February 12, 1931 – July 17, 2023) was an American

polka Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...

musician. He was generally considered one of the premier polka musicians in the world.

Early life and education

Groller was born in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in eastern Pennsylvania, United States. The county seat of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, it is the List o ...

, in the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...

, to

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

immigrants. By the age of four, he had learned to play the

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

and to play and sing

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

songs. By age 12, he was performing professionally. At age 14, he started his own

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

. Groller attended

Allentown Central Catholic High School Allentown Central Catholic High School (ACCHS), often referred to as Central Catholic or Central, is a private, parochial school located at 301 N. 4th Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The school is managed by the Diocese of Allentown, and pred ...

Center City Allentown Center City Allentown is the downtown and central business district of Allentown, Pennsylvania, the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It has a dense population and is currently undergoing an urban revitalization process. ...

. In 1952, at age 21, Groller was inducted into the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

and was deployed to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Two years later, in 1954, he was discharged, and resumed his orchestra career, performing for live audiences and on radio.

Career

Groller was signed by Stella Records and produced seven albums and several 45s for Stella. Perhaps his best known album was ''New Christmas Songs''. Following the release of his Stella Record albums, Groller started his own production label, Chalet Records in

Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania Whitehall Township is a township with home rule status in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township's population was 29,173 as of the 2020 census. Whitehall Township is a suburb of Allentown in the Lehigh Valley metropolitan ...

and released 11 albums through it. Well known hits included "Say Thank You Dear", "Give Her Roses", and "Papa, the Old Accordion Man". Groller toured the United States and Europe in support of the albums, gaining an especially loyal following in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Groller hosted a weekly television show, ''Cafe Internationale'', which aired on Fridays. A recording of his radio play, ''Forty Years of Music: The Old Radio Band'', was released by Chalet Records. In 1986, he was inducted in the

International Polka Association The International Polka Association (IPA) is located in Chicago, Illinois and dedicated to the study and preservation of polka music and the cultural heritage of Polish Americans who have made this music tradition part of their heritage. The IPA ...

's "Hall of Fame". In 1988, he was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

. In 1990, the government of Austria presented Groller with the Austrian Decoration of Merit in Gold, an award given in recognition of those who help to preserve Austria's culture. Groller had also received a letter of commendation from Presidents

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

, and

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. In May 1995, he received Polka News Network's "Lifetime Polka Music Award".

Personal life

Groller was married with three children, two sons (Joe and Tom) and a daughter (Anita). Groller's son Joe plays drums in Groller's orchestra. He had a large extended family. Groller resided in

. He died at his home on July 17, 2023, at the age of 92.

Discography

Albums

* ''Bei Uns Gibts Polka'' * ''I Wish I Were a Little Boy'' * ''It's Polkamatic'' * ''New Christmas Songs''

Compilations

* ''Sharing Memories - Volume 1''

Singles

* "Dut Du Du Dut Polka" * "5 Guys From Pennsyltucky"Walt Groller
discography at discogs.com

References

External links

Hall of Fame * {{DEFAULTSORT:Groller, Walt 1931 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American composers 21st-century American male musicians Allentown Central Catholic High School alumni Musicians from Allentown, Pennsylvania Polka musicians