The Polka Titan

Polka master and member of the International Polka Hall of Fame, Verne Meisner, died from complications due to melanoma on June 10.

Excerpts from his NY Times obituary:

Considered one of the titans of polka, Meisner was a bridge between the classics of the Lawrence Welk era and the pop-infused polkas of contemporary artists. To thousands of fans, he was second only to Frank Yankovic, the acknowledged king of polka, who died in 1998.

Yes, Frank Yankovic is Weird Al's Dad.

LaVerne Donald Meisner was born in Milwaukee on Dec. 4, 1938, and grew up in Whitewater, Wis. He picked up his first accordion at 8, and by 11, was playing in local bars. As a teenager, he toured with Yankovic's band and also formed his own, Verne Meisner and the Polka Boys. It made its recording debut in 1958 with "Memories of Vienna," one of his best-known original tunes; his others include "El Rio Drive."