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TAPE INDEX

1. Announcement.

2. Florian's grandfather came from Poland in late 1880s. He farmed, played music, and was in politics. Ditto for F's dad, Tony. Ditto for Florian.

3. In 1945 F's brother Chester was in Minneapolis. Came home with an accordion, landlord wouldn't let him play it in his ayartment. Said to F, "if you can play it in 90 days, I'll be back in Sturgeon Lake." Most of the musicians were off at war, a neighbor asked F to play for his wedding. Only knew four songs but played them over and over for five hours. "That was the beginning of a long career."

4. About ten years ago all F's kids took over as fourth generation: Florian, Jr., Jeffrey, Mark, and Patty. Grandchildren, includin6 ten year old Tony, are involved in band too.

5. Chmielewskis were first musical group to play on WKLK radio in Cloquet. WDSM, channel 6, in Duluth asked them to be on television. B&W on Monday nights. "Swept the ratings and we've been on television forProject 33 consecutive years." F reckons this is the longest running polka series in the USA. Been on stage more than 9,250 times. Logged four and a half million miles, and made 1653 television shows. Thinks latter is a record. 6. Grandfather one of Pine County's first county commissioners. Father served on town board for 34 years, mother on school board. In Society1960 incumbent county commisioner was retiring. Wanted F's dad to run,History but Tony put forward Florian who won the race. In 1970 ran for the Senate where he has served for 20 years. Now is president pro tem. "I don't know of anything that mixes better than polkas and politics. When I play for Orala dance I take a pencil and paper and write down people's concerns and take them to the state capitol."

7. F doesn't know how long he'll keep going, but when he slows down, his kids pick up the slack. Historical 8. F born in 1927, FebruaryPolka 10.

9. Grandfather was Frank, dad was Tony. Frank died about 1965 at 85, came from Poznan in Poland. Frank and Tony both played violin. Band was upright bass and a couple of violins. "None of them had drums like they have today. And I can recall vividly my dad playing at wedding dances at our barn, with two violins and a bass." Two violins pretty much played in unison, not much in the way of harmony and fill-ins.Minnesota Players entirely by ear. Father had only three grades of school. Minnesota 10. After high school F went into the service and when he came back was high school band director in Willow River for awhile. Didn't want to do this for long because he was 011 the road with his own band.

11. In 1972 when Nielson TV ratin6s crune out, All in the Family was sweepin6 the ratings everywhere, exceyt in Duluth, even thouoh Chmielewski Funtime had the less watched 6:30 slot.

12. On the show's format. "Totally unrehearsed ••• many times we did not -2- know what we were 60inb to play until we bot on the air • • • We 60t in there just like a small falUily 6roulJ ••• " Had a 6eneral idea of what they want~d to do. Wanted to play some music, to have a few coulJles u.,> front to dance, to have a 6uest every week.

13. In 1955 doinb the show liv~. Two young kids came in from Wisconsin, the Maki twins. Their dad lUotioned to Florian durin6 a commercial. Said I've 60t two kids here who are bood accordion players, can you vut them on. F had never heard them ~lay, but took a chance and they went over. Likes doing spontaneous things like that.

14. They also pullout dancers from the audience to be featured, ditto for singers. If someone is constantly sin6i116 as they dance by, F will brin6 theiu up on stage. "Peoyle really love that. I think that's what makes a party." Try to give the audience a .,>erception that they're a happpy group on stage and the people lau6h with them.

15. Back to father and grandfather. The bass was bowed like a cello. Tony used to talk about carrying the instruments on their shoulderProject or on a hayrack when setting off to V1ay a dance.

16. The wedding dances had a lot of circle two steps and other circle dances. They also did waltzes and the "chicken scratch" polka, which F distin6uishes from the two step polka, the heel and toe polka which is done a lot in Canada and out west, and the hoV polka. Hop polkas not popularSociety in northern Minnesota, on the Iron Range, or in Canada, but popular inHistory Twin Cities and southern Minnesota, and Wisconsin. F reckons more younger people dancin6 polka in WI than in any other state where he's played. Doesn't know why.

17. F's 6randchi1dren dance ho~ ~olkaOral in Chmielewski shows.

18. Father and grandfather played krakowiaks.

19. F plays Kujawiak # 6 that his dad Historicalplayed at every dance he ever played. F on the one row button accordion.Polka Adds Home Sweet Home in waltz time, then 60es into ~mricka Moja.

20. F has done this medley at the Minnesota State Fair. He lifts up the accordion and swin6s the bellows.

21. F thinks Maricka Moja is a Polish tune, but Yankovic has done it. The Germans do Lindenau Polka,Minnesota which the Poles call the Lucky Polka, but the Germans be6in withMinnesota what the Poles use as the second part. 22. The Maki twins were Finnish, but F doesn't recall if they p1ajed a Finnish number. Remembers that they were identical twins and played twill accordions. Thinks they're ut> around Windforth, they'd have to be in their fifties now.

23. F admired Viola Turpeinen who was bi6 in the area. Viola has been known as the best Finnish accordion tJ1ay~r clver to .,>lay in the area. Her husband Rill Syrja1a tJ1ayed trum~et. F always W'ent to her dance::> in the area. "She a1wdj::> sat when she tJ1dy~d. She se1doill smiled when she played. But she Vlayed r~d1 music. And JOU know they reco6nized what she ylay~d and ::>h~ knew how to win th~ -3- hearts of those Finnish ~eo~le because she played sonbs that were very failliliar to them." Re.aembers them ~layillci Hlany times to Clo\iuet.

24. Before F even had all accordion, he was dazzled by .:ieeine;; Yankovic and Johnny Pecoll playinb in Clo\iuet. Saw Yankovic playing a dance job iu Clo'!uet while being recorded for radio and televised at the same time. ThoU6ht this was amazinb, but has since done just this many times.

25. On F's style in the early days. His dad did nothing but Poli.:ih music. "Siwy Kon," "Hu~aj Siupaj," etc. "As I moved out into the field, I started out ~layin6 Polish lUusic. And that's all I could ,l>lay for avery short tiuIe. But I soon recognized that we had to ex~and. In the area where I live, the road I live on was called the Polish road, everyone ou the road was Polish. But just three miles to the south is the Bohemian Road, and everyone on that road wa.:i Bohemian. And as you 60 ukl into Denham (stJ?), it's what we call the Swedish Road, and everyone on that road was Swedish. And so when we cOlne out to these dances, I iJretty soon had to reali~e that I had to learn 'Helsa Dem Darhell1llla, , and I had to learn 'Johan Pa Sni,l>,I>en,' and I had to learn 'Svestkova Alej' for the Bohemians, and so as I moved out into the field, I diversifiedProject and I did absolutely everythiIlb that there was." Learned the Czech "Annie in the Cabba6e Patch," learned Finnish sonEtS too. Doesn't think he would have been elected if he couldn't tJlay Finnish numbers.

26. Left house one day in early 1960, took his accordion alonb. 'vas running for count/ cOll1lllissioner and went to meet peopleHistory at the SocietyFLmish Hall. Was tryi!lo to demonstrate that he could communicate with people. Did "Livet et Finnskogen," "Kukka Se Sauna Lemitha," "Kulkurin Valssi," and a few other Finnish numbers. Won that area in the election 7-1. Peo,l>le realized that he was trying to understand them. Oral 27. When F goes into New Ulm, he can play German music. On the Iron Range, plays primarily Slovenian Inusic. Believes in adapting to his audience. Historical 28. F doesn't use a script for any dances so he can adapt to the crowd. Only exception was the Prom BallroomPolka in Minnea,l>olis where they ~layed once a month on Thursda/ nibht. The management would i>ost in advance what the tempos would be: waltz, schottische, polka, rhumba, fox trot. "They'd ~rogram the entire ni6ht." F drew big crowds, but felt this was the opposite of the way he likes to work. He'd rather take requests, play "Raatikoon" and schottisches for the Finns, for example. 29. F likes to play MinnesotaPolish music but, as an accordionist, feels Slovenian music has more Minnesota"iJu!lch" to it. One son is an excellent Polish accordionist. 30. When F first started pla/iub , was doin6 old tilne, but also fonned a band called the Modernaires. Played ballrooill or modern illusic for half the night and then worked in old time. Went off to the Army and when he came back the family band of five brothers was the thin6 to do. Cloquet (?) procir~n was called Polish TV Party and was annouuced half in Poli.:ih alld half in En6li::>h, but 011 channels 3 aud 10 out of Duluth did more Slovenian luusic and had tJr0cirCLOl broadcast to the Iron Ranbe. As the TV show started to be syndicated aud to bet into other areas, the retJertoire had to diversify for the show to 6et cood ratingS. -4-

31. F's dau6htt:!r Patty is a bood country siu6er.

32. F reckons older bib bauds like the Dorst:!y Brothers ~layed ~olkas. Willi~ Nelson vlayed his first jobs in a Czech Polka baud. Johnny Carsoll waS a ~olka DJ in Nebraska. "A lot of thest:! veo~le havt:! their back6ro~nd in the polka fitdd." F reckons it's illivortaHt that such ethnic herita6e be stresst:!d in the schools.

33. F has Vut t06ether six scravbooks of ille410rabilia of the band.

34. F Wi the illodern Polish style. Althouoh F tries to satisfy all kinds in vlayL1b' his kids just love playillo the Chicaoo Pllsh style. Jeff is an t:!xcellent fiddler and sax lJlayer, Florian Jr. ~lays druills, trUi.l~et. dnd ~ush style accordion. They're ,tIlayinc; sulall clubs dud fiud the ~u.:>il style lUore excitin6. F reckons, if you're an accordionist, you're just bellow-shakin6. F likes to do what Nyron Floren and Lawrence Helk do. Likes "Clarinet Polka," "Challl,tlabne Polka," and "Bartender Polka."

35. Leary asks if bellow-shakin6 is like or derives frolu theProject bowed cello or u~ri6ht bass. F doesn't really know.

36. F wade SOule 78s. Later .nade an album. Discovered that the Polish people ill Florida and California want Chmielewski to be ~rono~llced "Schmeelefski." F Olice vulled out the "w" frow his naule, but was critici.wd by Poles aud told to tJut it back in. HistorySociety 37. F reckons that his naille weans "hovs" in Polish. 38. Sometimes when veoi"le hear the CluoielewskiOral name, they exvect an all Polish band. But others want to hear (the Slovenian) Moja Dt:!kla, and recently in California F was asked to Vlay (the Finnish) Sakki Jarven Polkka. 39. F tJoints out that "Blue Eyes Cryin6Historical in the Rain" is often dOlle as the Serbo-Croatian "Suze Lij u PlaviPolka Oci." 40. Tony Chmielewski died fifteen years a60 at 85 (b. 1890/if this is so, oraudfather must have been older). F's mother is still livL10' tur.led 92 on February 22. She i"lajed harmonica with the band a few tiuleS, even ou TV.

[End of Session] Minnesota Minnesota