Popular accordion and keyboard player Eddie Korosa, Jr., and his polka band, the Boys from Illinois, will perform a Polish/German Christmas concert at 6:30 p.m. Friday, December 9, in the ballroom of The Timbers of Shorewood retirement community, 1100 N. River Rd., Shorewood. The event is free and open the public.
Korosa’s polka band members have been together since 1976 and have played at polka fests in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and many more countries.
The group is in high demand in America for any event or venue, including TV and movies. Korosa and his band were John Candy’s polka band, named the “Kenosha Kickers,” in the movie “Home Alone.”
Korosa was voted the “Piano/Keyboard Player of the Year in 1996 and Accordion Player of the Year in 1997 by the United Polka Association. He also entertained audiences at Steppenwolf Theatre during the play, “Evelyn and the Polka King.”
Eddie’s father, Eddie Korosa, Sr., wrote and recorded “The Baby Doll Polka” in 1951 – a perennial favorite to this day. Due to his song’s widespread popularity, Eddie Sr. and his band were soon in demand for appearances on polka radio shows.
In 1954, Eddie Sr. built the Baby Doll Polka Club at 73rd and Western in Chicago where he and his Merry Makers entertained polka enthusiasts for decades. The club’s celebrity allowed Eddie Sr. the privilege to launch the careers of many other bands and musicians.
Named the 2016 Business of the Year by the Shorewood Area Chamber of Commerce, The Timbers of Shorewood is a rental retirement community that provides independent and assisted living apartments and a full schedule of activities and services. Residents whose needs may change are able to stay in the same place and receive appropriate and compassionate care. Furnished apartments are also available for short-term stays.
The public is welcome at this free event. Call 815-609-0669.
