Accordionist Garrett Tatano of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, was voted Polka Star of Tomorrow at a musical competition hosted by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 18, 2021. Three hundred polka music fans cast ballots for four entertainers at SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio, near Cleveland.
Garrett Tatano - Polka Star of Tomorrow
Tatano received a plaque and will be featured at the 57th Annual Thanksgiving Polka Weekend, sponsored by the Polka Hall of Fame.
Garrett Tatano receives a plaque as the Polka Star of Tomorrow by Sharon Staiduhar, a trustee of the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame
Tatano competed as the lead accordionist with his own orchestra, including Vincent Filipelli, Anthony Popovski, Logan Watson and Phil Yan III. Tatano also performs with Jack Tady's Pittsburgh-based band.
All four of the polka contenders are under 25. The three other musicians were Joshua Kay and TJ Likovic, both Cleveland accordionists, and drummer RJ Zolka from Youngstown, Ohio. All four will perform with their bands on the main stage at the Thanksgiving Polka Weekend at the Holiday Inn Cleveland South, in Independence, Ohio, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 26, 27 and 28.
Four polka musicians competed for the title of Polka Star of Tomorrow. From left: Cleveland accordionist TJ Likovic, Youngstown drummer RJ Zolka, accordionist Garrett Tatano of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland accordionist Joshua Kay.
The National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame celebrates the style of American dance music that emerged from the city's Slovenian neighborhoods and became a national sensation with America's Polka King Frank Yankovic in the decades after World War II. The museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11 to 4, at 605 East 222nd Street in Euclid, Ohio, in the city's historic former city hall. For more information on Polka Hall of Fame events, check the website at www.PolkaFame.com or call (216) 621- FAME
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