Verne Meisner
LaVerne Donald "Verne" Meisner (December 4, 1938 – June 10, 2005) was an American polka musician born in
Meisner was known for playing
Career
Meisner began playing polka music in a band as an 11-year-old after receiving his first
His first recordings were created in 1957 when the band recorded the original tracks "Memories of Vienna Waltz" and "Polka Dancers Polka" on the Paragon Label.[2] Meisner and his band began to be noticed around Milwaukee after they appeared on the Fritz the Plumber Radio Show.[2] They recorded their second record, "The 400 Polka and Waltzing in Vienna", in 1957 and followed it up with 1959's "Pretty Polly and Till I Return".[2]
When Meisner's
Halls of fame
Meisner was inducted into five halls of fame.[4] Besides his 1989 induction into the International Polka Association Hall of Fame, he was inducted into the Cleveland Style Polka Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Polka Hall of Fame, and received the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.[5] Meisner and his son, Steve Meisner, were the first polka artists to receive the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award in 1988.[6]
Personal life
Meisner was married to Judith Ann Kutz and the couple had three children (Steve, Daniel, and Michele Bush) before divorcing.[4] His second wife, Shirley Tyson, died in the 1980s.[4]
He suffered from alcoholism after spending so much time performing in bars, but he became sober in his 40s and alcohol-free for the final 20 years of his life.[4]
Death
He died from melanoma complications on June 10, 2005.[1] He was living in Waukesha, Wisconsin at the time.[4] In his death announcement in The New York Times, the newspaper said "Considered one of the titans of polka, Mr. 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."[4]
References
- ^ a b Ankeny, Jason. "Verne Meisner Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Hall of Fame biography". International Polka Association. 1989. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b c d e Sullivan, Patricia (2005-06-15). "Verne Meisner, polka band leader, dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Fox, Margalit (2005-06-16). "Verne Meisner, 66, Musician Who Championed the Polka". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ Lynn, Greene. "They're At It Again.... Verne & Steve Meisner". Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2009-06-06.