ANSONIA – Peter J. Danielczuk’s 53-year love affair with polka music has earned him international fame.
Danielczuk, a lifelong Ansonia resident, current police commissioner and former president of the Board of Aldermen, was inducted into the International Polka Association’s Polka Hall of Fame in September in Pittsburgh, PA.
Polka, a music genre, was hugely important to Polish immigrants in the Naugatuck Valley and beyond. And it is still relevant today, as a way for Polish-American citizens to connect to their roots. About 12 percent of Ansonia residents are of Polish descent, with about 10 percent in Derby.
Click here to read a story about some of the state’s most respected polka musicians.
The polka tradition lives on through Danielczuk, 71, who has been a prominent voice on the radio promoting polka music and dance for most of his life. He’s nicknamed “Polka Pete” and the “Prince of Polka.”
How It Began
Danielczuk’s parents met at a polka dance party in Ansonia at Warsaw Park. Polka was always a part of his life.
“When I was a kid, my father used to take us all on Sunday drives for seven or eight hours, and we’d listen to polka music on the radio,” he said.
He started in radio in 1970 at the former WADS radio station (in the old Ansonia Mall), where he honed his chops as an engineer for the Victor and Sophie Zembruski “Polish Eagle Polka Show.”
Danielczuk quickly moved from behind the scenes to become an on-air personality, gaining local fame for playing polkas on his morning show.
“I never thought back in the 70s that I would be on radio for 50 years,” he said. “I am proud of the fact that I have made hundreds and hundreds of listeners feel good with this happy polka music. It gives me great joy that I can promote the music that I grew up with and love. I give special thanks to my late parents for introducing me to this music. I never get sick of playing and listening to polka music.”
Promoting Polka
Danielczuk’s “Polka Celebration” radio show was a hit on WICC radio for more than a decade. He earned the nickname Connecticut’s “Prince of Polkas” by several media outlets, including the New Haven Register and Hartford Courant, and even caught the attention of the New York Times.
Danielczuk remains an active promoter of polka music. His long-running radio shows can be heard on the Polka Jammer Network and 24/7 Polka Heaven, as well as once a month on WERG in Erie, PA.
He had a 20-year run on WNHU-FM, the University of New Haven’s radio station, until December 2022.
The Hall Of Fame
Nominated a decade ago by his longtime friend Dennis Polisky, leader of the Maestro’s Men Polka Band, and also a member of the IPA Hall of Fame himself, 2023 was finally the year that Danielczuk secured his place in the IPA Hall of Fame.
IPA Hall of Fame and Music Awards Committee Chairman Mike Matousek said the IPA has been honoring dedicated polka professionals, living and deceased, since 1969. He said Danielczuk’s qualifications were reviewed by a board of 13 IPA trustees, and later voted on by an academy of 195 electors from across the country.
“With close to 50 candidates on each of the living and deceased ballot lists, it’s not unusual for several election periods to pass before a given Hall of Fame candidate finally acquires enough votes for selection,” Matousek told the Valley Indy via an email.
“When I received the phone call right after Easter that I was elected, I was overjoyed with emotion and even had a little tear in my eye,” Danielczuk said. “I felt very honored and couldn’t wait to tell my wife, Grazyna, about it.”
Danielczuk is the nineteenth resident of Connecticut to be elected to the IPA Hall of Fame. He shares the international honor with several other well-known polka aficionados, including the late Rich Bobinski, Wally Dombrowski, Frank Wojnarowski and his mentor Ray Henry, among others.
“It is quite an honor to be considered now with my idols in polka music,” Danielczuk said. “For 53 years it has bought me much happiness promoting polkas. It has been a pleasure to see all the happiness that I bought into many listeners’ lives.”
Click here to read his bio from the hall of fame website.
The Awards Keep Coming
No stranger to racking up accolades, Danielczuk’s home studio is lined with various awards, including the Joe Jozwiak Award from the IPA and the Frankie Yankovic Award, a national service award given to folks whose efforts have been instrumental in keeping the polka genre alive.
Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti lauded Danielczuk for his latest feat.
“Peter has been instrumental in promoting polka all over New England and at many Polish festivals; he has old-world talent for that,” Cassetti said. “The City of Ansonia wishes to congratulate him and will be honoring him in October with a proclamation and a red and white strip up Danielczuk Street to church on Jewett Street representing the Polish flag and colors.”
Danielczuk and his wife Grazyna have been married for 18 years. He has two-step sons and four grandchildren.
