Grammy Award for Best Polka Album

Grammy Award for Best Polka Album
Awarded forQuality polka albums
CountryUnited States
Presented byNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded1986
Last awarded2008
Websitegrammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Polka Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality polka albums. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".[1]

Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Polka Recording, the award was first presented to Frankie Yankovic in 1986. Previously, polka recordings had been placed in the folk category.[2] While neither Billboard nor the Recording Industry Association of America tracked polka sales at the time the award category was introduced, polka musicians viewed its inclusion as a sign of respect and increasing popularity.[2][3] In 1987, a tie vote resulted in awards being presented to Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra for the album I Remember Warsaw as well as to Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones for the album Another Polka Celebration. In 1992, the name of the category was changed to Best Polka Album. Beginning in 2001, award recipients included the producers, engineers, and/or mixers associated with the nominated work in addition to the recording artists. The Academy retired the award category in 2009 to remain "relevant and responsive" to the music community.[4][5]

Sturr holds the record for the most wins in this category, with a total of eighteen (including six as the leader of the group known as Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra). Sturr also holds the record for the most consecutive Grammy wins.[6] Walter Ostanek received the award three times consecutively, and the band Brave Combo was presented the award twice.[7] American artists were presented with the award more than any other nationality, though it was presented to Ostanek and his band from Canada three times. Lenny Gomulka holds the record for the most nominations without a win, with twelve.

  1. ^ "Overview". National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 3, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Smith, Wes (January 11, 1986). "'Polka Power' takes its spot in the race for the Grammies". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington: Cowles Publishing Company. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  3. ^ "New Grammy should help win respect for lowly polka". The Telegraph. Nashua, New Hampshire: Telegraph Publishing Company. February 10, 1986. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  4. ^ "Grammy board axes polka category to stay 'relevant and responsive'". CBC News. June 4, 2009. Archived from the original on June 10, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  5. ^ Sisario, Ben (June 5, 2009). "Polka Music Is Eliminated as Grammy Award Category". The New York Times. p. C5. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  6. ^ Amos, Shawn (January 27, 2010). "Grammy Week: What You Don't Know About the Grammys". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on February 2, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  7. ^ Sisario, Ben (February 5, 2006). "The Polka King Rolls Out the Barrel for the 19th Time". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2010.