Polka will be king at this performance.
Jimmy Sturr Orchestra will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at Arcadia Theater, 1418 Graham Ave., Windber.
At a time when rock was reaching its crescendo and country was up and coming, Sturr was rising in popularity as the hottest musical attraction in the polka field – the polka king.
This will be the second time Sturr has played the Arcadia.
His last appearance was in 2007, and program director Frank Cunsolo almost didn’t call for him then because he believed the cost of obtaining the polka star would be unattainable.
“I heard about him from my friends, Phil and the late Charlie Holub,” Cunsolo said.
“They had been telling me about him for years. That was all they talked about.
“When I called him one day, it was just like talking to my best friend. I’m excited about him coming back to the Arcadia.”
Sturr and his orchestra are on the Top 10 list of all-time Grammy Awards, with 18 Grammys and numerous consecutive Grammy nominations.
The band has more than 106 recordings and five gold albums.
Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) has awarded Sturr and his orchestra its most valued award, the Commendation of Excellence, the only one ever awarded in the polka field.
Their popularity has resulted in the band being voted the No. 1 polka band in the country for the past 10 years.
Sturr may be best known for polka, but he also plays big band music and ends his concerts with a tribute to the troops.
“I feel no one has done more for polka than Jimmy Sturr,” Cunsolo said.
“When you see him in person, you see why he draws crowds. I’m pleased to bring back a good friend. The Arcadia patrons will enjoy an exciting show.”
Sturr and his orchestra have recorded with Willie Nelson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Charlie Daniels, Boots Randolph, Mel Tillis, Brenda Lee, Bobby Vinton, the DuPrees and Lee Greenwood.
Sturr’s orchestra was the only polka band to appear on the Grand Ole Opry and the only band to appear with brass.
Sturr and his orchestra have made appearances on CNN, ABC, NBC and Fox News as well as television commercials.
The band’s live appearances average 165 dates per year, across the country and internationally.
They have had seven sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall and four sold-out concerts at Lincoln Center in New York City and a sold-out concert at the Palace of Culture in Warsaw, Poland, where the band received seven standing ovations.
The band also appears annually at many of the top casinos in the country.
His hometown of Florida, N.Y., has placed a “Star of Fame” for Sturr in the walkway on Main Street and displays “Hometown of Polka King Jimmy Sturr” signs at each entrance to the village.
Show
What: Jimmy Sturr Orchestra.
When: 8 p.m. Friday.
Where: Arcadia Theater, 1418 Graham Ave., Windber.
Tickets: $38, $35 and $30.
Information: 467-9070.
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