[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 131 (Wednesday, October 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ROLL OUT THE BARREL FOR BOB TENBUSCH

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                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 3, 2001

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Bob Tenbusch for his 
induction into the Michigan State Polka Music Hall of Fame. Michigan is 
a state whose citizens are proud of their multi-cultural ancestry and 
who delight in celebrating that diversity with others. The Polish 
community is one of the proudest in Michigan, bringing with it a 
passion for good food, good spirits, fellowship, dancing and the 
traditional foot-stomping, lively music of Poland known as the polka.
  When Bob played his first polka tune, he joined a rich musical 
heritage that traces its origins to European classical music and folk 
music that later combined to form a uniquely American style during the 
Depression Era in the United States. Contemporary polka is a melting 
pot of musical influence from the vast array of immigrants that came to 
the United States and is representative of the diverse cultural 
backgrounds of our nation.
  Bob's musical career began when he blew his first few notes on the 
trumpet for his high school band. It didn't take long for the polka to 
lure Bob on stage with ``Big Daddy'' Marshall Lackowski. By 1954, Bob 
struck up his own band, which he called the Melody Makers and who later 
changed their name to the Michigan Cavaliers. The group was a local 
favorite in Michigan's Thumb region for many years. In 1974, Bob formed 
the Golden Stars and eight years later he joined his sons in the 
Tenbusch Brothers.
  In addition to his reputation as a musician, Bob earned kudos for his 
work on fund-raisers to benefit burn and accident victims and people 
who lost homes or barns to fire. After 30 years of playing and 
promoting polka music, Bob has retired from the stage, but he remains 
an active polka fan and is a member of the Great Lakes Polka 
Association.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to congratulate Bob Tenbusch on achieving the 
Michigan Polka Music industry's highest honor. He has truly used the 
power of the polka to touch hearts and coax even the most reluctant 
toe-tappers to embrace the liveliness and vibrancy of the polka. I ask 
my colleagues to join me in expressing gratitude for Bob's generous and 
spirited trumpet playing and in wishing him many more happy years of 
musical comraderie.

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