[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 159 (Tuesday, December 11, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR MR. FRED ZIWICH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2012

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. Fred Ziwich, 
who is one of the country's prominent polka musicians.
   Mr. Ziwich began playing the accordion at the young age of five. In 
1977, at the age of 14, he began studying the clarinet and formed his 
band, the International Sound Machine. Mr. Ziwich also began playing 
the button box in high school. Later, he would earn a Bachelor of Music 
Education degree from Indiana University.
   As a child, Mr. Ziwich was heavily influenced by Slovenian polka 
artists, Johnny Pecon and Eddie Stampfl. He transformed that influence 
into a polka style that is unique and well-received throughout the 
world. Mr. Ziwich is best known for his Viennese Waltzes and Slovenian 
Polkas. He is an accomplished musician who is proficient at playing the 
accordion, button box, saxophone, clarinet, flute and drums among 
others. Throughout his career in the music industry he has collaborated 
with artists such as Hank Haller, Don Lipovac and Adam Barthalt.
   A full-time musician, Mr. Ziwich has continued to play the accordion 
with the International Sound Machine for more than thirty years. In 
2007, the band was nominated for a Grammy Award. In addition to being 
an international Grammy nominee, Mr. Ziwich has been honored on 
numerous occasions by the National Cleveland-Style Polka Hall of Fame. 
He is the recipient of accolades which include being named the Musician 
of the Year, Button Box Musician of the Year and producing the 
Recording of the Year.
   Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Mr. Fred 
Ziwich, a polka legend from Northeast Ohio.

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