MINNESOTA POLKA: Babe Wagner Band / Home Made Polka / Polkaland 517 / 1953

Ellsworth “Babe” Wagner was born on June 1, 1914 in New Ulm, MN, to a very musical family, learning to play piano, violin, saxophone, drums and the trombone, which became his instrument of choice. At the age of 15 he played in the Whoopee John Wilfahrt Orchestra, then toured with various dance orchestras, before joining the Gene Krupa Orchestra. Babe participated in the recording of some 100 tunes during multiple studio sessions with the Krupa organization between June of 1940 and July of 1942. After leaving Krupa, he played with Harry Blons' band in St. Paul before returning to New Ulm in 1946 to establish his own “Babe Wagner’s Dutchmen,” which included his brothers, Virgil (“Swede”) and Edward. The Dutchmen recorded about 30 titles for Columbia Records over the next three years, some of which were released after Babe Wagner’s untimely passing on September 16, 1949, at the age of 35.

After Babe Wagner’s death, his brother, trumpeter “Swede” (Virgil E. C.) Wagner, led the band, now advertised and recording as “The Babe Wagner Band.” The band continued to perform through the 1950s and into the late 60s. Some of the musicians who played in one or both bands were: Bill Brown (accordion, concertina, trumpet, tuba), Don Klossner (concertina), Elmer Scheid (concertina), Bob Hersey (trumpet), Jim Bertelson (drums), Roger Norris (tuba), Don Burghart (saxophone), and Paul Donnelly (saxophone).

[Home Made Polka, Babe Wagner Band, Polkaland 517, recorded 1953, matrix E3KW-6431]
The flip side of this disk is Legionaires Polka:    • MINNESOTA POLKA: Babe Wagner Band / L...  
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