Who was/is Eddy Bell ? - CDs, Vinyl LPs, DVD and more
Chicago’s Southwest Side never lost its love for polka music. Eddie Blazonczyk’s parents owned a couple of nightclubs there, and their lad followed in the family tradition by fronting Happy Eddie and His Polka Jesters. Born July 12, 1941 in the Windy City, Eddie was still a teen when rock and roll swept him off the polka scene. He formed The Bel-Aires and changed his name to a less ethnic Eddy Bell. Lennie LaCour, whose Rockin’ Rosalie made local noise on the Academy label in 1957, picked up the producer’s reins for Eddy’s rampaging 1960 Lone Ranger tribute The Masked Man (Hi Yo Silver) and its cha-cha flip Anytime—both originals—on Mercury.
The slashing Chuck Berry-styled guitar solo on The Masked Man was supplied by Chicago bluesman Eddy Clearwater, then a Bel-Aire at a time when integrated bands were rare. “He got to see me doing some Chuck Berry stuff,” explained the late Clearwater. “He thought that was pretty fantastic.” Bell’s Mercury encore coupled the bopping Knock, Knock, Knock (Knockin’ On My Door) and Wear My Class Ring On A Ribbon, LaCour creations done at the same date. A followup session was logged at Mercury, but Bell’s clever Johnny Be-Goode Is In Hollywood ended up on LaCour’s Lucky Four label in 1961. Eddy later reverted to his polka roots, forming The Versatones and embracing his birth surname. Blazonczyk was a polka superstar for decades, touring widely while racking up 11 Grammy nominations and a 1986 win.
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