Polka icon Vallus dies at age 79

Staff report

POLAND

Eddie Vallus, a polka band leader in the Mahoning Valley for 50 years, died Wednesday at age 79 (see Tributes, A8).

Vallus recorded 12 albums and was inducted into the Polka Hall of Fame in Cleveland in 2003. Vallus also was a music teacher who published five instructional books.

“In this whole business, there wasn’t anyone who was as generous as Eddie,” said local polka radio show host Val Pawloski. “He helped veterans and would visit hospitals and senior homes. I called him a one-man sunshine committee for polka.”

The Chaney High School graduate played countless shows in his career. He formed his first band at age 14. In 1953, he joined Johnny Butchko’s Polka Band, which regularly performed on WKBN-TV’s “Polka Party” show.

In 1963, Vallus formed his own band, which had an 18-year run. He would form a new band, Eddie Vallus Band II, in 1992.