Joey Miskulin Explained

Joey Miskulin
Birth Name:Joseph Michael Miskulin
Alias:Joey the CowPolka King
Birth Date:6 January 1949
Genre:Western swing
Years Active:1960 - present
Associated Acts:Riders in the Sky

Joseph Michael Miskulin (born January 6, 1949) is an American accordionist and producer. In a music career spanning more than four decades, Joey Miskulin has collaborated with a range of artists including Johnny Cash, John Denver, Emmylou Harris, Paul McCartney, Ricky Skaggs, Ricky Van Shelton, Andy Williams, Frankie Yankovic, as well as many others. He is a performer, studio musician, producer and pedagogue.

Early life

As a child, the only child of Slovenian and Croatian parents,[1] in Chicago, Miskulin displayed early signs of musical prodigy, spontaneously showing an interest in the accordion by the time he was four.[2] Beginning music training a year later, Joey was performing professionally by age eleven with the Ronnie Lee Band, and had his first recording produced by Roman Possedi at age twelve.[2] A year later, the boy would meet Frankie Yankovic, forming a personal and professional relationship with the man known as "America's Polka King" that would last a lifetime.

Performing career

Miskulin toured the United States with Yankovic as his featured accordionist for six years, writing and arranging songs between performances.[3]

In the 1990s, he rejoined Riders In The Sky, and with them is billed as "Joey the Cowpolka King".

Further reading

Dolgan, Bob (2006). America's Polka King: The Real Story of Frankie Yankovic. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Accordion Legend Joey Miskulin to Receive the 2019 AAA Lifetime Achievement Award . 2023-07-21.
  2. Web site: Joey Miskulin . 2009-01-14 . 2009-02-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090204212928/http://www.yamaha.com/Artists/ArtistDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D544207%252526CTID%25253D551078%252526CNTYP%25253DARTIST,00.html . dead .
  3. Web site: Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients Miskulin, Joey . 2009-01-14.