Trustees Honor Roll

  Go Back to Recipient List

Sokach, Pete

Bassist (1914- 1966)
Inducted on November 25, 1995

At the top of his form at the peak of Cleveland- Style Polka popularity, Pete Sokach teamed with Eddie Habat to lead the Sokach-Habat Tunemixers, one of Cleveland's hottest bands. Picking up his older brother's discarded accordion, Pete learned to play and became a bandleader in 1935. Along with Habat, Kenny Bass, and Al Tercek, Pete formed the Tunemixers in 1948, signed with Decca, and landed a weekly radio show with Howie Lund. The Tunemixers' 1949 recording of "Blue Skirt Waltz" sold over 700,000 copies, dueling valiantly with Frank Yankovic's Columbia version. Other hit Sokach-Habat recordings include "Tell Me a Story," "Uncle Nick's Polka," and "Socialaires Polka." Leading his own orchestra through the mid-1960s, Pete appeared on radio and television and remained a major Cleveland-Style figure coast to coast.

  Go Back to Recipient List