Biography

Jimmy's Orchestra - Johnny Karas - tenor sax & vocals; Nick DeVito, Greg Dolecki - clarinet/altosax; Ray Barno - baritone sax, Eric Parks, Kenny Harbus - trumpet; Kevin Krauth - trumpet & vocals; Steve Swiader, Al Piatkowski, Wally Czerniawski - accordion; Keith Slattery - piano; Rich Pavasaris - bass; Dennis Coyman - drums; Frank Urbanovich - fiddle, vocals; Peter Kargul - violin; Dana Sylvander - trombone; Lance Wing - vocals; Background Vocals - The Jordanaires - Allen Henson, Louis Nunley, Curtis Young, Ray Walker.

About Jimmy Sturr and his orchestra

At the time when Rock was reaching its crescendo and in the era when Country was dazzling the nation, a strange phenomenon was taking place. In essence, this phenomenon was the rising popularity of JIMMY STURR as the hottest musical attraction in the polka field.

No one has done more for the Polka field than this young Irishman from the little village of Florida, NY. Seeing is believing. When you see Jimmy and his orchestra in person, you know why they draw the huge crowds, have been voted #1 in the country and considered “THE BEST IN POLKA MUSIC”.

Jimmy and his orchestra are on the Top Ten list of the All-time Grammy Awards winners, having won eighteen and has received more consecutive Grammy nominations than anyone in the history of awards.

They recently completed their third recording with country superstar WILLIE NELSON. and have recorded with other artists such as THE OAK RIDGE BOYS, CHARLIE DANIELS, BOOTS RANDOLPH, MEL TILLIS, BRENDA LEE, plus banjo virtuoso, BELA FLECK, and folk legend ARLO GUTHRIE.

One of the major events in Jimmy’s career came when the Orchestra was asked to appear on “The Grand Ole Opry” where they were not only the only polka band to appear, but the only band to appear with brass.

Due to the great demand for live appearances, they have a road schedule of 165 dates per year that includes criss-crossing the country and making several annual international trips. The bands’ travels have taken them to some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including seven sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall and four sold out concerts at Lincoln Center in New York City and a sold out concert at The Palace of Culture in Warsaw, Poland.

The band appears annually at many of the top casinos in the country including Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, CT; The Tropicana and Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ; Patowatomi Casino, Milwaukee, WI; Soaring Eagle, Mt. Pleasant, MI; The President’s Casino in Biloxi, MS; Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort, Chester, WV and The Stardust Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas where Jimmy was the first polka band to be booked by a major casino on the strip. The sellout crowds at these popular venues keep coming back for more whenever they see the band scheduled.

The success of Jimmy's music is exemplified by five gold albums, representing 25 million dollars in sales.

The Jimmy Sturr TV Show is also seen every Friday at 7 pm EST and Sunday at 10am EST on RFD-TV seen on Direct TV Channel 379 and the Dish Network on Channel 231.