Dick Tady Orchestra has been making 'happy music' for 55 years

Some bands struggle to stay relevant for five years.

And then there’s the Meet the Dick Tady Orchestra, dispensers of Happy Music (aka. polka!) throughout the region for the past 55 years.

The Polka Hall of Fame members will have a public celebration of that fact with a dance at 2 p.m. Nov. 25 in the Slovenian Citizen’s Association’s Acme Club, located in the Acmetonia section of Harmar Township.

“This anniversary means that we have been doing something right for all these years — for ourselves and hopefully for the people,” says drummer-vocalist Joey Gill of West Deer. “Not many groups make it past five years, but here we are at 55.”

“We’re like a band of brothers. This anniversary means the world to me,” adds leader Dick Tady of North Huntingdon, formerly of Springdale Township. He plays saxophone, wind-controlled synthesizer and button accordion at engagements and can also play bass, guitar and banjo. He sings lead and back-up vocals and composed about 50 original songs.

He performs monthly at wheeling Casino and Racetrack with his brother Jack Tady, a veteran host of his own polka show, “Jack Tady’s Polka Place,” 1-2:30 p.m. on WKHB (620 AM), Irwin.

Jack Tady taught music at Penn-Trafford and Deer Lakes School districts. Dick Tady was a longtime instrumental music teacher in North Allegheny School District and earlier at Pittsburgh Public and Catholic schools.

“I don’t think that there is any band out there that has lasted as long as we have,” Dick Tady says of the orchestra. I’m so proud of my musicians,” he says. “They are dedicated, reliable and love performing all the styles of music that we do.”

High level music

And they play it at a high level:

• The group earned a nomination for the recording industry’s highest honor, a Grammy Award; and in 1993 members had a guest track on “Accordionally Yours ,” a Grammy winning album by Walter Ostanek, known as Canada’s “Polka King.”

• “That Polka Melody” (My Favorite Polka), penned by Dick Tady and Bob McBride, was part of the “When It’s Polka Time At Your House,” the 1990 Grammy-winning album in the best-polka category, by 18-time Grammy winner Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra.

• Dick Tady was the featured singer with the Polka All-Stars on the Grammy-nominated album “Songs of the Polka King” (Volume 1) by “America’s polka king,” Frank Yankovic Friends in 1996.

• The group was named “Band Of The Year” by the Cleveland -Style Polka Hall Of Fame, Cleveland in 1995 and 2010.

• They also played for the President of Slovenia, Milan Kucan.

It is important to keep the polka genre alive, says Bob McBride of West Deer, who plays guitar and banjo and sings background vocals, because “It’s good for you.”

Honoring heritage

It’s also about heritage, says Gill. “I feel it’s our duty to try to keep our music alive for our children and grandchildren as well as our parents and grandparents who have passed,” he explains.

Such a landmark anniversary is a good opportunity to consider how blessed he has been to be a member of this band and to have these guys as his close friends, says McBride.

He, Tady and Gill are 1961 graduates of West Deer High School (now Deer Lakes) and had the pleasure of entertaining their classmates at their 50th class reunion.

“I thank God for this wonderful gift in my life, second only to my family,” says McBride.

Adapting to the times

Gill is proud that the orchestra has been able to adapt to changing styles through the years and offer everything from polkas and waltzes to rock and pop, swing to country to doo-wop and more.

He started singing with Tady in eighth grade, with McBride joining soon after.

Another half a century member, Tony Grandovic of Coraopolis , on accordion and keyboards, has written many original songs and does a lot of the writing and arranging for the group’s repertoire.

Newest member Mikey Dee, 45, a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist of McKeesport, sees the anniversary dance as “a celebration of a band that’s been able to survive the test of time.”

“It’s unbelievable that four of the five have been together my entire lifetime,” he says. “The reality hit me the first time I played bass with the band and saw the same four guys with DTO that I grew up watching play.”

In addition to leading his own band and playing solo gigs, Dee, an inductee into the trustees honor roll at the Polka Hall of Fame, has filled in when needed for 19 years with the Tady Orchestra.

Rex Rutkoski is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.