Steve Meisner and Friends

Steve Meisner is a multi-talented musician, composer & arranger.  He began playing the accordion at the age of 5 and has been earning a living in the music business since the age of 16.  Steve's family has a rich musical heritage and he is a second-generation full time working musician.  His father, the late Verne Meisner, had a successful music career for over 50 years.  Meisner’s brand of music is extremely versatile and appealing to a wide audience.  He has made a name for himself by taking the music he grew up with from his father and adding his own imagination and feeling.  He has brought his brand of traditional American polka into the 21st century with a fresh spark & swing while retaining the roots of this music.

From a young age, Mr. Meisner has been on task to promote quality music that can be accepted by all ages.  His main goal has been to persuade the general public's stereotypical view of polka music to bring a new awareness to the masses.  "I believe that good music is simply good and I believe people know the difference.  They may not always understand what the mechanics of it are, but they feel it.  And that is where I've always placed my faith in people.  They too feel that good music is simply good and it makes them feel good."

In Mr. Meisner’s 36-year musical career he has performed with the nation’s top accordionists, polka icons & musicians including Myron Floren, Frank Yankovic, Joey Miskulin, & Verne Meisner.  He has amassed 19 LP/CD, 6 Single, and 7 Video releases with full production credits.  He has performed nationally coast to coast and internationally averaging 200 performances annually including performances at the Lawrence Welk Theater in Branson, MO and a two week engagement at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival on the Mall in Washington, D.C.  He and his music have filtered into television broadcasts and motion pictures including TNN's Crook & Chase Show and more recently the ABC Network 4th of July broadcast of "In Search of America, a 4th of July Celebration" hosted by the late Peter Jennings and folklorist Nick Spitzer.  He and his music are featured in a full-length motion picture "Chump Change" released by Miramax.  He has been heard and seen on the film festival circuit in a short film called "The Pick Up Polka" and has an original composition in an independent film called "Red Betsy".

Mr. Meisner has received numerous awards and nominations including "Musician and Band of the Year", "Favorite Polka Artist", “Lifetime Achievement award” by the Maryland Accordion Club, resides as the 29th inductee to the Ironworld Polka Hall of Fame, and in 2005 an “Honor Roll” induction in the Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame.  His original compositions are included on many best selling polka recordings and have even received Grammy nominations.  He has newspaper, magazine and textbook features and can be found in many Wisconsin state libraries in both textbook and music categories. His recordings are used in preschool and kindergarten classes to teach the young and in nursing homes to bring back memories of care free days and the good life for the old.