The Passing of Ronny Setniker - A Polka Legend

When I was hosting the Polka Time show on WTIP last Sunday, I got some sad news.  Ronny Setniker had passed away.  Even before I got the call, I had been planning on playing some of his music in the next set, as I had in many shows before.

I confirmed the information online at https://www.wdio.com/news/ron-setniker-polka-music-accordion-range/5035057/.  There was a nice tribute to him on the newscast.

There is one thing that set Ronny Setniker apart from the other musicians I play on my my shows.  Every few months, he would call me and thank me for playing his music, and that of his family.  In my 9-years on the air, he was the only musician not in the studio with me to do so.  I always enjoyed our conversations, and will miss hearing from him.

One time, he called me up and said that he had been honored to have a Polka written in his honor by another musician named Bud Hyrczyk.  He said he was very humbled by the honor, and asked for my address, so he could send me the CD.  It was called the Setniker Polka, and I ended my show on Sunday with that song.

According to the news story listed above, and the biography on Ronny's website, he was a Grammy nominee in 1998 and 2007.  On June 24th, 1999, he was inducted into the Ironwood Polka Hall of Fame.  He was also a Vietnam Veteran, and a retired steelworker.

According to his website, his most recent album was called Tradition.  He did the album with his daughters Susan and Shelby, with whom he passed on his love on Polka music.

Ronny had been playing 4-hour shows just weeks before he died.  He passed away on National Polka Day, August 9th, 2018, at age 79.