Ruth Adams and the World's Most Dangerous Polka Band
Encyclopedia
Ruth Adams and the World's Most Dangerous Polka Band are a senior citizen
polka
duet who use a rotation of four different drummers. Adams founded the group in 1974, with Joe Hayden joining in 1996. They received national attention when they appeared on the short-lived Comedy Central
series Let's Bowl
.
The group consists of Adams on accordion, accompanied by Hayden on trumpet and lead vocals, with the rotation of drummers using a simple snare drum
and high-hat percussion setup. Al Ophus was the full-time percussionist until his death in 2003 at the age of 88. His drums are now on display at the Minnesota Historical Society
.
According to the band's website, they play "a mix of Polkas, Waltz's
[sic], Foxtrots [sic], Country
, Latin, and a little Dixieland
." During their Let's Bowl appearances, Adams and company played suggestive polka tunes like "She Smoked My Cigar" and "I Told Her No".
They got their start, and still play every Friday and Saturday, at Nye's Polonaise (better known as Nye's Polka Lounge) in northeast Minneapolis.
Ruth Adams died March 18, 2011 at Hennepin County Medical Center after a battle with cancer.
Senior citizen
Senior citizen is a common polite designation for an elderly person in both UK and US English, and it implies or means that the person is retired. This in turn implies or in fact means that the person is over the retirement age, which varies according to country. Synonyms include pensioner in UK...
polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
duet who use a rotation of four different drummers. Adams founded the group in 1974, with Joe Hayden joining in 1996. They received national attention when they appeared on the short-lived Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
series Let's Bowl
Let's Bowl
Let's Bowl was a short-lived bowling game show that aired on the Comedy Central television network from 2001 to 2002 after a brief run on several TV stations across the U.S. in the mid-1990s, the first three being Minneapolis-St...
.
The group consists of Adams on accordion, accompanied by Hayden on trumpet and lead vocals, with the rotation of drummers using a simple snare drum
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
and high-hat percussion setup. Al Ophus was the full-time percussionist until his death in 2003 at the age of 88. His drums are now on display at the Minnesota Historical Society
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
.
According to the band's website, they play "a mix of Polkas, Waltz's
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
[sic], Foxtrots [sic], Country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, Latin, and a little Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
." During their Let's Bowl appearances, Adams and company played suggestive polka tunes like "She Smoked My Cigar" and "I Told Her No".
They got their start, and still play every Friday and Saturday, at Nye's Polonaise (better known as Nye's Polka Lounge) in northeast Minneapolis.
Ruth Adams died March 18, 2011 at Hennepin County Medical Center after a battle with cancer.