Chris Bogdon
Hall of Fame – 2020
Chris Bogdon of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania. His love for music began at a very early age when his father would bring him up on stage to pretend to play an instrument. His father wanted him to learn a musical instrument, so he taught him the accordion. Chris would routinely play his accordion in school for birthday parties, Christmas parties, family events, and other occasions. He even started his polka band with his cousins called the Polka Bees. While trying to get his group to be successful, Chris wanted to play the concertina. His dad had one, and Chris would practice the concertina with the dream of one day performing on stage.
His first big break came when International Polka Association (IPA) Hall of Famer, Matt Wasielewski, asked him to join the Polka Jets. He also was able to perform on his first recording with the Polka Jets right as he graduated high school. From those beginnings, Chris was performed in many Polka Bands, including Energy, Rhythm and Sound, John Stevens and Doubleshot, Li’l John and the ATM Band, Henny and the Versa J’s, and currently with Polka Country Musicians. In total, Chris has performed on over 20 recordings.
Over the years, bands that Chris has performed with won various awards including Song of the Year, Band of the Year, and Recording of the year. In 2014, Chris produced the “Roads We Travel” Video chronicling a year with Polka Country Musicians and won the United States Polka Association Video of the Year Award. Chris is currently serving on the IPA Board, representing the state of Pennsylvania as a Director. Chris also promotes polka dances in Western Pennsylvania.