History 21 The Podcast - 1.23 The Tkach Band

Dennis Tkach played as part of the Tkach band for 40 years—four of the members are in the same family! Their parents, Walter and Mary, created B Sharp Music in Columbia Heights. Dennis shares how the band formed when he was a high schooler as a seven-piece variety dance band to compete in the Minnesota State Fair Amateur Talent Contest (they made it to the finals!). They played for over 2000 events throughout the Twin Cities and western Wisconsin before retiring in 2019…but have they really?

Hosts Rebecca Desens, ACHS Executive Director, Sara Given, ACHS Volunteer Coordinator and Erin McBrien, ACHS Archivist.

Tkach Band

1976 - the present

The Tkach Band performed in numerous venues and for a huge variety of events. Some of their best memories include a wedding in Crystal where guests helped bring their equipment to/from job due to the snow, the St. Paul Vulcans stealing a bride and never coming back, and Peron literally breaking a leg at Murzyn Hall.

Poster for the band Progress which transformed into the Tkach band.

Newly formed Tkach band practicing in the family basement, 1968

Anoka County Library Minute

Agathe von Trapp: Memories Before and After the Sound of Music: An Autobiography by Agathe von Trapp (781.620922 TRA and eBook format on Libby) This autobiography of the eldest von Trapp daughter provides the true story of the actual Trapp family that formed the basis for the classic Broadway musical and film The Sound of Music (DVD SOU). She remembers the life of the musical family before her mother died and how life changed when Maria Kutschera became her stepmother. She also recounts how the family fled the Nazi Annexation of Austria before WWII and emigrated to the United States, eventually settling in Vermont. This book is filled with Agathe’s hand sketches and family photos, making for fascinating comparisons with the story told in The Sound of Music. Checkout the Rodgers and Hammerstein songs performed by the original Broadway cast in 1973 (CD782.12 ROD).
Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys: The Songs that Tell Their Story by Mark Dillon (781.6609122 DIL and eBook on Libby) The Beach Boys were formed by the three Los Angeles-based Wilson brothers, their cousin, and a friend in the 1960’s. This book contains the stories behind 50 of their greatest songs. An easy read, it interviews many of the members of the band as well as others involved in producing their instantly recognizable hits. (Checkout some of these recordings here.)
The Jackson Legacy: From the Family Archives: The 50th Anniversary Book by The Jacksons with Fred Bronson (781.66 JAC) This book is a stunning visual history of the Jackson 5 and contains many never-before-seen photos from the Jackson family archive. Although there is a prominent chapter on Michael Jackson, most of the book focuses on the five Jackson brothers (including Michael), their childhood in Gary, Indiana, the Motown years, and their success as a family act. (Checkout some of their Motown recordings here.)
Kicking and Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll by Ann and Nancy Wilson with Charles R. Cross (781.660922 WIL and eBook and eAudiobook on Libby). Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have been rocking hard as Heart for 40 years, but readers of this book will learn more than they bargained for in this exceptional autobiography. Ann and Nancy describe how the two Marine brats formed their band and reached the pinnacle of success in the male-dominated world of rock & roll with hits like Magic Man, Barracuda, Alone, and Crazy on You. (Checkout some of these recordings here.) They also describe their personal joys and sorrows as women, wives, and mothers during a lifetime of music.

Video

The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (DVD and streaming on Kanopy.com). Last year’s HBO documentary chronicles the Gibb brothers, who wrote over 1,000 songs. (Checkout some of these recordings here.) There is an extensive interview with Barry, the only surviving member of the trio, as well as footage of never-before-seen recording sessions, concerts, and home videos. The Kings of Disco had a profound influence on some of the today’s most famous musicians, including Eric Clapton, Noel Gallagher, Nick Jonas, Chris Martin, and Justin Timberlake, who discuss the Bee Gees impact on their music and music history itself.
The Fabulous Baker Boys (DVD FAB). This 1989 film about two brothers whose piano band is stuck in a musical rut until a female lead joins the act stars real-life brothers Beau and Jeff Bridges, as well as Michelle Pfeiffer.
Hearts Beat Loud (DVD HEA and streaming on Kanopy.com). Starring Nick Offerman, Ted Danson, Blythe Danner, and Toni Collette. This heartwarming 2018 comedy stars Offerman as a single father sending his daughter off to college while he’s also closing his Brooklyn record store. Wanting to stay close to his daughter, he urges her to turn their weekly jam session into a live performing act. After their first song goes viral on the internet, the father-daughter pair grows together in more ways than as musicians.
The Partridge Family: The Complete Series (DVD PAR). This DVD contains all 96 episodes of the 70’s sitcom about a widow and her musical children who travel to gigs in their groovy bus. It stars Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Danny Bonaduce, Susan Dey, and Dave Madden. To listen to your favorite hits from the show, try David Cassidy and The Partridge Family: The Definitive Collection (CD 781.66 CAS)