by Laurie A. Gomulka Palazzolo

Detroit and its strong Polish community share in America's rich history of Polish music and customs. Horn Man documents that history and details the development of the Polish-American musicians in Detroit who became known as "polka musicians", even though their music was remarkably diversified. The book reveals how the Polish musical customs and traditions developed around the liturgical calendar and how new Polish musical traditions were born in America and Detroit.

This regional study by the daughter of one of the prominent Polish-American bandleaders in Detroit discusses the rich tradition of the Polish wedding in Detroit and the evolution of the music that accompanied not just the Polish wedding, but all Polish-American events.

Horn Man, with its vivid pictures and narrative, brings honor and a renewed credibility to Detroit's legacy of Polish-American music and tradition.