Bill Scott: ‘Polka is happiness!’

Ahead of his performance with “Scotty and the Grateful Meds” at Tuesday’s Student Plaza Dedication Ceremony, Omaha philanthropist Bill Scott talks with UNMC Today about his music.

Well, I am 80 and I started when I was 10. I loved the sound of the trumpet and my dad bought me a $20 used horn from the parents of some kid who had given up.

Who is your favorite trumpet player?

That’s easy — Romy Gosz. The Polka King of 1940s and 1950s — he led a band from Manitowoc, Wis.

How long have you played in bands?

I have played in weekend bands as a hobby off and on for 50 years or so. Mostly polka bands or Lawrence Welk-type ensembles, which are almost the same.

What was your most fun experience playing music?

Probably going to polka festivals with my band and fan club in a bus and playing to huge crowds with our fan club out in front of the stage clapping and waving hankies. Wow, that was a real “high!”

What is your favorite song to play?

How about “Beer Barrel Polka,” which also is known as “Roll Out the Barrel” or “Skoda Lasky” in Czech. This song was:

• No. 1 on the Hit Parade June 1939;
  
• No. 33 in Billboard magazine for Bobby Vinton in 1975;
  
• The signature song for pianist, entertainer Liberace;
  
• Wisconsin’s unofficial state song;
  
• Played at the seventh inning stretch of every Milwaukee Brewers game; and
  
• A favorite song of soldiers from all lands in World War II.

It also will be our opening song at Tuesday’s dedication ceremony.

What does your wife, Ruth, think of your trumpet playing?

I asked her and she said, “she especially loves it at six in the morning!”

Anything else we should know about your music?

Always remember, “POLKA MUSIC IS HAPPINESS!”