Joseph Anton Masek was born on August 8th, 1916, at the home place by Valparaiso, Nebraska. His parents were George and Mary (Jirovsky) Masek. Joe was married to the late Dorothy (Walla) Masek, who passed away on March 16th, 2017, and they raised five children: Alice, James, Jeanette (deceased), Gary, and Michael.
Joe attended country school through 8th grade. At a young age, Joe began using a can as a drum and taught himself to play with some help from his dad and four brothers.
In the 1940s, he started playing drums on the family band with his dad and his brothers, playing for weddings and the pay was a meal.
Joe began his professional career in the early 1950s playing drums for the Bobby Layne Orchestra. He especially enjoyed doing the radio broadcasts on KLMS radio in Lincoln, Nebraska.
IN the mid-1960s, Joe began playing for Al Grebenick’s band. Over the next 20 years, he was able to be on 13 records, play on the Big Joe Polka Show TV show, and travel to many places like Canada, Texas, New York, as well as the states that surround Nebraska.
He was faithful to farming during the week and faithful to playing drums at dance jobs on the weekends. While cleaning the head on the combine in the fall of 1996, it fell on him and took his life.
Joe passed away on November 19th, 1996.