Just before writing this I finished a phone call from my brother-in-law in Texas where it was a balmy 96 degrees. It was 46 here and raining. But it brought to mind the old mantra of "Don't Mess With Texas."

Friends, as unseasonably cool as it is tonight, I'm burnin' Texas hot because of the action taken recently by the folks who present the Grammys. For those of you who don't care about music, the Grammys are a bit like the Oscars are to movies. When you get one of those awards, why it's almost as great as getting the silver globe on "Dancing With the Stars"! I jest (I think).

The folks who give out the Grammys told the musicians and followers of polka music that they no longer deserved an award category. It's a little bit like be uninvited to the family reunion. A little history here is necessary.

My mom and dad both liked polkas. I think they both liked Big Band music more, but I grew up watching various TV shows with some of the polka bands frequenting Wisconsin in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Of course, in the 1960s rock 'n roll was making its move, the cool music, and I was a constant listener to the great radio stations of the day, like WLS in Chicago. Top 40, hot disc jockeys, music definitely not “old.” I gravitated to the radio biz in the ‘70s, and have been doing that mostly for the past 35 years.

Somewhere around 1985 I decided I’d had enough of the electric guitar. By that time, I'd been listening to three guys with guitars and a set of drums, otherwise known as R 'n R,  for more than 20 years.

There were trends, like soft rock, country rock, disco, punk and "new wave" (synthesizers that sounded like guitars, just for something different), pop, hair bands, singer songwriters ad nauseum with, you guessed it, a guitar, etc., etc.

In the late ‘80s I took a job at WXPR public radio in Rhinelander where I would be working directly with all those folks with guitars, but also with music without guitars, (mostly) like classical, jazz and yes, polka. What a refreshing change!

In time, I had some say over the program schedule and thought we should have a slot for polka. We put the show on early Saturday mornings with a few old records and a middle-aged former rock 'n roll announcer trying something new. The show grew. I left the station for a time and other hosts kept the show growing.

In 2000 I came back to the station in another job and volunteered to host the polka show on a regular basis again. It has continued to grow, as during the spring pledge drive, we set a record for the amount of money raised. People give money if they like something, and I must say the show has been the top per-hour fundraising vehicle at the station.

Jim Pekol, a Northwoods polka legend, is also a host, and we have some very dedicated volunteer phone answerers in Jan Leschke, Dennis Nelson and Carol Pekol (and I don't want to miss the many others) who help out each Saturday morning.

I always say it's the "most fun you can have before 9 a.m." and it's true. That is one reason I'm baffled by the snobs, er, Grammy folks who dismiss polka with a sneer. Apparently polka folks are third cousins from the black sheep portion of the family reunion.

One reason I love polka is it's the music of the people. Most of the bands are folks who get together on the weekend for a little fun, very little money and just to play. The crowds are mostly older folks who simply like to dance and have a good time.

All those "cool" folks in the other genres sneer at the folks having fun (curious, isn't it?) with polka, but the polka folks don't have to worry about whether the message is "culturally relevant," "trendy," or they can been seen as cool. The polka folks simply don't care. Laugh if you want, but we're here to have a good time. See ya.

When I was handling the music at the radio station each week, arriving in the mail was yet another "singer-songwriter" CD with a story to tell. Few of the stories were anything new (with a few exceptions). They usually followed the same tired story. They have a guitar, they write something that resembles lyrics written in the English language, play a few notes and I was supposed to fall over dead with their talent. I really grew tired of hearing it.

The same was true with the ‘80s, ‘90s, etc. versions of "three guitars and a drum" which appeared. I could hear patterns in songs I first heard in the 1960s, except each decade found a new way to make it louder. I'd see people gushing over this new talent, but quite frankly, I couldn't understand a word they were singing and the music was pretty much the same thing I heard in the, what was it, the ‘80s? How very uncool of me.

Mostly what bothered me was the…seriousness. You were "out of touch" if you didn't see Ziggy and the Whozits as the next great thing. Global condemnations are always dangerous, and on occasion I would hear some real talent. The first time I heard Eva Cassidy sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" I knew her talent. She died far too early from cancer.

Many pop icons have died from self-induced destruction, and somehow I'm supposed to think these folks deserve my respect? If you can't keep your act together to do your craft, how is that a positive?

It was the same old tired story. Guys form band in garage, get a lucky break, the world finds out who they are, fame brings excess, some die or the band breaks up due to selfishness, and then later they try to put the pieces back together. Seriously, dude, what's new?

If you want a clearer picture of where I'm coming from with this, go see a "Weird" Al Yankovic video poking fun of Nirvana or rappers. Al also has poked good-natured fun of polka people.

The radio industry hasn't helped much. The "program directors" at the commercial stations are  brainwashed to never, ever, change the format. "Twenty in a row of the cookie-cutter rock-country acts" became something of a mantra, and including something wholly uncool as polka music was going to cause a rash in places where you don't scratch in public.

Many stations do provide a polka show during a little-listened-to time slot, like Sunday morning. Oddly enough, the shows always draws listeners. I've had professional types come up to me in hushed tones to say "I listen to the polka show,” as in "don't tell anybody." I felt a little like a priest in the confessional, but it still is nice to have someone say they listen.

A guy wrote me an email awhile ago saying there's no polka music on the radio in Milwaukee. Milwaukee! I really believe that if some station in that market could bust out of the cookie-cutter radio thinking you would find an audience, and they would be surprised. And radio dudes, with audience comes advertising. It might not be in the younger demo, but do the kids even have the money these days?

The radio industry these days is in full-service survival mode, mostly trying to cut expenses to find a way to profitability. The Internet has played a major role in changing the media. The old idea that you have to go to a radio station to hear music is about as dated as wax records.

The Internet has proven to be a good place to find polka music. There are websites galore, and many bands have their own music for sale online. As the older folks get more computer savvy, this outlet is becoming more popular.

Meanwhile, the radio station folks sit around wondering where the audience has gone, and why. Maybe you're not providing them with things they value? Just a thought.

Radio stations still influence the Grammy selections. Polka didn't have a category at the Grammys until 1986. Frankie Yankovic (no relation to Al) won the first one and the category has been dominated by Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra over the years.

Sturr has recordings with Willie Nelson. As I recall, Willie's first gigs were with a Texas polka band. Sturr has also recorded with Rhonda Vincent and some other Nashville types. He routinely fills large halls with fans. But to the Grammy folks, not good enough.

Recently, NPR did a profile about Steve Jordan from Texas who is considered the accordion king of Tejano music. Tejano is "roots music" (another term that makes me wretch), but to my ear, take out the guitars and add some brass or woodwinds and it's the very uncool polka music. There's a heavy European influence in much of the music of Mexico, but if it has a tuba, well that's uncool. By the way, Tejano has a Grammy category.

The polka people just continue to party on. Over time you get used to the mockery by the "cool" set. Apparently it's better to be trendy than have fun.

I suspect this latest slight by the open-minded Grammy and music industry types will be forgotten. In fact, the publicity could help. Within the polka crowd the wish is, "we need more young people."

One form of polka, known as Polish style, is faster-paced and routinely draws a much younger crowd, but overall, it's the older folks having a good time. Apparently they don't deserve to be recognized within the music industry.

I invite all of you to call a local dance hall or ask around about where a polka band is playing in your area. Give it a try. It's fairly easy to learn how to dance; someone will happily teach you, and I think you will be surprised to find there are some very nice people who are having a great time.

To paraphrase one of the most well-known statements from the most recent ex-President, "Don't Mess With Polka." We might have to start our own awards, dudes.