This is the one that started it all. Recorded in late 1947, “Just Because” sold over a million copies and catapulted Frankie Yankovic — and polka music — into the national spotlight. Legend has it that Columbia Records didn’t want him to even bother recording the old tune, but Yankovic was so confident in his Cleveland-style rendition that he promised to buy the first 10,000 copies himself. There are two accordions playing here: Yankovic (on piano accordion) and another Cleveland polka legend, Johnny Pecon (on chromatic). Pecon may not be as widely recognized but, in polka circles, he is regarded as one of polka’s greatest accordion players.
