Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

March 19, 2008, Front Page

Contact:

 

 

Zank family rocks with "The Minstrel Cycle"

 

By Chad Karnitz

 

Wayne Zank of Holcombe has a musical career that spans nearly 50 years and several genres of music.

 

It continues today with his son Wolfgang and brother Don, all of whom have collaborated on a rock opera called "The Minstrel Cycle."

 

But for Zank it all began rather humbly in Neillsville.  The son of Walter and Freida Zank, Wayne Zank grew up hearing polka music around the house.

 

Zank took accordion lessons from Pat McIntire for less than a year.  "Then I picked the rest up myself," he said.

 

In the early 1960s, Zank formed his first band with Lavere Ehlers and Doug Heimstad, two local musicians his own age.

 

Zank played accordion, Ehlers played guitar and Heimstad played drums.

 

"The three of us played our first gig at Chili Corners Bar," he recalled.

 

Calling themselves the Polka Dots, the group was much in demand in the early 1960s.

 

"We played for tons of weddings at the Legion Hall and the Wildcat Inn," Zank said.  All of the boys were underage so their parents would go with them to bars, Zank said.

 

After high school, Zank spent time in the Army.  After being discharged, he toured with two musicians from Oklahoma, playing mostly covers of other artists’ material.  By the time he reached age 30, the band played mostly original music.

 

In 1978, Zank started his own talent agency and booked regional country bands, something he has continued to this day.

 

Zank said he sees his role as someone who helps bands at the beginning of their careers.  Many will eventually make the move to Nashville, and Zank says that’s fine with him.

 

"I bring them a certain distance and then agencies like William Morris will take over," he said.  "I like losing them (as clients) because then I know I’ve done my job."

 

Zank’s current venture, "The Minstrel Cycle," began rather innocently.

 

It started when he realized his five-year-old son possessed a natural feel for rhythm.

 

"You couldn’t get him not to bang on things," Zank recalled.  Buying the boy a small drum set proved even more enlightening for the family.  "We realized he could play without being taught," Zank said.

 

Zank, his brother Don and son Wolfgang played together for about a year.  "It fired us up," he said.  "And Wolfie got really good really fast."

 

His son’s burgeoning talent led him 1 ½ years ago to get serious about writing songs, Zank said.  Guitarist Andy Tackett then joined the group and Zank began composing the story of a young man, who experiences life over three generations.  "It slowly took on a life of its own," he said.

 

Several of the songs were written years ago, Zank said, explaining that they seemed to be a great fit.

 

"Maybe the reason the songs came into existence is that one day they were going to be in this show," he said.

 

Before going public with the show, two vocalists were added to the group - Barb Brower of Black River Falls and Rick Anderson of Eau Claire.  Everyone can enjoy the 70-minute show, Zank said.

 

"Whatever kind of music you like, there’ll be something for you," he said.  The show also features a ballet dancer and computer-generated animation.

 

The band plans to release a live album of the show soon, Zank said.

 

He’s not done with the project by any means, Zank said, noting that several more chapters of the cycle are currently being written with the next one due in 2009.

 

The great public response has pushed the band to continue, he said.

 

"When we started to get some standing ovations, we figured okay, maybe we have something here."

 

The next performance is slated for March 29 at the State Theater in Eau Clarie.  For more information see the band’s website at http://minstrelopera.com.

 .

 

 

"The Minstrel Cycle" is Wayne Zank’s most recent collaboration.  Zank, his son and brother and a few other area musicians are commanding standing ovations following their performances these days.

 

 

 


© Every submission is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

 

Show your appreciation of this freely provided information by not copying it to any other site without our permission.

 

Become a Clark County History Buff

 

Report Broken Links

A site created and maintained by the Clark County History Buffs
and supported by your generous donations.

 

Webmasters: Leon Konieczny, Tanya Paschke,

Janet & Stan Schwarze, James W. Sternitzky,

Crystal Wendt & Al Wessel

 

CLARK CO. WI HISTORY HOME PAGE