Wesoly Bolek
b. William J. Borek, July 19, 1941, Woonsocket
d. May 13, 2006, Hollywood, Florida, after a long battle with cancer

Rhode Island's "Polka Clown" formed the Wesoly Bolek band in 1958 and toured the United States, Canada, and Poland for the next five decades. During that time the band recorded ten albums of full-tilt polka music. Bolek was inducted into the International Polka Hall of Fame in 2008.