Rich began taking trumpet lessons when he was 8 years old and knew from the start that he wanted to perform in a polka band. His first traveling band was from western PA, The Polish Friends. They performed on the east coast and a few festivals out west. In 1986 Rich was asked to join Ray Jay & The Carousels which took him to the next level.
A life-long dream was achieved in 1998 when he became a member of Eddie Blazonczyk’s Versatones and traveled the country with Eddie for four years. Rich is currently a member of the Polka Country Musicians playing bass guitar, trumpet, and singing some vocals.
Other than polka music, some of his interests are golf, bowling, playing poker, and enjoying fine dining.