Matys Brothers - Definition and Overview

The Matys Brothers were a musical act made up of the four Matys brothers, who were from the Philadelphia area. The quartet's first record, "Muskrat Ramble," released on the Essex label, was a big hit in 1954, and by 1956 the group was part of Bill Haley's talent and booking stable and recording for Decca Records. In 1958, the Matys Brothers made two records for Haley's Clymax record label, one of which, "Crazy Street," later was considered rockabilly classic. On this song and the three others recorded for Clymax, the Matys Brothers were backed by Bill Haley & His Comets. After leaving Haley, the Matys Brothers grew to rely on their own instrumentation and began recording polka music for the Sunnyside and Select labels during the late 50s and early 60s. "Rummy Polka" was a hit for them in 1959, and the Matys Brothers scored their biggest hit in 1963, "Who Stole The Keeshka?" After several follow-ups, the Matys Brothers folded and nothing has been heard of them since.