Feb 3, 2026 12:10 AM
In Memoriam: Ken Peplowski, 1959–2026
Ken Peplowski, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who straddled the worlds of traditional and modern jazz, died Feb. 2…
Chicago songwriter and bassist-turned-violinist Johnny Frigo died Wednesday of complications relating to a fall. He was 90.
Frigo’s musical life began with the violin, which he played as a child before switching to the tuba in middle school. In high school, in a move he admitted was partly to attract girls, he switched again to the upright bass. The bass would take him on the road with with the big bands of both Dorsey brothers, as well as that of Chico Marx.
After returning from Coast Guard service in World War II, Frigo began to pen and perform tunes for radio and TV background music. His most well-known number was “Hey, Hey, Holy Mackerel,” a song about the 1969 Chicago Cubs.
In the 1980s, Frigo switched instruments yet again, this time back to the violin. He lived out his musical life as a virtuostic jazz violinist, booking regular gigs at Chicago’s Green Mill.
Health problems forced him to cancel some appearances last year, but his wife Betty said he was planning to play festivals in Italy and Holland before he fell in the lobby of his condo building two weeks ago.
Besides his wife, survivors include a son, Rick, a jazz drummer; and a sister, Dolly Bray.
Peplowski first came to prominence in legacy swing bands, including the final iteration of the Benny Goodman Orchestra, before beginning a solo career in the late 1980s.
Feb 3, 2026 12:10 AM
Ken Peplowski, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who straddled the worlds of traditional and modern jazz, died Feb. 2…
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