Moms & Dads

Naming the group after their main repertoire ("music for mom and dad"), the Moms & Dads polka band were most famous in Canada and Australia, though they originally hailed from Spokane, Washington. After forming in the early '50s around saxophonist Quentin Ratliff, accordion player Leslie Welch, drummer Harold Hendren and matriarchal pianist Doris Crow, the group became popular first in Alberta, Canada, after a Montana radio station played their very first recording, "The Ranger's Waltz." The quartet played around western America and Canada, and became popular for their old-timey, relaxed feel. During the 1970s and '80s, the group recorded dozens of albums for GNP-Crescendo, and even managed to hit the album charts twice in the early '70s. ~ John Bush, Rovi