# Jan Lewan
**Jan Lewan** (born Jan Lewandowski, 1941, [Bydgoszcz](https://www.edgepedia.org/bydgoszcz), Poland) is a Polish-American polka band leader and entertainer who built a large following in Pennsylvania in the 1980s and 1990s, received a Grammy nomination, and was later convicted of defrauding investors of millions of dollars through unregistered promissory notes (written IOUs promising repayment with interest).[1](https://strefabydgoszcz.com.pl/ludzie/jan-lewan) • [2](https://www.mayport.com/2018/king-of-polka/) His life was dramatized in the 2017 film *[The Polka King](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-polka-king)*, starring [Jack Black](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-black).[3](https://culture.pl/en/article/polka-kings-does-polka-music-really-come-from-poland)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and place | Jan Lewandowski, born 1941 in Bydgoszcz; musical education at a secondary music school in Gdynia[1](https://strefabydgoszcz.com.pl/ludzie/jan-lewan) |
| Move to the United States | Emigrated to the United States in 1972 and settled in Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania[1](https://strefabydgoszcz.com.pl/ludzie/jan-lewan) • [4](https://www.phillyvoice.com/watch-jack-black-pennsylvanias-polka-king-new-netflix-trailer/) |
| Music career | Leader of the Jan Lewan Orchestra; nominated for a Grammy in 1995 in the best polka album category for "Jan Lewan And His Orchestra"[5](https://tygodnikbydgoski.pl/film/krol-polki-z-bydgoszczy) |
| The fraud | Sold more than five million dollars in unregistered promissory notes promising returns of up to 20 percent, destroying the retirement savings of hundreds of people across twenty-two states[2](https://www.mayport.com/2018/king-of-polka/) |
| Imprisonment and restitution | Released from federal prison in April 2009; owed $4.94 million in restitution, of which he had paid $14,379 by 2012[6](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/244852/stories-lewan-ready-to-resurrect-polka-career-in-poland118963) |
| Screen portrayals | Documentary *The Man Who Would Be Polka King* (2009); feature film *The Polka King* (2017) with Jack Black, premiered at Sundance and released on Netflix in January 2018[7](https://nepascene.com/2017/01/video-hazleton-polka-king-jan-lewan-joins-jack-black-stage-rappin-polka-sundance-premiere-qa/) • [4](https://www.phillyvoice.com/watch-jack-black-pennsylvanias-polka-king-new-netflix-trailer/) |
## Early life in Poland and emigration
Lewan was born in Bydgoszcz in 1941, during the German occupation of Poland, and received his musical education at a secondary music school in Gdynia.[1](https://strefabydgoszcz.com.pl/ludzie/jan-lewan) A Times Leader profile describes him as born and raised in communist Poland to parents who worked multiple jobs; his father was a professor who also helped run a government-owned milk bar, and Jan saw them mainly on weekends.[8](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/960091/polka-king-plays-to-his-subjects-charismatic-controversial-jan-lewan-has-made-polish-pride-a-way-of-life-with-his-music-gift-shop-and-tours-to-the-homeland)
He fulfilled his mandatory military service by joining an army singing and dancing group, trained as an opera singer at drama school, and later joined a theater group touring North America.[8](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/960091/polka-king-plays-to-his-subjects-charismatic-controversial-jan-lewan-has-made-polish-pride-a-way-of-life-with-his-music-gift-shop-and-tours-to-the-homeland) According to the Polish American Journal, he fled communist Poland; a Polish-language profile places his permanent move to the United States in 1972.[9](https://polamjournal.com/Polish_American_Journal_August_2017.pdf) • [1](https://strefabydgoszcz.com.pl/ludzie/jan-lewan) His first years in North America were hard: he worked at a gas station, in a slaughterhouse, as a garbage collector, and as hotel staff in [Niagara Falls](https://www.edgepedia.org/niagara-falls), while singing in the evenings for European immigrants in clubs.[10](https://muzyka.interia.pl/artykuly/news-jan-lewan-niespelniony-amerykanski-sen-krola-polki%2CnId%2C2510707)
## The Jan Lewan Orchestra
Lewan made his home in [Hazleton, Pennsylvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/hazleton-pennsylvania), and there he met Rhonda, who became his wife, while launching a career playing polka, a style of music cherished by Pennsylvania's Eastern European communities.[4](https://www.phillyvoice.com/watch-jack-black-pennsylvanias-polka-king-new-netflix-trailer/) He formed the Jan Lewan Orchestra, whose early members included Pete Chacho, Berni Gurnari, Bob Streit, Stephen Kaminski, Andrzej Chwastek, Wash King, Marty Delehanty, and Steve Saive.[10](https://muzyka.interia.pl/artykuly/news-jan-lewan-niespelniony-amerykanski-sen-krola-polki%2CnId%2C2510707) His following grew through the 1980s and 1990s as the orchestra toured, attracting fans of Polish, Russian, Jewish, and Italian descent.[4](https://www.phillyvoice.com/watch-jack-black-pennsylvanias-polka-king-new-netflix-trailer/) He became known as "The Polka King of Northeast Pennsylvania" and played venues such as the Allentown Fair.[2](https://www.mayport.com/2018/king-of-polka/)
**Beyond the bandstand.** Lewan ran a gift shop aimed at the Polish-American community and organized tours to Poland and other European countries.[1](https://strefabydgoszcz.com.pl/ludzie/jan-lewan) In 1995 he headlined and produced the Summer Polish Festival at the Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, where Donald Trump congratulated him on the event's success.[11](https://www.poles.org/db/l_names/Lewan_J/Lewan_J.html) In 1995 he was nominated for a Grammy in the best polka album category for "Jan Lewan And His Orchestra".[5](https://tygodnikbydgoski.pl/film/krol-polki-z-bydgoszczy) His stage style was a Vegas-style polka extravaganza, complete with the glitz of a music superstar.[9](https://polamjournal.com/Polish_American_Journal_August_2017.pdf)
## The investment scheme and conviction
The key to his success, as one Polish profile puts it, was two things: polka and investments.[10](https://muzyka.interia.pl/artykuly/news-jan-lewan-niespelniony-amerykanski-sen-krola-polki%2CnId%2C2510707) Lewan sold unregistered promissory notes to his fans, promising returns of up to 20 percent, and raised more than five million dollars for his unprofitable businesses, including his strip-mall gift shop.[2](https://www.mayport.com/2018/king-of-polka/) The scheme collapsed in 2001, leading to numerous legal problems.[1](https://strefabydgoszcz.com.pl/ludzie/jan-lewan) He filed for bankruptcy in 2002.[12](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/264349/stories-changing-his-tune-to-penance120409)
The fraud destroyed the retirement savings of hundreds of people across twenty-two states, and Lewan served time in federal prison for the crimes.[2](https://www.mayport.com/2018/king-of-polka/) Sources differ on the length of his sentence: the Polish American Journal quotes Lewan saying he went to prison for over six years, while Culture.pl describes a five-year jail sentence.[9](https://polamjournal.com/Polish_American_Journal_August_2017.pdf) • [3](https://culture.pl/en/article/polka-kings-does-polka-music-really-come-from-poland) The Los Angeles Times review of *The Polka King* states that the fraud landed him in prison in 2004.[13](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-polka-king-review-20180111-story.html) While in prison he was attacked by an inmate, according to the Pinkowski Files biographical database.[11](https://www.poles.org/db/l_names/Lewan_J/Lewan_J.html)
**Restitution.** Lewan was released from federal prison in April 2009.[9](https://polamjournal.com/Polish_American_Journal_August_2017.pdf) • [6](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/244852/stories-lewan-ready-to-resurrect-polka-career-in-poland118963) He owed $4.94 million in restitution to the hundreds of defrauded investors; by 2012, three years after his release, he had paid $14,379, and his probation officer told the court he lacked the financial resources to pay in full before his probation ended.[6](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/244852/stories-lewan-ready-to-resurrect-polka-career-in-poland118963) His three-year probation ended on April 12, 2012.[6](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/244852/stories-lewan-ready-to-resurrect-polka-career-in-poland118963)
## Later career
After prison, Lewan reinvented himself as a polka rapper, having been exposed to rap music behind bars; he said he took to the genre once he realized he could tell a story over an uplifting melody.[12](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/264349/stories-changing-his-tune-to-penance120409) Around the same time he finished a book, *Two Suitcases Full of Dreams*, which he hoped to sell nationwide.[12](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/264349/stories-changing-his-tune-to-penance120409) In 2012 he resumed leading tours to Poland and [Central Europe](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-europe), having once been voted "Number 1 Tour Leader" to the region.[14](https://polamjournal.com/Polish_American_Journal_October_2012.pdf) By 2025 he was living in Florida, teaching singing and piano, and taking part in rehearsals for a Broadway musical about his life, *Big Famous The Polka Ponzi Musical*; he was then 83 years old.[15](https://www.radiopik.pl/6%2C127683%2Cbydgoszczanin-na-broadwayu-trwaja-proby-do-musicalu-o-zyciu-jana-lewana-zdjecia)
## In film and theater
The first screen treatment was the 2009 documentary *The Man Who Would Be Polka King* by John Mikulak and Joshua von Brown, which traces Lewan's rise and fall; its makers shot over 100 hours of footage over three years of research.[16](https://www.polkakingmovie.com/) • [17](https://www.moviemaker.com/the-man-who-would-be-polka-king-20101201/) The feature film *The Polka King*, directed by Maya Forbes and written by Forbes and Wallace Wolodarsky, adapted that documentary; it premiered at the [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival) on January 22, 2017, with Jack Black starring as Lewan, Jenny Slate as his wife, and [Jason Schwartzman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-schwartzman) as his best friend, and reached Netflix in January 2018.[7](https://nepascene.com/2017/01/video-hazleton-polka-king-jan-lewan-joins-jack-black-stage-rappin-polka-sundance-premiere-qa/) • [18](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jack-black-transformed-polka-king-013940961.html) • [4](https://www.phillyvoice.com/watch-jack-black-pennsylvanias-polka-king-new-netflix-trailer/) Lewan joined Black on stage for a "Rappin' Polka" number at the Sundance premiere question-and-answer session.[7](https://nepascene.com/2017/01/video-hazleton-polka-king-jan-lewan-joins-jack-black-stage-rappin-polka-sundance-premiere-qa/) The film depicts him guaranteeing an elderly couple a 12 percent annual return and being ordered by state securities regulators to return investors' money within three days because his business was not properly registered.[19](https://www.sechistorical.org/collection/papers/2020/2023_06_11-SEC-Silver-Screen-Films-1914-2023.pdf) Lewan himself said he hoped viewers of the movie would learn that there are no shortcuts to success.[9](https://polamjournal.com/Polish_American_Journal_August_2017.pdf)
## References
1. [Jan Lewan – Ludzie, Strefa Bydgoszczy](https://strefabydgoszcz.com.pl/ludzie/jan-lewan)
2. [King of Polka, Mayport blog, January 26, 2018](https://www.mayport.com/2018/king-of-polka/)
3. [Polka Kings: Does Polka Music Really Come from Poland?, Culture.pl](https://culture.pl/en/article/polka-kings-does-polka-music-really-come-from-poland)
4. [Watch Jack Black as Pennsylvania's 'Polka King' in new Netflix trailer, PhillyVoice, December 26, 2017](https://www.phillyvoice.com/watch-jack-black-pennsylvanias-polka-king-new-netflix-trailer/)
5. [Król polki z Bydgoszczy, Tygodnik Bydgoski](https://tygodnikbydgoski.pl/film/krol-polki-z-bydgoszczy)
6. [Lewan ready to resurrect Polka career in Poland, Times Leader Archive](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/244852/stories-lewan-ready-to-resurrect-polka-career-in-poland118963)
7. [VIDEO: Hazleton 'Polka King' Jan Lewan joins Jack Black on stage for 'Rappin' Polka' at Sundance premiere Q&A, NEPA Scene, January 25, 2017](https://nepascene.com/2017/01/video-hazleton-polka-king-jan-lewan-joins-jack-black-stage-rappin-polka-sundance-premiere-qa/)
8. [Polka King Plays To His Subjects, Times Leader Archive](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/960091/polka-king-plays-to-his-subjects-charismatic-controversial-jan-lewan-has-made-polish-pride-a-way-of-life-with-his-music-gift-shop-and-tours-to-the-homeland)
9. [Polish American Journal, August 2017](https://polamjournal.com/Polish_American_Journal_August_2017.pdf)
10. [Jan Lewan: Niespełniony amerykański sen króla polki, Muzyka w INTERIA.PL](https://muzyka.interia.pl/artykuly/news-jan-lewan-niespelniony-amerykanski-sen-krola-polki%2CnId%2C2510707)
11. [Pinkowski Files: Lewan (Lewandowski), Jan](https://www.poles.org/db/l_names/Lewan_J/Lewan_J.html)
12. [Changing his tune to penance, Times Leader Archive](https://archive.timesleader.com/article/264349/stories-changing-his-tune-to-penance120409)
13. [Review: Jack Black cons his way into the audience's heart in 'The Polka King', Los Angeles Times, January 11, 2018](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-the-polka-king-review-20180111-story.html)
14. [Polish American Journal, October 2012](https://polamjournal.com/Polish_American_Journal_October_2012.pdf)
15. [Bydgoszczanin na Broadwayu. Trwają próby do musicalu o życiu Jana Lewana, Radio PIK, March 8, 2025](https://www.radiopik.pl/6%2C127683%2Cbydgoszczanin-na-broadwayu-trwaja-proby-do-musicalu-o-zyciu-jana-lewana-zdjecia)
16. [The Man Who Would Be Polka King, official film site](https://www.polkakingmovie.com/)
17. [The Man Who Would Be Polka King: A Dark Tale of Polka, Ponzi & Prison, MovieMaker Magazine](https://www.moviemaker.com/the-man-who-would-be-polka-king-20101201/)
18. [How Jack Black Transformed Into 'The Polka King' – Sundance Studio, Yahoo Entertainment, January 24, 2017](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jack-black-transformed-polka-king-013940961.html)
19. [SEC on the Silver Screen: How Films Shape Public Perception of Financial Regulation in the United States, 1914–2023, SEC Historical Society](https://www.sechistorical.org/collection/papers/2020/2023_06_11-SEC-Silver-Screen-Films-1914-2023.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Blues, folk, and roots musicians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license