The duo of John and Mark Dujka hail from East Bernard, TX however their musical journey began in St. John, TX, on the Fayette/Lavaca county line playing accordions with their grandfather Herman Brossmann. Grandpa Brossmann loved to play Czech and German favorites and listen to polka radio shows, and the brothers looked forward to weekends in St. John learning the music of their heritage. After Grandpa Brossmann's death in 1985, John and Mark felt the void in their musical lives and wanted to keep the music going.
The following year a number of twists of fate brought them together as a musical duo and the rest is history. Since 1986, they have performed at hundreds of private and public celebrations, and have appeared at some of the most popular festivals in Texas such as The Hallettsville Polka & Sausage Festival, Wurstfest, Ennis National Polka Festival, and Westfest, just to name a few, as well as performing in Iowa for the Beckster Festival. In 2016, they celebrated their 30th year by performing on Royal Caribbean's "Liberty of the Seas" along with The Jodie Mikula Orchestra and Alex Meixner for a seven-day polka cruise in the Caribbean. They sailed in November of 2019 on the "Liberty of the Seas" with 3 bands Jodie Mikula Orchestra, Czech and Then Some, The Red Ravens.
Where ever they perform, the express their love for the traditional music that helped build and strengthen Czech and German communities. Their music can be heard on polka radio programs across the nation, and have had national TV exposure with performances on RFD-TV's "Big Joe Polka Show" and "The Mollie B. Polka Party". They have recognized by the Texas Polka Music Association, The Texas Polka Music Museum, 247PolkaHeaven.com, and the International Polka Association for their recordings.
The Dujkas play ALL styles of music (polka, classic country, rock, swing) and are proficient on numerous wind and keyboard instruments as well as guitars and accordions, blending their voices to create an unmistakable sound that has helped to make them one of Texas most popular duos in polka music. They have produced 11 albums with close to 200 tracks in total. Some of their trademark songs include "Pivo and Kolaches, Cerveza and Tamales", "When I Dance With You", "Eatin' Kolaches" and "You Are My Special One". Their collaboration with Texas songwriter Daniel Klapuch and their cousin Mark Hermes yielded the Texas dancehall favorite "Moon Over Moravia". Other Klapuch songs the Dujkas have recording include "Grandpa Drank Too Much at the St. John Picnic", "The Immigrants Waltz", "St. Arnold Polka", "This Song's for Me and You", "Little Moments Like These Mean So Much", and "Santa, Bring Me A Tuba". In 2016, they also put their musical signature on "The Church Picnic Polka", the popular regional favorite written by Donnie Hons, and the song won "Song of the Year" from the International Polka Association.
When they are not performing on stage, John and Mark maintain active professional lives. John received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in piano from the University of Houston Moores School of Music is Professor of Piano and Music Theory at Blinn College. He also produces a weekly radio show that airs on KULP 1390 in El Campo, TX. Mark earned an Ag-Business degree at Texas State University San Marcos and was a producer of cotton and grain for more than a decade before entering the banking industry in 2006.
