He grew up as just plain ol' Joe Spellerberg, a Nebraska kid who loved polka music. Joe played for dances and has a show called The Polka Show on KHUB in Fremont, Nebraska.

One night in 1965, just outside West Point, Nebraska, on the way to a dance job, Joe saw the flashing lights of a patrol car in his rear view mirror. The patrolman who wrote the ticket, Clarence Mayhew, was a fan of Joe's and The Polka Show, but he had one beef with Joe (in addition to the speeding). He thought "The Polka Show" needed a better name.

The patrolman looked Joe over and noticed he sported a small mustasche.

That night, Joe gained more than a speeding ticket--he and Clarence became fast friends until Mayhew's death in 1993.

Today, Moostash Joe polkas on as the leader of The Moostash Joe Variety Dance Band. In 1995, he celebrated 30 years as the personality on the Moostash Joe Polka Show.