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During World War II,
guitarist/singer Glen Frain was a member
of the infamous Devil's Brigade, an elite
joint Canadian-American special forces
unit whose daring exploits behind German
lines became the subject of a 1968
Hollywood movie The Devil's Brigade.
Following his discharge from the Canadian
Army, he returned to Winnipeg and formed
The Buckaroos in the latter 1940s.
Through to the 1960s, Glen Frain & His
Buckaroos were a popular attraction at
country music venues across the province.
They regularly appeared at "The Barn",
Patterson's Ranch House, as well as The
Normandy. The band frequently played
Saturday afternoons at The Starland
Theatre on Main Street for CJOB's Wester
Hour broadcasts. They would then
pack up and head off somewhere to a gig
later that evening. Members of the
band included at various time, Steve
Podaima on saxophone, fiddler Stand
Findlay, Al Demski and later Ed Sersen on
drums, Lou Podaima on accordion, Harold
'Hap' Happychuk on tenor sax, Johnny Frosk
on trumpet (who went on to become a top
session trumpet player in New York), and a
teenage Ron Halldorson on steel guitar.
John Einarson
Excerpt from Heart of Gold, A History
of Winnipeg Music, 2021
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