L-R:
Mike Klym, Tony Romanyshyn, Ihor 'Yogi'
Klos, Dave Romanyshyn
|
The D-Drifters started out as
a backing band for Mickey & Bunny
before going out on their own. The
band was already playing pubs when the
drinking age lowered.
Formed by the Romanyshyn (aka Roman)
brothers, Dave on accordion and bass and
Tony on guitar, originally from
Fraserwood, Manitoba, the band -- Dave and
Tony plus Ihor 'Yogi' Klos on fiddle, Mike
Klym on drums, and saxophone player Andy
Pokolinski -- recorded on their own for
V-Records, releasing five albums of
Ukrainian dance music including On Tour,
At A Ukrainian Concert, Traditional and
Original Ukrainian Songs, and Ukrainian
Dance Favourites.
Versatility was the band's calling
card. "We always thought of
ourselves as a rock 'n' roll cover band
but we could play anything," states Dave
Roman.
In 1965, the D-Drifters 5 released an
album of Beatles and British Invasion pop
songs sung in Ukrainian. Including
"She Loves You", "Please Please Me", "From
Me To You", and "Needles and Pins", the
album was a hit in the Ukrainian
community.
The D-Drifters remained a top draw in the
pubs and never failed to create a party
atmosphere. "Out first pub gig was
at the Lincoln Hotel and people were
practically knocking down the doors to get
in," smiles Dave Roman. "We couldn't
believe it."
John Einarson
Excerpt from Heart of Gold: A History
of Winnipeg Music, 2021
|
L-R: Tony
Romanyshyn (guitar),
Yogi Klos (violin), Mike
Klym (drums),
Dave Romanyshyn
(accordion), Andy
Pokolinski (saxophone)
|
L-R,
Standing: Andy Pokolinski, Tony
Romanyshyn, Yogi Klos
L-R, Seated: Dave Romanyshyn, Mike
Klym |
L-R,
Standing: Tony Romanyshyn, Mike
Klyn, Dave Romanyshyn
L-R, Seated: John Wittman, Yogi Klos
|
L-R:
Andy Pokolinski, Yogi Klos, Dave
Romanyshyn, Mike Klym, Tony Romanyshyn |
In 2012, the two
surviving members of the original
D-Drifters Yogi Klos (fiddle) and
Dave Romanyshyn (accordion) got
together at Maddock Studio in
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with
Randy Hiebert (former D-Drifters
member, late 1970s; now lead
guitarist withThe Bellamy
Brothers) and Norbert Dupasquier
(former drummer with the
D-Drifters, late 1970s).
This is the last recording of any
version of The D-Drifters as
within a few short months of the
filming, Yogi passed away on May
20, 2013.
- Dave
Romanyshyn on Accordion
- Yogi
Klos on fiddle
- Norbert
Dupasquier on Guitar
- Randy Hiebert on
Bass Guitar
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