Orest Larry Podworny
February 20, 1940 - January 3, 2000
Orest was born on Freruary 20, 1940 in the St Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. He grew up near Poplarfield Manitoba on a farm with his parents Pauline and Harry Pododworny, sister Iris and the twins Paul and Paulette.
He showed some musical aptitude at a young age, and when his parents bought him an accordion when he was eight, he very quickly was playing tunes on it. A few years later, his Aunt Nettie bought him a guitar and he was soon chording. In his early teens, he picked up the violin and again quickly was able to play melodies. Orest was one of those natural musicians who could play tunes on almost any instrument within minutes of picking it up.
By the age of seventeen, he played guitar with his first band called "M.T.J.O. Boys". The letters stood for Mike Chudy, Tony Fuz, John Swarychewski and Orest. They all were from around Poplarfield.
He decided to finish his high school in Winnipeg. He moved in with relatives and went to Daniel McIntyre and Sisler High Schools. It was about this time Orest bought a used tenor saxaphone. He loved the sound of that instrument from the very first time he heard the "Podaima's Band" play. It was a five-piece band, with Mike Hondabura on guitar, and four related Podiamas, Felix on drums, Louie on accordion and Steve and Adolf on tenor saxophones. They were a major inspiration for Orest. The tenor saxophone would be his instrument from then on and the sound of two tenors would inspire many for his future bands and recordings.
The next group he played with was the "Silvertones". It was comprised if Keith and Ken, the Lindstrom twins from Chatfield, on violin and guitar, Carl Joesephchuk from Fischer Branch on accordion and Rodney Stasiuk on drums.
In the early 1060's, Orest settled more premanently in Winnipeg. He got a job with CPR as a payroll clerk. There he met Carla Petursson, who he married in 1965. Around this time, he formed a group called "The Dreamers", comprised of musicians he met in Winnipeg. This was the first band he organized utilizing two tenors. It had himself and Ernie Koterla on tenor saxophones, Peter Rebezant on accordion, Joe Deforand on guitar and Ed Lefruk on drums.
The next group he formed was "The Continentals". It was comprised of Jerry Zenchak on drums, Bill Ostap on accordion, Bill Buzan on guitar and once again. Ernie Koterla on tenor sax, They recorded an album comprised for mostly Polish music.
From the mid-60's through to the early 70's, Orest played with many different bands. The one with whom he played the most was the Mike Domish Orchestra, with whom he recorded several albums of Ukrainian music. In this group was Mike on electrovox, Lorne Stanski on drums and Ron Mrozik (Peanuts) on fiddle. At this stage of his musical career, Orest played music every weekend, and often during the week. This put a great strain on his marriage and in 1973, it ended in divorce.
In the late sixties, he did some work with Al Miller and his orchestra. In 1970, another band evolved from that group when some of the musicians formed The Versatiles. The main musicians were Gerry Krawchuk on accordion, Ron Hanachuk (and later Eugene Krawchuk) on drums, George Dumont on trumpet and violin, John Cybulka on bass and Orest on sax.
In 1974, Orest did a lot of pub and cabaret work with English entertainer, Tony Francis with Ted Mayor on bass and Orest's brother Paul on drums. It was about this time that Orest and Paul decided to increase their farming activities on their farm in Poplarfield. With their Dad's help and encouragement, they slowly started expanding the farm, buying and breaking more land and purchasing larger machinery. By 1995, at the height of their farming career, they operated close to 2000 acres. For the most part, Orest really enjoyed the farm.
The group with whom Orest did most of his musicial work in the 80s and 90s was Caravan. In it was his cousin-in-law, Emil Roberts on drums, John Peterson on accordion, and Orest was renunited with Keith Lindstrom on guitar and vocals. On bass and vocals was Leanna Corder, to whom Orest was married in 1981. Eventually, Steve Myk played violin with them. This band played mostly Ukrainian music, but also performed country songs with Leanna, Ken and John sharing lead vocals, with Orest, Steve and Ken on harmony.
In the 90's, Orest also played with a group called Double Duty, which was led by Doug Mymryk on vocals, keyboards and guitar.
Over his musicial career, Orest used many different combinations of musicians, and several different tenor players for his jobs. The tenor players he hired most often in the 80's and 90's were Adolf Podaia and Pete Proskurnik. With Pete, they not only played Ukrainian and Polish tunes, but also some R&B and standard jazz tunes. Incidentally, Pete played Orest's tenor at Orest's funeral sevices in Winnipeg and Poplarfield, playing a solo version of Just a Closer Walk with Thee.
Orest usually carried his tenor with him as he went to a variety of bars and clubs, and often was asked to sit in. The last few years, he sat in with the groups with which his brother Paul played drums. Paul switched from drums to saxophone and once again there would be the two-tenor sound that Orest liked so much.
Over the last two decades, Orest also did a lot of work with the Happy Wanderers which included Rezi Dux on vocals, Deiter Plikett on accordion, Werner Plikett on drums and Heinz Hoene on bass. It was with this band that Orest played his last job, New Years Eve December 31, 1999. He suffered cardiac arrest he next day and died two days later at the Concordia Hospital on January 3, 2000.
Orest played saxophone on many recording sessions and his last recording was with The Kapusta Kids.
Orest Podworny -- Manitoba's finest saxophone player!
“Vichnaya Pamyat”
