By Ed Stozek
For the Herald
As a child growing up at Medicine Hat, Alexander Peter Chernywech received a violin from his father at the age of nine and began studying classical violin under the instruction of Frank Nowak. Cherny’s interest in playing the violin eventually led to joining the high school orchestra.
One day Cherny happened to hear “Rubber Dolly” as well as “Don Messer’s Breakdown” and this inspired him to play country music on weekends for money.
“I needed the money, it was just when I started to go out with girls.” (Aug. 9, 1974, Dauphin Herald)
Cherny also became passionate about country music after buying a 50 cent ticket to see Wilf Carter perform. He formed a country band and played at western fairs including the Calgary Stampede.
The “fiddle” music gained him popularity locally in the Medicine Hat area. He got further experience by joining Vic Siebert's group, The Sons of the Saddle in 1951 and attained success through broadcasts on Medicine Hat’s CHAT radio.
His next step included an audition on CKNX-AM Radio’s Saturday Night Barn Dance that aired from Wingham, Ont. He was very nervous but he passed the audition and became a regular from 1952-59 performing with artists such as the Mercy Brothers, Gordie Tapp, Tommy Hunter, Gordon Lightfoot, Myrna Lorrie and Wilf Carter. Cherny eventually made it to television starring in CBC’s Country Hoedown.
In 1960 and 1961 Cherny entered the Annual Old Time Fiddle Contest in Shelburne, Ont., and was named both North American (Old-Time) Champion and Novelty Class Champion becoming the first Canadian to win in both categories.
While doing the Barn Dance shows Cherny had two major influences, comedian Gordie Tapp of Country Hoedown fame and singer Tommy Hunter.
Cherny was a leading studio session musician recording with Gary Buck, Dick Damron, Tommy Hunter, Jessie Winchester and Sylvia Tyson. As a solo artist Cherny released more than 10 studio albums and received the RPM Big Country Award for Top Country instrumentalist in 1978. He covered notable standards such as “The Orange Blossom Special”, “Back Up and Push”, “Road To Boston”, and “The Black Velvet Waltz.”
The accomplished fiddler’s travels sponsored by CBC for the armed forces took him to France, Germany, England, Cypress and even behind the Iron Curtain. He managed to get a visa and visited his baba in Ukraine, noting that it was a great experience to meet her and that he would love to do it again.
Cherny’s travels also included performing at Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival in Dauphin in 1967.
As noted in the April 28, 1967, edition of The Dauphin Herald, “Top instrumentalist on radio and television, Al Cherny, selected to be one of the stars of the second annual National Ukrainian Festival.”
His performance later that year inspired several hundred fans to write letters requesting to bring him back for 1968. He also was the feature grandstand entertainer in 1972 and 1974.
Lineups were a common sight for the ninth annual festival. My wife Janice and I attended a grandstand show in 1974. That year it was estimated that over 12,000 people attended the shows with 3,700 on Friday night, 3,800 on Saturday afternoon and 4,000 on Saturday night. Some of the performances included stage and radio performer Joan Karasevich, Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival Choir, Dauphin's Troyanda Singers, various dance troupes including Dauphin’s Zirka Dance Ensemble, Rushnychok, a four-piece band from Montreal, and one of the finest professional fiddlers of the day, Al Cherny.
It was great to see Cherny entertain at the grandstand. “Al is forever smiling and who can’t picture him playing his fiddle. He can play the fiddle in almost any position, behind his back, over his shoulder, under his leg and even with his teeth.”
The audience was very familiar with Cherny’s music, as most had followed him on Gordie Tapp’s Country Hoedown from 1959-65, as well as The Tommy Hunter Show. Hunter’s show initially aired in 1965 and Cherny regularly appeared on it until his death in 1989.
Personally, it brought back memories of a Friday night television ritual watching Cherny perform fiddle tunes on the black and white television set in my parent’s living room.
