Eddie Chwill Bio
Eddie Chwill was the youngest of 9 boys, who were raised on a farm at Skaro, Alberta, north of Lamont. Now there's an important sentence! Imagine being the parents of 9 boys! There wouId be no shortage of helping hands, but daily mealtime preparations would be quite the undertaking!
At home the family spoke Ukrainian, and they walked 6 miles to the nearest school where they learned English.
They taught themselves how to play instruments and sing. His brother Nestor played lead guitar, brother Fred played fiddle, and Eddie mastered the rhythm guitar and vocals.
From 1960 to 1974 the Chwill boys entertained at the Phoenix Hall every Friday night and at Moore Temple.
In the 1 960's and 1 970's they were playing for large venue crowds, packed houses, and sometimes both on Friday and Saturday nights! During this time, Eddie was also doing television appearances on the "Gaby Haas Barn Dance" and the "Noon Show".
In 1 972, Eddie recorded a country album entitled, "There Ain't No Easy Way", which went to Number 1 on the Canadian RPM Charts.
During these years R. J. Tompkins from CFCW had a 1 hour Ukrainian show, 7 days a week. R. J. said, "Eddie, you should record a Ukrainian Album." So, Eddie took his advice and recorded the following albums:
"Memories" in 1990
"I Can Still Hear Mama & Papa Singing" in 1998 and "Unfaithful Annie" in 2004.
Eddie's first "Ukrainian" album entitled "I Can Still Hear Mama & Papa Singing," contains precious songs that his parents would sing when he was a youngster.
Over the years, the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Red Deer College, and Calgary teachers have been using Eddie's recordings to help students grasp the Ukrainian language. This is largely due to the fact that Eddie was told his diction is so clear, that it makes it easy for students to understand and learn. While music was always Eddie's hobby, his employment was for the School Board as Head Custodian.
Eddie and his wife Joanne just celebrated their 63rd Wedding anniversary! They have a daughter Candyce, and twins, Todd and Jodi.
