Biography
At the outset the Toasted Western Swing Band was formed as a way for its members to have fun playing music that meant something to them, and to engage a creative outlet to express themselves musically. As such, the Toasted Western Swing Band made its first public performance at the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel in Niagara Falls Canada on June 14, 2007, and they were held over for 47 straight weeks! The band performs on a regular basis at the Fort Erie Race Track/Casino in Fort Erie Ontario, and also performs at Festivals, Fairs, and Corporate Events. The Toasted Western Swing Band will also be performing live and in concert at the prestigious "Havelock Jamboree", the largest Country Music Festival in Canada on August 16, 2009!
This fabulous tribute to the legends of Texas Swing Music consists of independent Nashville recording artist Steve Fortin (lead and backup vocals, electric and acoustic guitar), three-time Grammy Award and winner and 21-time nominee Walter Ostanek (accordion) and Grammy Award Winning participant Steve Kostyk (electric guitar, lead and backup vocals), one of Canada’s foremost journeyman steel guitar players, P. Albert Fortney (who has performed with many top artists), journeyman bassist Bill Cooper (until now Canada’s best kept secret in the music community), Mike McDowell on drums, lead and backup vocals, (formerly of Rick Rose Band, Oksana, and McRhea), and Stan Drobnich on accordion (formerly of "One Night Stan" and "The big squeeze"). The Toasted Western Swing Band’s All-Star lineup is augmented by the vocal and fiddle styles of Winston James, an icon in Country Music in Canada.
The Toasted Western Swing Band is an ideal choice for Theater appearances, dinner shows, festivals, corporate events and clubs. Regardless of where they perform, they delight in the opportunity to share with the audience and fans this uniquely appealing style of music known as "Western Swing". The Toasted Western Swing Band released their first CD entitled "Roots 66" on June 15, 2009, a collaborative effort with Walter Ostanek and Angela Siracusa. The Cd also features guest appearances by Canadian fiddle gurus Darren Walters and Brian Sklar, as well as the insatiable fiddle stylings of Paul Kramer (Sammy Kershaw and formerly of Travis Tritt)
Steve Fortin is a native of Welland, Ontario. As a young boy his talent was discovered by Ronnie Prophet, and he was invited to tour with Ronnie along with Marie Bottrell at the young age of fourteen. Today, Steve is an independent Nashville recording artist; he also has made appearances with Lynn Dee and Emmit Jarvis. In addition, Steve has appeared with the "Time Jumpers", a Nashville Tennessee super group that includes the very elite musical talent that Nashville has to offer, its members include Vince Gill, and a cast of supporting musicians who work regularly with Jeannie Sealy, Jimmy C. Newman, and Riders in the Sky. The members of the "Time Jumpers" are also the most “in demand” recording session musicians in Nashville today.
Walter Ostanek, (born April 20, 1935), is a well-known accordionist from St. Catharines, Ontario where his family settled as a boy. Young Walter received his first accordion as a gift in 1944. After several years, Ostanek became a popular entertainer in Southern Ontario. Performing Cleveland-Style Polkas and Waltzes. He could be heard frequently on the radio in St. Catharines and Welland. In 1963, Ostanek and his band, Walter Ostanek Band, would record their first of many albums. Over his career, Ostanek would become known as Canada's Polka King. He has received three Grammy Awards and he has been nominated thirteen times. His style has been compared to America's Polka King, Frankie Yankovic of Cleveland. As was the late Yankovic, Walter Ostanek is of Slovenian decent. Ostanek hosted his own television shows (one for fourteen consecutive years), radio shows, and polka tours. He has appeared on the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Phil Donahue, Tommy Hunter Show, Cleveland's Polka Varieties, and his own award-winning TV specials and telethons. He has appeared in concert with Roy Clark, the Oakridge Boys, Ronnie Milsap, Ray Price, Mel Tillis, Brenda Lee, Slim Whitman, Tom T. Hall, T. G. Shepard, Tommy Hunter, Lawrence Welk, Myron Floren, Frank Yankovic, Oasis, Sam Roberts, Big Sugar and Kim Mitchell. Walter Ostanek is a member of Canada's Walk of Fame as well as the Polka Halls of Fame in Cleveland and Chicago. Currently Ostanek does two main concert sets each year: one at Marineland in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the other during Oktoberfest in Kitchener, Ontario. He is also the subject of the 2006 Bravo! network documentary The Cult of Walt: Canada’s Polka King. Ostanek is also cited as the inspiration for the Second City Television polka parody, the Shmenge Brothers. Walter currently resides in St. Catharines, Ontario. He is the owner of the popular music store "Ostanek's".
Steve is a journeyman musician and entertainer who also performs as a solo act, as well as principal guitarist in the Grammy Award Winning Walter Ostanek Band. In 1993 Steve received a citation from the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS/Grammy), for his musical contribution to Grammy Award winning album "35th Anniversary", and has made musical contributions to 17 Grammy nominated recordings.
He has shared the stage with the Stampeders, Ronnie Hawkins, the Good Brothers, Kim Mitchell, Al Cherney of the Tommy Hunter Show, Harry Hibbs and international artists such as Rocco Granata, Lolita and Karl Gotte. Steve currently resides in Niagara Falls, Ontario, his hometown.
Bill Cooper is a native of Toronto, Ontario who currently resides in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Bill has gained notoriety within the music community for his world-class performance on bass guitar. To his credit, Bill has performed with various touring bands in Ontario, and has performed concert work with "Oksana", a Toronto based artist, and has toured extensively with various other bands. Bill is known as Niagara’s best kept musical secret, yet is quickly gaining widespread acclaim in the music community as one of Canada’s top bass guitar performers.
Albert is the stellar steel guitarist who so eloquently colours the sound of the Toasted Western Swing Band. This veteran has many stage appearances to his credit, as he has shared the stage with Carol Baker, Cathy Chambers, Glory Anne Carrierre, Tim Daniels, Dallas Harms, Al Cherney,Ronnie Prophet, Orville Prophet, Johnny Paycheck, Hank Williams original Band, Mo Bandy, Joe Stampley, Gary Morse, Jerry Reed, Johnny Lee and George Jones. Albert currently resides in Pelham, Ontario.
Mike is no stranger to the Canadian Music scene. He has to his credit recording and concert appearances with Sony music singer/songwriter Rick Rose, as well as concert work with Toronto based singer songwriter "Oksana". Mike was also the principal vocalist in McRaeh, an Ontario based band that received significant airplay across Canada for some of their original recordings in the country music genre. Mike is a native of Thorold, Ontario, where he still resides today.
Stan is a veteran performer on accordion who appears regularly with the Toasted Western Swing Band. He is best known for his bands "One Night Stan" and "The Big Squeeze". Stan studied accordion under the tutelage of Walter Ostanek and began his musical career with Gerry Doucette, a country-rock performer from the Maritimes. Stan currently resides in Ridgeway, Ontario, and continues to perform with The Frankfurters and The Richmond Street Chamber Orchestra from Buffalo, New York. In addition he can be heard on studio recordings for acts that range from Marty Allen to Lynne Rogers. Stan brings a masterful colouring of music to the Texas Swing Genre.
He is an icon in the country music scene in Canada. Winston has performed as a solo act for the past 35 years, and has released several albums as a solo artist. Mr. James has performed live in concert on the Wheeling Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia. Winston colours the sound of the Toasted Western Swing Band with his impeccable fiddle styling and vocals. Winston is a native of St. Catharines, Ontario, where he currently resides. He spends 3 months touring in Central and South Florida in the winter months, and will be reunited with the band upon his return to St. Catharines in mid-April.