WOODBRIDGE, N.J. – Danchyk’s acclaimed “Rovesnyky” CD, released in 1991, but out of print since 2004, has been reissued as a digital download. “Rovesnyky” is now available on iTunes, Amazon Music, CD Baby and a host of similar download services, as well as on a number of streaming services, such as Spotify and Google Play. Tracks from the album can also be auditioned on YouTube.
Born in New York to a Ukrainian father and Belarusian mother, folksinger Bohdan Andrusyshyn, a.k.a. “Danchyk,” began his musical career rather modestly, when at the age of 15 he won a local talent competition held by the Belarusian community in New Jersey. Two years later, he recorded his first album, “Belarusachka.” Unbeknownst to him, the LP was bootlegged and surreptitiously circulated throughout all of Belarus. This, as well as a chance meeting and subsequent friendship with the Belarusian supergroup Pesnyary, propelled Danchyk to superstardom in the former Soviet republic.
In 1989, Danchyk completed a multi-city concert tour in Belarus, including eight sold-out concerts at the Palace of Professional Unions, as well as the Minsk Philharmonic. Before curtailing his performing career in 1997 to concentrate on journalism, Danchyk recorded five studio albums – four in Belarusian and one in Ukrainian.
“Rovesnyky” (English translation “Coevals”) is Danchyk’s only Ukrainian-language album. Although less well-known in Ukraine than in Belarus, Danchyk was, nevertheless, in great demand as a featured performer at Ukrainian festivals and resorts throughout the United States. “Rovesnyky” was critically acclaimed by the Ukrainian press in both the U.S. and Canada, and enjoyed significant radio play on Ukrainian-language radio programs in North America.
Featuring Ukrainian folksongs and songs by contemporary Ukrainian songwriters, “Rovesnyky” showcases Danchyk’s velvety tenor voice, against the backdrop of Oles Kuzyszyn’s instrumental arrangements.
The digital re-issue of Danchyk’s “Rovesnyky” makes this rare recording available once again to a whole new generation of folk music enthusiasts.