Yes, we know - Jan Lewan is not from Calgary, and this LP was not recorded here. But for whatever reason is has a Calgary address, similar to the single of his we previously posted. We must have posted that other recording before [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Lewan#Legal_issues]the whole story of Lewan's legal troubles really hit the mainstream[/url]. But Calgary seemed to be, uh, taken in by him: [center][img width=452]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1767203452730x554926377702989400/richtext_content.jpeg[/img][/center] [h2]Singer got tired of propaganda, 'My Way' is now a theme song[/h2] By Joy-Ann Cohen (Herald staff writer) Performer Jan Lewan defected from Poland 10 years ago, because he was tired of singing propaganda. Today, the tune My Way is a staple in his repertoire. "I had big opportunities to take part in festivals for the October Revolution, but could never sing songs of my own choice," Lewan, age 33, says. A Chicago promoter invited him on a 1969 concert tour for Polish people in Canada and the U.S. When the tour was extended to other countries, he defected. The chunky, blue-eyed blond from Warsaw will be singing at the Balalaika Restaurant, 5809 MacLeod Trail South in the evenings until the end of September. He is accompanied by Ted Pilozow on keyboard and Glenn Davidson on drums. During the days. Lewan packs his records, which are advertised in ethnic magazines, and sold by mail in the U.S., where he estimates there are 20 million people of Polish descent. Although Canada has only 400,- 000 citizens of Polish descent, Lewan decided to take out citizenship here because he thought the competition would be less than in the States, and his reasoning has proved correct. He is under contract to CP hotels until July 1980; he has a solo concert scheduled in Edmonton's Jubilee auditorium on Dec. 2 and auditions for promoters in Las Vegas on Aug. 20. Yet he says that he is spending so much money on advertising his nine albums, five of them Polish and two English, that his profits are small. "They say it's hard to make it big in showbiz coming from a strange country. I work in a classy place, and have nine LPs, but I'm still taking my chances. I want to have luck with some song. (about) which everyone will say. I know who sings that." Middle-of-the-road, romantic pieces comprise most of his repertoire - songs like Barry's Manilow's Even Now or Anne Murray's You Needed Me. But some of his work is also original English lyrics set to Polish tunes, or songs entirely of own. Only lately, has he known enough English to write lyrics; he still speaks with a Polish flavor. Lewan sings in 11 languages, although he says that "means nothing, in some languages I have only one song." Customers at the Bala- laika approach him after the show with tears glistening in their eyes at the recollection of a song from the old country. Language difficulty The irony of the situation is that he has difficulty learning languages. "I came here without one word of English and on top of this I don't really have a talent with language. I work hard to learn the songs in different languages." His vocal training took place in opera school, where he learned to sing tenor at an age when he was too young, and the strain was too much. Today, he takes advantage of his training in the big endings he puts on songs like My Way. He recorded his first pops album in 1965, and in the next three years. the Polish government had sent him to festivals in Belgium, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Russia, Bulgaria and Mongolia. In 1967, his place at the top of European Pops was acclaimed at the International Festival in Opole, Poland. He was assigned songs by a Polish government agency. "If you refused, your door was closed....They choose the right songs for that festival, but I was a little bit tied up in propaganda." Lewan' first offer of a permanent job in Canada came from Johnny Lombardi, the owner of CHIN radio station in Toronto. The station caters to international ethnic groups, and Lewan conducted his own pro- gam in Polish, for two years, between 10 p.m. and midnight, each evening. In that time, he learned enough English to work his own shows. which he launched at Toronto's Seahorse hotel. Today, he is always on the road with a show. "I lost my hometown. I have only a big case - two suitcases - and an account in the Royal Bank. It was my own choice."
