Mickey and Bunny
Mickey and Bunny (Sheppard). Ukrainian-Canadian pop music duo: Mickey (singer, guitarist, accordionist, b Modest William Theodore Sklepowich in Ethelbert, Man, 27 Mar 1932) and his wife Bunny (singer, b Orissia Ewanchuk in Rosa, Man, 13 Feb 1938). They began appearing together in 1964 in concert halls and nightclubs and at fairs, rodeos, and ethnic festivals across Canada and in parts of the USA. Their repertoire included Ukrainian, Polish, and German songs and dances, country music, original compositions, and a popular version of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land'. For four years in the 1960s they were accompanied by the D-Drifters-5, an instrumental group led by the accordionist and bass guitarist Dave Roman and known for its Ukrainian versions of songs by the Beatles and other British pop groups of the day. Mickey and Bunny made more than a dozen LPs for Winnipeg's V-Records, including Songs of Inspiration (VLP-3031), collections of Ukrainian country music (VLP-3001, VLP-3065), Ukrainian Christmas carols (VLP-3019), Ukrainian and English beer parlour songs (VLP-3064), and concert recordings from Massey Hall, Toronto, and the Ford Auditorium, Detroit (VLP-3026 and VLP-3044). After Mickey and Bunny separated in the 1970s, Mickey pursued a solo career.
This duo made a tremendous impact on western Canada's musical culture over several decades. They've popularized traditional Ukrainian-Canadian music from coast-to-coast through live tours, 19 albums and a legacy of over 300 recorded songs./Their version of "This Land Is Your Land" was given special official recognition by being selected for inclusion in the National Archives at Ottawa./Although still topnotch entertainers, they recently bid farewell to thousands of fans thoughout western Canada. Bookings for charities or similar church parish events and all other worthy, not-for-profit events will continue to be considered.