Brian Sklar started playing music as a child. He would take the long walk with his violin over the North Saskatchewan River bridge in Prince Albert Saskatchewan to the Academy Presentation of Mary, where he took lessons from Soeur (Sister) Gertrude Des Anges. At the age of eight, he won a silver medal from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, achieving the highest test score in Saskatchewan. Five years later, after spending several years with the Prince Albert Concert Orchestra, Sklar shifted gears and became an old-time fiddler, joining the Halldorson Family Orchestra, and later, at the age of 16, forming his own group.

At the age of 19, he went on tour for a year, playing mining towns in northern Ontario and the northern United States. It turned out to be the never-ending tour, which has included performances with virtually all of the legends of the Grand Ol Opry, including an appearance on the world-famous show with his good friend, Jean Shepard.

Sklar has a room full of awards from country music associations all over North America and Europe. He has, at this writing, done 43 European tours, recorded 39 albums, hosted and/or appeared in over 310 network and syndicated television shows, played 42 Calgary Stampedes, over 60 telethons, helped raise in excess of ten million dollars for children’s charities, has an impressive display in the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, and most recently was accepted as a member of the Canadian Association of Country Music Legends. On December 6th, 2007, he added the title “Grammy Nominee” to that list of achievements.

Although he is best known as a country entertainer, Brian Sklar has had a long association with polka music. It all started during his childhood years, when he would hang around in front of the stage at family weddings. Just about every band had an accordion player in those days, and just about every radio and television station programmed live polka music, usually on Saturday afternoons. Groups like the Canadian Polka Kings and the Happy Roamin’ Rangers played Cleveland-style polkas, and Sklar was totally taken with the happy staccato sound of the music.

So it was no surprise when after a night of jamming in 1976, Sklar suggested that a group of musicians travel to Edmonton to cut an album. The Western Senators were born.