Peter Ostroushko (August 12, 1953 – February 24, 2021) was an American violinist and mandolinist. He performed regularly on the radio program A Prairie Home Companion and with a variety of bands and orchestras in Minneapolis–Saint Paul and nationally. He won a regional Emmy Award for the soundtrack he composed for the documentary series Minnesota: A History of the Land (2005).
Early life
Born August 12, 1953, and of Ukrainian ancestry, Ostroushko grew up in northeast Minneapolis where he first took up mandolin at age three.[1][2][3] His father, William (Wasyl) Ostroushko, was a World War II veteran who had fought in the Soviet Army against Germany, and was wounded and captured during the Battle of Stalingrad. Before emigrating to the United States, he also lived in Vienna, Austria. He was a shoemaker in northeast Minneapolis for many years, and after retirement, played guitar in a Ukrainian polka band called Charivnyky (The Enchanters).[4]
At age 12, Peter started a band with his brother Juryj, three years his senior. Juryj (Americanized as "George") would later become a graphic designer who created many album covers, and was the first in-house designer at Red House Records.[5] He had two other siblings: His sister Ludmilla and brother Taras.[6] Taras, also a musician, played in indie-rock and punk bands, most notably Henry, in the Minneapolis underground-rock scene of the 1980s and 1990s.[7]
Career
Ostroushko released numerous recordings and was a regular performer on the A Prairie Home Companion radio program.[1]
Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, mandolin
Ostroushko's first recording session was an uncredited mandolin player on Bob Dylan'sBlood on the Tracks.[1][8][9] He had been sick with pneumonia for a week when he was called about the recording session, but got out of bed and hurried down to play, performing mandolin on "If You See Her, Say Hello." He later said that he had been so sick that he could not be sure the entire experience had been a hallucination.[6]
Ostroushko was married to public radio producer Marge Ostroushko.[1] They had one daughter together, Anna.[1]
Ostroushko suffered a stroke in January 2018 and stopped performing. A GoFundMe page was set up to assist with medical bills.[15] He died of heart failure on February 24, 2021, at the age of 67.[1]
^Peterson, Christian A. (2021-03-09). Cosmic Trip: Rock Concerts at the Minneapolis Labor Temple 1969-70. Minneapolis [Minnesota]: Smart Set. ISBN978-0-9984844-4-0.
^Gill, Andy; Odegard, Kevin (2004). A Simple Twist of Fate: Bob Dylan and the Making of Blood on the Tracks. Da Capo Press. pp. 119–124. ISBN978-0306812316.