It’s 1959. The early wave of the folk revival is sweeping North America, and a group of friends has started singing together in Vancouver. Phil and Hilda Thomas, Al Cox, Jeannie Moss and Rolf Ingelsrud have found common cause through their dedication to singing, activism, and traditional music. Something new is born.

At those early Folk Song Circles, the music was great, and the enthusiasm contagious. On the first and third Wednesday of every month, members of the group sang for and with each other. They joined their voices in harmonies raucous and delicate by turn. They played banjos, guitars, Appalachian dulcimers, bodhrans, flutes, and fiddles. They became a musical community by encouraging beginners, and sharing their songs, music, and knowledge.

Like the broader folk revival during the 1940s-1960s, the early members of the Folk Song Circle reached back to the traditional ballad collections of Ireland, England and Scotland, as well as the collected material from French and English Canada, the U.S. and Australia. Traditional songs from many other countries joined contemporary folk songs in the group’s repertoire. That early group attracted more and more people over the years, and formally incorporated as the Vancouver Folk Song Society in 1975.

Over the ensuing decades, the VFSS has been very active. During the 1970s, the VFSS hosted the Green Cove Coffeehouse and The Folk Circle on Coop Radio, and published the Come All Ye and Canada Folk Bulletin periodicals.

“The Folk,” as the VFSS is affectionately known, has been involved in the origins of many local musical organizations over the years, including the Vancouver Country Dance Association, Georgia Strait Music Camp, Cityfest, and the Princeton Traditional Music Festival.

Lots of beloved folk performers got their start or developed their chops via the Folk, including Fraser Union, Tête à Tête, Jon Bartlett and Rika Ruebsaat, Brian Robertson, and more recently, Steel Cut Notes. Starting in 1984, the VFSS has been bolstered by an associated shanty crew, singing the lively call-and-response songs of the sea. In 2008, the VFSS shanty crew sang at the Tall Ships festival and recorded Blow the Man Down: Tall Ships in the Fraser [link to merch page]. Nowadays, the shanty tradition continues with the Pubsing [link] and the not-lazy Lazy Jacks [link].

Learning and sharing has been an important part of the VFSS from the beginning. It helped that VFSS founder Phil Thomas has been the most significant collector of folksongs in BC, and that he was always generous with his knowledge.

In 1979, Phil Thomas published Songs of the Pacific Northwest, giving us our own stories to sing alongside the old ballads from across the ocean. A revised edition of the book was released in 2006, which includes additional historical details and photographs to anchor the songs at points in our local history. See Resources [link] section for more about Phil Thomas and his collection.

[Insert photo of book cover. “Click here to peruse VFSS books and other merchandise.”]

Throughout the VFSS’s history, members have continually shared music and knowledge, whether informally around the circle or in structured workshops or classes. Topics over the years have included Child ballads, BC history, and how to sing harmony. Phil Thomas and others gave presentations at local colleges and universities, and members of the VFSS are still sharing folk music in educational and community settings.

Over the years, the VFSS and its members have contributed much to the local community. VFSS members have roused participants into song at countless peace rallies, picket lines and political events. In 1997, the VFSS’s children’s choir, “The Old Fogies,” (1993-2000) brought their justice songs to the People’s Summit on APEC. Then and now, VFSS members sing at care homes and for numerous community and maritime events. See the Community page for more information. [link]

While the purpose of the VFSS has remained constant over the years, the society has navigated significant challenges and changes. In the early 2000s, when shifting demographics and changing times cut into its membership, the VFSS hunkered down and kept singing. Members developed programs for outreach to children and young adults. The introduction of the Harmony Jam in 2013 brought more group singing back to the Folk community. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic drove VFSS activities online for two years, but that period’s gifts of solidarity, expanded geographical reach, and digital fluency helped the organization expand. Since 2023, the VFSS has grown substantially, adding new members, new songs, and new generations of singers.

Through great songs, warm harmonies, community activism, and learning—the core purpose of the VFSS has remained the same for more than 65 years: to share folk music.

Come share the Folk with us, and we will reach 100!

-Written by Christina Ray, with contributions from Donna Jean MacKinnon and Allison Campbell

 

More history of the VFSS (coming soon)

  • Articles about the VFSS
  • Songmakers of the VFSS: Their songs and recordings
  • Productions of the VFSS: Books, CDs, songsheets, videos
  • Phil Thomas: His work in BC and with the Canadian Folk Music Society
  • VFSS Life Members: Why we treasure them