From the Archives – Vancouver Folk Song Society

From the Archives: The Banks of the Similkameen

During the September 21, 2022 online song circle, we played the first minute and a half of this recording of The Banks of the Similkameen, sung by Phil Thomas and accompanied by Barry Hall on the banjo, recorded at the 10th anniversary gathering of the VFSS in July, 1969. Here’s the full recording:

From the Archives: The Family of Woman and Man

During the March 16, 2022 online song circle, we played the first minute of this recording of Three Strong Winds (Jim Edmondson, Christina Ray, and Ellen van der Hoeven) singing The Family of Woman and Man, recorded at a VFSS Retreat in 1991. Here’s the full recording:

Here are the lyrics:

From the Archives: Children, Go Where I Send Thee

During the 2021 Winter Solstice online song circle, we played the first two minutes of this recording of Al Cox leading Children, Go Where I Send Thee, from 48 years ago at the Christmas Folk Song Circle on December 19, 1973. Here’s the full recording (which still doesn’t capture the whole song, but that’s all we’ve got!):

From the Archives: Who Killed Cockie Robin?

During the September 1, 2021 online song circle, we played the first couple minutes of this recording of Gretchen Grinnell singing Who Killed Cockie Robin?, from the first anniversary of the VFSS, July 20, 1960. Here’s the full recording:

Marian Buechert has been sifting through boxes of VFSS archives to organize them and digitize some of them. She also provides archival recordings to be played for selected online Folk evenings. Marian was so intrigued by Gretchen’s beautiful voice that she felt the family should have Gretchen’s recordings. Through her search Marion was able to contact one of Gretchen’s daughters who was very excited to hear her mother’s voice as indeed the family had no recordings. As Marion says, “I’m happy to say I was able to share with her seven lovely recordings. She wrote to me and said she was teary-eyed when she listened to them.”

From the Archives: The P.G.E. Song

The first meeting at the Folk Song Circle as the VFSS was then called was at the Alma YMCA on the first Wednesday of July 1959. The five people who were responsible for founding the Folk Song Circle were Albert Cox, Jeannie (Cox) Moss, Phil and Hilda Thomas, and Rolf Ingelsrud. Of those founding members, Jeannie Moss, now 97, has dementia. She and Al Cox are the last remaining members. Jeannie perks up when she recognizes a song being sung to her and often sings along. Al Cox is presently 99 years old and is now a resident at Kerrisdale Crofton Manor.