The Folk

If you've been listening all the way to the end of each episode, you'll know that each story ends with a song. That song is performed by a contemporary artist, paying homage to an old-time tune. In this bonus edition of The Folk, you'll hear an all-musical episode of songs featured in the series, including some by Saskatchewan's Clayton Linthicum (of Kacy & Clayton), Yukon-based singer-songwriter Sarah Hamilton, PEI artist Tim Chaisson (of The East Pointers), and a few more from Alberta's own Mike Tod joined by Laura Reid and Nathan M. Godfrey.

A folklorist or a folk song collector is a person who studies folk music, and records and releases collections of folk songs. There is no folklorist more associated with Canada than Edith Fowke. Able to sell the world a vision on the meaning of "Canadian folk music," her body of work supersedes others in the country's folkloric realms. She is a recipient of the Order of Canada, she's written numerous books, and released many recorded collections of Canadian folk music. But was her vision of the country's folk music scene accurate? Fowke is at the centre of this episode, which delves into her research on folk music, the numerous books and records that she released, and questions some of the contradictory values of her life and work.

Charlie Panigoniak, much like the raven in Inuit stories, was a jokester. The Nunavut country-folk legend, who passed away earlier in 2019, soared to 'territorial' heights starting in the 1970s as a beloved entertainer and storyteller that shared the Inuit lifestyle through his often-humorous songs. Despite being a household name in the territory, he's a songwriter that never really got his due with the rest of Canada. This episode is all about Panigoniak, detailing his life growing up on the nuna (tundra/land), to his recordings, the meanings of his songs, and the amusing antics behind the music.

Bluegrass music is the fast-paced style of folk that became popular in the 1940s. Think Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs...and yes, even the Beverly Hillbillies theme song. Thought to be new around the time of its burgeoning popularity, it actually combined many older musical ideas. The story of how those old ideas turned into a new one is fascinating. This episode delves into how the genre came to be, and the stories behind some of the first players in Canada. Hear how two Black Maritimers shaped the genre in some very important ways. Or how the father of bluegrass in New Brunswick rose out of the Acadian community.

"The Red River Valley" is a country-folk earworm that's been played and recorded by thousands of musicians, sold millions of copies, and has a place in several music halls of fame. But what appears below the surface of this folksy love song, has some highly controversial, extremely disputed roots. This episode puts "The Red River Valley" on trial and presents evidence from two opposing sides to try to determine the original roots of a song that could have origins in Northern Texas or Manitoba's Métis community. It's up to the listener to decide.

This is the story of two families, from opposite sides of North America, with two totally different lives, who intertwined in some very interesting ways. The first is The Carter Family from Virginia, considered one of the founding families of Americana, whose recordings from the early 1900s influenced countless listeners. The second is The Romaniuk Family, an unknown family band from the foothills of Alberta. This episode investigates both The Carter and Romaniuk families, from their early beginnings, to their eventual meeting, and how an unheard-of cover band from Alberta came to be involved with one of the greatest musical groups of the 20th century.

Perhaps no other region has produced more fiddle players and fiddle recordings, per person and per square inch, than a tiny island on the northern most tip of Nova Scotia, called Cape Breton. Of the thousands upon thousands of top-tier fiddlers that have come from the island, one person time and time again is named the region's very best, Winston "Scotty" Fitzgerald. This episode investigates the life and music of Fitzgerald: the rough-and-tumble surroundings that inspired his style of playing, the record deals that sank despite favourable sales and popularity, and his love of drink that lasted a lifetime.