"Far from home, far from home, On Fraser River's shore..." So sang the miners at their sluice boxes at Emory's Bar during the Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858. British Columbians have always sung about their work, and their recreation, their politics, their living conditions - the good times and the bad. This unique collection of songs spanning a period of seventy-five years is a colorful documentary giving vivid glimpses into the social, economic, and political life of the province from the time of Captain Cook to the present. Founding and honorary life member of the Vancouver Folk Song Society, honorary president of the Canadian Folk Music Society, Phil Thomas sings, accompanies himself on a five-string banjo or guitar and has for thirty years taught and been concerned with the spread of awareness and enjoyment of folk music.

Philip J. Thomas' profile page

Jon Bartlett and his partner Rika Ruebsaat, both ex-teachers, have written two books of local history, about Princeton, their home town. They have both been Secretary of the local museum and active in their local arts council. They have recorded seven CDs of traditional Canadian song, and founded and ran the Princeton Traditional Music Festival for a dozen years. Jon’s legal and historical training allowed him to provide research for both the federal government and a lower mainland First Nation. His latest book, Triumph and Solidarity, investigates the actions of Vancouver Communists in the early years of the Great Depression.

Jon Bartlett's profile page