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Article: Phil Thomas: 1921-2007.(LAST CHORUS)(Obituary)
- Article from:
- Sing Out!
- Article date:
- June 22, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Sing Out Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Until his death, at 86, on January 26, Phil Thomas was the foremost collector of the folk songs of BC. It is thanks to him and his tenacity in collection, publication and dissemination, that the body of orally transmitted songs--from the logging and fishing industries, from the early settlers in BC, and from the days of the gold rushes--is now known.
In the mid-1950s, Thomas became interested in folk song, and was soon dissatisfied with the absence of Canadian song. He made connection with Edith Fowke, who had herself begun collecting songs in Ontario. Thereafter, every summer saw Thomas traveling his native province to collect the songs of fishing, homesteading, ...