Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival

by Kevin Nikkel

Overview

The story of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, from the folks who were there

Every July since 1974, Manitoba’s Birds Hill Provincial Park has been home to one of Canada’s most vibrant and storied celebrations of folk music—the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Founding Folks tells the festival’s origin story, from founder Mitch Podolak’s unlikely dream of bringing folk music to prairie stages to how it became one of the most influential Folk Festivals in North America. Through conversations with staff, volunteers, and musicians—including Bruce Cockburn, Tom Jackson, and David Amram—filmmaker Kevin Nikkel offers a nuanced look at community building, explores the relationships between politics and culture, and provides fascinating insight into the lifelong friendships that developed among some of folk music’s most defining figures.

Brought to life by more than ninety photographs, this book is a testament to the vitality of prairie arts and culture. Founding Folks captures the spirit and enthusiasm of those early festival days and preserves this legacy for festival goers, students of culture and history, music enthusiasts, and folkies everywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772841138
Publisher:	University of Manitoba Press
Publication date:	05/22/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	516
File size:	118 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Kevin Nikkel is an independent filmmaker and educator based in Winnipeg. He is a long-time member of the Winnipeg Film Group. He co-directed the documentary Tales from the Winnipeg Film Group with Dave Barber in 2007.

Table of Contents

Preface

A Short Introduction to the Start of the Winnipeg Folk Festival

Oral History Interviews with Winnipeg Folk Festival Folks:

Kicking off the Day: How it all Began:

• Mitch Podolak
• Colin Gorrie
• Ava Kobrinsky
• Harry Paine
• Lorna Hiebert

Sitting on a Stage a Singin' : Performers from the Eary Workshops

• Bruce Cockburn
• Paul Mills
• Tom Jackson
• David Amram
• Len Udow

Tunes from the Far Out East: Musicians Attracted into Our Orbit

• Cathy Fink
• Ken Whiteley
• Mary Faith Rhodes
• Grit Laskin
• David Essig

The Lure of Local: Home-Grown Talent Takes the Stage

• Rick Neufeld
• Big Dave McLean
• Dan Donahue
• Curtis Jonnie / Shingoose
• Winston Wuttunee
• Peter Paul Van Camp
• Al SImmons

The Strong and the Mighty: A Peek at the Inner Workings

• Marsha Wineman
• Jane Graham
• Candice Masters
• Karen Dana
• Jon Singleton
• Martin Landy

Setting the Stage: An Affectionate Look Back and Look Forward

• John Prentice
• Pierre Guerin
• Leonard Podolak
• Lynne Skromeda

Acknowledgements

Recommended Resources

Index

What People are Saying About This

John Einarson

"Kevin Nikkel has done a remarkable job of gathering the stories, recollections, and anecdotes from the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s fifty-year history—both from the performers as well as from those behind the scenes who make each festival a memorable experience. A thorough, insightful, fascinating, and fun chronicle of an important music celebration."