The first Mariposa Folk Festival was organized in 1961 by Ruth Jones, her husband Dr. Crawford Jones and Pete McGarvey, and was held in Orillia, Ontario. After bouncing around different locations throughout Ontario the Festival, which has always aimed to promote roots music in Canada, returned to Orillia, where it continues to be staged to this day. Between 1968 and 1979 it was moved to Centre Island, just off the coast of Toronto, which is where this double LP of that year's performers was recorded.

Throughout the '70s the Festival's artistic director Estelle Klein attempted to promote lesser-known acts amongst big names like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Joan Baez. In 1976, the lineup included notable American acts including Taj Mahal, Roscoe Holcomb and Steve Goodman, but I've limited this post to Canadian acts only.

Feather - Akinsi Novalinga
Throat Singing - Lucie Amarualik & Alicie Tulaugaq

The Festival's commitment to smaller acts included an increased emphasis on First Nations and Inuit performers. "Feather", by Akinsi Novalinga, and a demonstration of Inuit throat singing by Lucy Amarualik and Alicie Tullaugaq, are rather otherworldly and almost beyond my ability to describe; the best I can do is to say they could almost be backing tracks on one of Bjork's recent albums.

Heh Broker - Willie Dunn

Singer, songwriter, filmmaker, playwright and politician Willie Dunn was born in Quebec of mixed Scottish and Mi'kmaq heritage, and has devoted his musical career to highlighting aboriginal issues, including the injustices visited upon First Nations peoples within Canada. "Heh Broker" is a relentless, sombre country number sung by Dunn, who accompanies himself on acoustic guitar.

Chattanooga Night - Colleen Peterson

Folk singer Colleen Peterson was born in Peterborough, Ontario and moved to Ottawa, where she started performing in coffeehouses and played in an emsemble named 3's A Crowd with Bruce Cockburn and David Wiffen. She was a constant and popular presence within Canada's folk and country scenes up until her untimely death (of cancer) at the age of 45 in 1996. "Chattanooga Night," another solo performance on acoustic guitar, is a plaintive country ballad.

In My Solitude - Jackie Washington

Born in Hamilton in 1919, blues singer, guitarist and pianist Jackie Washington started performing with his brothers at the age of five and is still making live appearances in his late eighties. A longtime mainstay at Canadian festivals, coffeehouses and nightclubs, Washington is known for his huge repertoire of songs in styles spanning pop, novelty, blues and jazz. "In My Solitude" is a Duke Ellington jazz standard on which Washington is accompanied by Chris Whiteley on harmonica, Ken Bloom on clarinet, Mike Gardiner on bass and Bill Usher on drums.

The Little White Church - The Humber River Valley Boys

The Humber River Valley Boys were a bluegrass band comprised of Dave Harvey (who played with Cathy Fink and Duck Donald), Don Thurson, Brian Pickell and John Jackson. "The Little White Church" is a traditional bluegrass standard, performed by the band in the best old-timey style.