When I sit alone with my memories
My mind drifts back to the early 60s
When folk music was all the rage
The New Christy Minstrels, Peter Paul and Mary
The Brothers Four, The Limelighters, The Kingston Trio
The Canadiana Folksingers... who?????
A six member group called The Canadiana Folksingers
Included myself and my first wife Linda
Along with two guitar players, a one-string-bass
And I played the five-string banjo
Did we have a blast? Oh yah!
Made an album called “This Land Is Your Land”
And a 45 rpm single called, “Hi Jolly!”
Along with appearances on both
Of the only two Canadian TV Networks at the time
Memories of those days fill me with pride
Can't go back but we can dream
About when we were young
And the world was ours to explore!
In nineteen hundred and sixty-two
The Canadiana Folksingers made their debut
We appeared on TV
Albums numbered three
Had a ton of fun, what a hullabaloo!
There once were some Weavers
Who taught many of us to sing.
But it wasn't until much later in life
That their music would be my thing.
I never followed Pete Seeger
As his words with me didn't gel.
It would not be until years later
That others would finally tell.
Peter, Paul, and Mary grabbed my attention
With their skill, their courage, their art.
Of all the groups that I have listened to
They are closest to my heart.
Others garnered my attention
Donovan, Dylan, and Kingston Trio too.
I'd love to listen and sing along
As if every note was new.
Steve Goodman was a true artist
In his words of truth and form.
Folksingers come in every age
Croce's works were not the norm.
How I do love to listen to them singing
Or in some cases just strumming away.
The one regret I have in all of this...
I never learned how to play.
In nineteen hundred and sixty-two
Canadiana Folksingers made their debut
We appeared on TV
Albums numbered three
Had a ton of fun, what a hullabaloo!
Played 5-string banjo and sang in a successful
folk group called The Canadiana Folksingers
© Jack Ellison 2013
Once was part of a folk group
About fifty years ago
Just before that group from England
Took over the whole damn show
You known, that famous foursome
Blew us out of the water
Folk scene died almost immediately
They wiped us up with a blotter
Fantastic time the six of us had
Not a money making gig for sure
The bunch of us had the time of lives
On TV, an album, a tour
Looking back with very fond memories
Gave us such an inner peace
Singing many times in old folks homes
Appreciative beyond belief
Sure you wouldn't have heard of us
The Canadiana Folksingers, we were
Proud as hell to have been a member
Those days now are just a blur
© Jack Ellison 2013
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