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A history of the Mariposa Folk Festival, from its humble roots in Orillia in 1961 to international acclaim and legendary status as a premier folk music gathering.
Mariposa began in the heyday of the early 60s “folk boom.” In its more than fifty-five years, it has seen many of the world’s greatest performers grace its stages: Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Jann Arden, and Serena Ryder.
The festival has long held a musical mirror to popular culture in Canada. It thrived during the folk boom years and the singer-songwriter era of the early 70s. Its popularity dipped during the rise of disco and punk as the 70s wore into the early 80s. And it nearly died due to lack of interest in the 90s — the days of grunge and new country, and the golden age of CD sales. Thanks to a recent wave of independent, home-grown music, Mariposa is having a resurgence in the early twenty-first century. Audiences have always come and gone, but the festival has stayed true to its mandate: to promote and preserve folk art in Canada through song, story, dance, and craft.
Mariposa began in the heyday of the early 60s “folk boom.” In its more than fifty-five years, it has seen many of the world’s greatest performers grace its stages: Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Jann Arden, and Serena Ryder.
The festival has long held a musical mirror to popular culture in Canada. It thrived during the folk boom years and the singer-songwriter era of the early 70s. Its popularity dipped during the rise of disco and punk as the 70s wore into the early 80s. And it nearly died due to lack of interest in the 90s — the days of grunge and new country, and the golden age of CD sales. Thanks to a recent wave of independent, home-grown music, Mariposa is having a resurgence in the early twenty-first century. Audiences have always come and gone, but the festival has stayed true to its mandate: to promote and preserve folk art in Canada through song, story, dance, and craft.
Price: $19.99
Pages: 240
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Imprint: Dundurn Press
Publication Date:
30 May 2017
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9781459737730
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Folk & Traditional, Traditional & folk music, MUSIC / History & Criticism, HISTORY / Canada / Post-Confederation (1867-), History of music, History of the Americas
The Mariposa Folk Festival deserves its own story, and who better to write it than long-time artistic director, Mike Hill. With passion, flare, and an obvious love for folk music, Mike Hill beautifully chronicles the legendary festival’s rich history. An important story, masterfully told, to be savoured and revisited.
— Terry Fallis
I had long thought that the real stars of Mariposa were the people doing the hard work of getting the festival up and running — often against formidable odds. This is an entertaining journey through intrigue, highs and lows, and warm musical memories. Mike has done a great job of chronicling it all!
— Murray McLauchlan
A rare look behind the scenes at the nitty-gritty managing of a folk fest.
— Sarah Greene
Hill has been the festival’s “unofficial” historian for a few years now, putting together pieces on the storied history of Mariposa
If you have any friends in the Canadian folk music community, you’re bound to find them quoted in Hill’s lengthy — and often entertaining — interviews.
Mariposa artistic director Michael Hill provides an interesting history of this enduring event.
Provides a well-rounded and in-depth discussion of the MFF’s fifty-six-year history. Readers will come away with a better understanding of the live music industry in Canada.
Hill has written a fascinating, often intriguingly detailed account of a unique, but fragile, Canadian cultural event.
— Terry Fallis
I had long thought that the real stars of Mariposa were the people doing the hard work of getting the festival up and running — often against formidable odds. This is an entertaining journey through intrigue, highs and lows, and warm musical memories. Mike has done a great job of chronicling it all!
— Murray McLauchlan
A rare look behind the scenes at the nitty-gritty managing of a folk fest.
— Sarah Greene
Hill has been the festival’s “unofficial” historian for a few years now, putting together pieces on the storied history of Mariposa
If you have any friends in the Canadian folk music community, you’re bound to find them quoted in Hill’s lengthy — and often entertaining — interviews.
Mariposa artistic director Michael Hill provides an interesting history of this enduring event.
Provides a well-rounded and in-depth discussion of the MFF’s fifty-six-year history. Readers will come away with a better understanding of the live music industry in Canada.
Hill has written a fascinating, often intriguingly detailed account of a unique, but fragile, Canadian cultural event.
Michael Hill is the artistic director and the vice-president of Mariposa, and has been an organizer with the festival since 2000. He lives in Orillia, Ontario.