I have just learned that Phil Thomas died peacefully Thursday night. Over more than fifty years, Phil collected and shared the folk songs of his native British Columbia, on Canada's Pacific coast. The songs that he brought into the folk music community are an important part of the heritage of the Pacific Northwest. His book and recordings are essential parts of any collection of Canadian or Northwestern folk music. His guidance and mentoring have had a huge effect on several generations of folk music enthusiasts and scholars. A lot of us on both sides of the border will miss him.
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