The original CFL Sessions were captured in the 1970s by the late Canadian folklorist Staunton R. Livingston. The tapes (of Canadian football players performing both original and traditional works) collected dust in the National Archives of Canada until the summer of 2008, when they were discovered by resident folklorist Henry Adam Svec. Now, with the help of ethnomusicologist and composer WL Altman, Svec has transposed the rough, deteriorating recordings into lush and contemporary orchestrations.

This site contains a selection of (the recreations of) Livingston’s Sessions; it is an archive meant to preserve the songs and it is freely accessible.

A special edition CD, The CFL Sessions, will be released on August 1, 2009. The recording features guest performances by Laura Barrett and Andy Magoffin. It will be available in selected record stores across Canada.

The CFL Sessions Archive acknowledges the crucial support of The Canada Council for the Arts and The National Archives of Canada.

Please direct all questions and comments to