The English Folk Dance and Song Society was formed in 1932 by the amalgamation of the Folk Song Society (started in 1898) and the English Folk Dance Society (1911). Under S. A. 'Nibs' Matthews - artistic director from c.1961 to 1986 - it issued a series of LPs and EPs, on a rather sporadic basis. The E.F.D.S.S. label is still going today, though it appears on CDs rather than on vinyl. At first records appear to have been intended for sale to E.F.D.S.S. members and associates rather than to the general public. They had plain labels in a variety of colours and were numbered mainly in the PR-300s, with 'EP' or 'SP' in the middle to indicate whether the record was an EP or a single (1). These seem to have been discontinued in 1967; they were replaced by a series of EPs that were more widely available. Catalogue numbers for these were mainly in an ED-100 series, though there were others including a DFF-0 one for 'Dancing For Fun' EPs. The company seems to have had its pressings done by a number of manufacturers, including Orlake and Decca; Billboard magazine of the 9th of February 1974 says that E.F.D.S.S. were currently having their records pressed by British Homophone.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.