On the corner of Brunswick Street, a beloved Halifax music shop strums proudly in memory of its founder, Thomas Howard Dorward, who passed away on Jan. 8 at the age of 78.
Born in Denver, Colo., Dorward’s career as a craftsman and luthier began in high school. Eager to learn classical guitar, Dorward was instead gifted a steel-string guitar. Unwavering in his determination, he taught himself the skills needed to build his first classical guitar from scratch. By the time Dorward enrolled in university, he had three hand-crafted guitars under his belt.
Dorward moved to Halifax in 1969 to pursue his graduate studies in psychology at Dalhousie University. When he wasn’t studying, Dorward could be found at his workbench, constructing various stringed instruments from guitars to dulcimers to banjos. With a knack for math, he later became a teacher at Queen Elizabeth High School — though his devotion to music eventually won out.
In June 1971, Dorward, alongside his wife of 56 years, Marla, founded the Halifax Folklore Centre. Nestled in a unique Victorian home over 150 years old, the shop quickly became a cornerstone of the East Coast music scene — a place where stringed musical instruments are bought, sold, traded, built, repaired and played with love. For over five decades, the Folklore Centre has been a gathering place for local musicians and a pit stop for touring artists.
Remembering a music community legend
The news of Dorward’s passing was met with a chorus of responses, tributes and condolences from musicians across the region who felt at home each time they walked through the shop’s famous red door.
One of those musicians is Nova Scotia’s own Joel Plaskett, who credits Dorward with shaping his career. Plaskett bought his first guitar from Dorward as a teenager and has felt indebted ever since.
“My records would not sound the same if it weren’t for the Folklore Centre,” he says.
Likewise, Halifax musician Ross Burns first crossed paths with Dorward when he was just 13-years-old. Dorward taught Burns how to restring his electric guitar and later gave him his first job sweeping floors and dusting guitars at the shop. Over nine years, Burns immersed himself in Dorward’s world — learning his craftsmanship, getting lost in Mavis Staples records and sharing a mutual appreciation for baseball.
Burns regards Dorward as a mentor, a father figure and a profound influence in his life.
“It was very formative to see someone who very clearly made a life out of their passion,” Burns says. “Every day he came in and did the thing he loved, and he became a master of it.”
He remembers how Dorward would often step away from the workbench to attend his baseball games. Whenever Burns hears David Grisman’s Christmas record, he’s transported back to countless hours spent with Dorward during the holiday seasons, surrounded by his steadiness, kindness and skill.
For Cape Breton musician Archie Rankin, a member of the folk band Villages, Dorward was the embodiment of world-class craft.
“We use a lot of old folk guitars and irreplaceable gear. It’s always been a comfort to know you can count on Tom to repair anything,” says Rankin. “You could put a guitar through a woodchipper, and Tom would’ve brought it back to life with no problem.”
Dorward’s generosity extended beyond fixing instruments. Halifax singer-songwriter Rob Hutten purchased everything from banjos to harmonicas at the Folklore Centre. For as long as he could remember, Hutten dreamed of owning a resonator guitar, but cost always kept it out of reach.
That all changed in 2021 when a 1936 wooden-bodied National guitar appeared at the Folklore Centre. Hutten was at the top of Dorward’s call list.
“Tom knew it would be special to me and he knew I didn’t have a lot of money,” Hutten recalls. “He could’ve charged me a lot but he cared more that a special guitar was going to a guy who would use it well.”
That resonator guitar has since become Hutten’s most treasured possession.
Halifax Folklore Centre lives on
As the East Coast music community mourns one of its most talented luthiers, the Halifax Folklore Centre will continue stringing on in Dorward’s memory. Stepping into big shoes at the repair bench is Noah Tye, who has spent the last 15 years apprenticing under Dorward’s wisdom. Devin Fox will manage the shop’s front end, while Marla Dorward will continue to strum the chords that keep everything in harmony.
Dorward’s legacy will live on through the lives and instruments he has touched. His enduring sound will continue to be heard on Brunswick Street.
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