Guitars have been attached to "folk music" since the "folk revival," and through it, back to early USA country music recordings. It was a popular urban instrument in the 19th C., and provided a moderately-easy accompaniment instrument for American parlor songs. Folk songs in the US moved from the rural, fiddle-and-banjo milieu to the urban surroundings of the 1930s-50s folk revival, melding country-style guitar to straight-forward folk-style singing.

Now, of course, this is totally over-simplified, and doesn't take Great Britain into account (though it can be argued that the US revival "set the style" and was attached to the more typically unaccompanied British styles around the same time).

To truly over-simplify, the popularization of "folk(ish) music" resulted in a popular parlor instrument, the guitar, being attached in the public's "ear" by such performers as Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, Theo Bikel (sp?) and the like. Add true folk performers who grabbed what popularity they could from the times (Josh White, Leadbelly, and Brownie McGhee come to mid), all of whom played guitar, and the guitar became "THE" American folk instrument.

Of course, the versatility of the instrument added to its popularity, as it could do backup, lead, ensemble or solo roles, and in many styles, from Bach to Be-Bop, and ballads to blues.

Add the various styles of physical instruments, from flat-top to archtop, acoustic, electric, or hybrid, not to mention 6-, 9-, and 12-string models, and you have the perfect instrument (if true traditional accuracy of style is not your highest aim).


That's how I see it. Of course, I play the things, so I'm prejudiced. I can make the case for banjo and fiddle, as well, but it's hard to argue that those are as popular as guitars.

Bob Clayton