I don't think I've read any of the "what is folk music" threads, although I may have and might have even posted... don't remember. My definition of folksinger includes people who perform at folk music venues, whether they are singer/songwriters (many of whom I generally don't care for, although I like Cheryl Wheeler -not Crow-) or old rockers (Hilton Valentine of The Animals is now doing an acoustic skiffle act) or our late friend Rick Fielding (who covered many genres including original songs on many instruments) or my own bluegrass band ShoreGrass. My definition also includes singers on the back porch or in a song circle or jam. I vaguely remember hearing Charo sing and play her guitar and it seems to me it would not be American folk, but it might be folk from wherever she comes from.

I guess my definition, if I have one, is more inclusive than that of people who say Cheryl Wheeler is definitely not folk in their book.

To get back to the point of the thread, I love bluegrass and love (what I call) folk. Play both, in fact. Some of you already know without hearing me that what I do is definitely not your kind of folk, since I do many original songs accompanying myself on guitar. Others know it's not folk because we do bluegrass. And maybe some others feel as I do that there are some wonderful folk songs yet to be written by singer/songwriters playing acoustic guitar.

But I understand why some "bluegrass musicians don't like folk" and have tried to explain.