Sorry Breezy, have to disagree there. I've been playing in Rock bands for 40-plus years - and there are songs I've sung since day one that would make me a rich man if I had a quid for every time I've sung them, but I simply cannot remember the words. Nothing to do with laziness, lack of commitment, or lack of preparation (is a few thousand performances enough?), it's a case of lack of memory. No-one would suggest the the leader of the RPO was a bad performer, yet he (or is he a she?) reads every performance.

Should a fine singer or player be denied the opportunity to perform simply because his memory's not great? Don't think so - were the Three Tenors' concerts any less brilliant because they had the score in front of them? Did the audience berate them for reading the words? No fear - they listened to the music and ignored the music stands. Folk's no different (or rather it wouldn't be if self-appointed Folk-Moderators didn't keep inventing petty rules on the basis of their own personal prejudices) :-)

Yes, I'm with you in that it's better to know the words and it's certainly easier to give a performance if you do but, as I said earlier (and I stand by it), I've seen many a fine performance from readers (one-who-shall-not-be-named-but-who-is-a-rapidly-burgeoning-and-mind-blowingly-good-star-in-the-making springs to mind, who has his notes on little cards in a holder taped to the top side of his guitar so you'd barely realise he was reading, and he deftly whips the card out and into his back pocket at the end of each song, leaving the next one visible, but only to him!) and I've seen some crap from people who've managed to memorise the words but who'll never be musicians as long as they've got a hole in their arse.

IMHO!

There, I feel better now so I'll step down off me soapbox. What's the beer like at the Spotlight? (LOL!). I promise to only do songs I can remember! (LOLA!) That's if I'm still booked! (ROFLMAO!) :-)
S:0)