"that's what "folk" music was..the pop (short for "popular" BTW *LOL*) music of it's time. "

Actually, that is not exactly true. A song like Barbara Allen probably was unknown beyond the regions where it was collected. Certainly Tom Dooley was a local song before recordings came about. Often the songs we hear and call "folk song" are the ones that were lucky enough to be collected and then RESURRECTED by musicians and fans since the folk revival.   I wonder if we would still be singing Sloop John B if Carl Sandburg did not sing it as part of his readings.