Back in the 1950s at primary school, looking back, the songs I enjoyed most, were what, I later discovered, to be 'folk'. Then in the 60s whilst everyone else at school was 'into' the Stones etc I was drawn to Peter Paul & Mary,& Bob Dylan. But it was hearing Joan Baez singing on the BBC, and discovering that what she sang was originally a British ballad, that 'changed my life'! We had our own folk tradition in Britain, what a discovery! Folk music, to my mind, is the finest, and purest, achievment of 'the common man', telling their stories, their loves, hates, deaths etc. As to what is 'folk'?
Wellit's hard to discribe, but you KNOW it when you hear it.   Sailoron