"Why aren't kids interested in songs about mules, anymore? When I was a kid, I grew up in farm country, and while no one I knew rode a mule to town on Saturday night, most of my uncles were farmers, and I could connect with their life, and the songs that reflected it."


Jerry, I think you hit on something very important. As you mentioned, you had a connection to the songs and could trace a thread.   I think during the folk revival, many people had similar connections, OR they were looking for a connection to a different era as the world was rapidly changing. There were so many reasons, but I think that, for the generations that came of age during the 50's and 60's, folk music made a connection.

With all the changes that have occured since then, new generations require a different type of music. Art mentioned that the current CD that came with Sing Out! did not appeal to his tastes, but I would hazard a guess that to younger audiences the music does have considerable appeal.

This also started me thinking about the very premise of "audience". A big part of the folk revival was focused on the fact that the music allowed individuals to make their own entertainment. It was really the commercial intervention of the folk revival that created the "audience" portion - shifting the focus from participatory to spectator.

I know that people are still making their own music, but are they doing in the same style and for the same reasons that made it possible 50 years ago?