"It resembled a belief system, one that arrived fully formed and worked if you didn't ask the wrong questions."
Sorry Glueman - this means nothing whatever to me. I have no idea what 'belief sytem you are comparing our attitude to (get a little tired of being referred to as 'a traditionalist - equally meaningless to me - but let that pass).
I came to folk music largely via the BBC project material: Harry Cox - farm labourer, Jeannie Robertson - Scots Traveller, Sam Larner - East Anglian herring fisherman, Maggie Barry - street, singer Mark Anderson - lead miner, Colm Keane - West of Ireland small farmer.... and all the other 'folk'. I assumed pretty well from the start that it was to people like these I would have to go to if I wanted to learn more about the music and songs that had bowled me over.
If you are trying to tell me that I got it wrong and that I should have taken into consideration Rickie Nelson and Buddy Holly and Sandford Clark and Connie Francis.... and all the other singers I was listening to at the time, I'm afraid you aren't making much of a fist of it.
It is all about the music, and of course it's as much yours as it it mine - we appear to be having trouble deciding which music we are talking about.
Jim Carroll