Don thanks for that post. When I stop to think about it, while stories abound about Burl Ives testimony I have yet to see any documentation of his actual statement. What was the source of the Ives' quotation you provided above?

I would agree that Ives influence on the revival of interest in folk music was marginal at best. What he did do is provide a source for folk music at a time when there were few others singing folk songs on major media. He influenced others, such as me, to learn guitar and among the first songs I learned were songs from Burl Ives Wayfaring Stranger Lp and his songbook. When the revival finally began, I recognized that I was hearing music related to that which I had heard from Burl Ives. I had far less interest in his more commercial phase but did admire him as an actor.