Michaelr, yes American folk music has roots in British folk music, but it has also absorbed other influences and evolved differently. In particular, the use of instruments and especially the guitar to accompany singing has shaped the melodic and harmonic structure of tunes, giving many them a distinctly American flavour. It was the American influence of the early folk revival which established the guitar as a folk instrument in Britain and which most directly influenced the "contemporary folk" style.

I am not suggesting this divide is somehow the fault of the Americans, simply trying to explain how it may have arisen, why it is a deeper divide than may be apparent to outsiders, and we we get so worked up about it. It lies at the root of all the interminable "what is folk?" and "what can be sung in a folk club? threads which are never satisfactorily resolved.

Nevertheless, as I have pointed out before, the divide may appear to be deeper and more acrimonious on Mudcat than it is in the real world. Those clubs which take a firm "trad only" or "contemporary only" line usually make this pretty clear in their publicity. Most other clubs have a fairly broad tolerance of what can be performed.