The answer to the actual thread question is surely that he was one of a complex of influences which the zeitgeist threw up just then. all different in nature, but all tending to a 'folk revival' centre ~~ LD himself being part of, in US, such as Broonzy leading to the Lomaxes [or perhaps vice versa], Burl Ives, Josh White, Tom Glazer, Doc Watson, Mrs Gladden, Pete Seeger & the Weavers, Woody Guthrie, Dave van Ronk, PPM, Kingstons, et al, et al, et al, + succeeding generation of Rinzler, Gitter, Gina Glazer, Paton ...

... & over here those as different as Ewan MacColl & Bert Lloyd on one hand, the Chas McDevitt Skiffle Group, Hyam Morris's skifflers, &c, on the other; with Nancy Whiskey, Jimmy McGregor & Robin Hall, Stan Kelly, Dominic Behan, Peggy Seeger, Shirley Collins, the McEwen Bros Rory & Alex: followed by a next generation of Martin Carthy, →→ Nic Jones, June Tabor, Tony Rose, Dransfields...

Without any of these + their obvious contemps [fill in your own list], the tendency of posts on Mudcat wouldn't be as it is ~~ if, indeed, there were a Mudcat at all.

So the question in the thread title is a great imponderable; & quite a few other names could replace the one who is its ostensible subject. Couldn't they?

~Michael~