Folk song is simply the music of the people, we need to differentiate between traditional music and modern music.

I'm sure there are many here who would readily accept the songs of writers like Stan Rodgers or John Richards as 'folk songs' If you merely apply a qualification of antiquity to make a song a 'folk song' then will everything that is in the charts this week eventually become a folk song? I don't think so!

I think it's got more to do with lyrical style, content and having a musical style that fits the tradition from which it comes. As a 'for instance' I've written several songs based around local historic stories and legend, personally, I'm very comfortable with describing those songs as 'folk songs'

Bounty Hound John