The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #155631   Message #3663597
Posted By: PHJim
25-Sep-14 - 10:41 AM
Thread Name: fifties popsongs that started as folk
Subject: RE: fifties popsongs that started as folk
GUEST,cj - PM
Date: 24 Sep 14 - 02:24 AM

"GsS mentioned Freight Train, which is an interesting one as it was written, I believe, by one person - Elizabeth Cotton - and only introduced to the world reasonably recently prior to its adoption into the world of coffee shops. I'd always considered it a blues in the Mississippi John Hurt style - did this blues become a folk song because it was covered by skiffle groups?"

I have always considered Mississippi John Hurt's songs and Libba Cotton's songs folk music. I would put most blues in the category of folk music. While I sure don't want to get into the discussion of "What is folk music?" if John Hurt and Libba Cotton aren't folk singers, then who is?