most performers learn songs because they like them, however as a performer in a folk club the situation becomes more complicated, here is my particular case.. in a folk club most people who turn up to see me, expect certain to hear certain types of songs, in a pub in ireland the situation is slightly different and a different repertoire has to be used in a singers club in ireland a different repertoire again, all the songs I would sing would all be classified as folk songs although once or twice in uk folk clubs in the past at the request of concertina afficianados, i have played instrumentals such as yesterday, washington post, dill pickle rag, none of which i consider to be traditional or folk material., hoever the majority of the material during the evening would be what I think of as folk songs[ Ido not need any 1954 definition] I know one when i hear one, much as Walter Pardon did
people who go to see Jim Bainbridge, expect a different repertoire, and he does some excellent songs, is the song that he sings about JESUS A FOLK SONG? , all i know is that it is a good song, is the song about The Half Crown a folk song?possibly possibly not , but it is a good song.
I have in the past sung THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, it is a modern song, is it a folk song?, well it is written in a folk style, but in my opinion it is a good song[regardless of whether it is a folk song or not].
Then we have Brian Peters, he chooses to sing a song about Fish and Chips, He clearly likes the song, I doubt if he worries about whether he thinks it is a folk song, before he sang it, or whether it fitted the 1954 definition, personally I prefer him singing tradtional ballads, but I am sure others would disagree, and I am sure Brian thought carefully more about whether it fitted in to a concert to give contrast humour and light relief rather than whether it fitted the feckin 1954 definition.