Walter's grandfather, he said, was musical and could note down tunes from broadsides. Walter also said his singing style was his own, and not traditional. For me, when you pick away at these claims that people are 'traditional folk singers' so much of it appears to be based upon rosy tinted spectacles rather than on reasoned argument.

Ironically, I used to subscribe to a similar view of 'folk music' as being the music of the people. It was Jim Carroll's rantings that put me off it.