I never said there's anything wrong with making a buck. And there is certainly nothing wrong with getting paid. But that's not what folk music is all about. You make the music -- and you get other people to make music with you -- whether you're paid or not. And I'll say it again, folk music is not a genre. Any song can become a folk song. It's a matter of attitude.

One of the best folksingers I have heard in a long time is a middle aged woman whose name I believe is Betty. I don't know her last name. She's a school security officer at the Renaissance Charter School in the Borough of Queens, New York City. Once a month the school has a sing-around potluck for the children, the staff, the parents, and guests. When the turn came to Betty she first sang "The Wagoner's Lad" and then the next time sang "Silver Dagger," both songs a capella with just a hint of Gospel and blues in her voice. And she got everyone else to sing along, but quietly enough so her unamplified voice carried through the large room. I was floored. I would sooner listen to her any day than to any one of a dozen polished professional acts which call themselves folk but who don't possess one one-hundredth of Betty's soul.

--- Steve