I used to know what a folk singer was. I'm not sure I do any more. I think that it was first applied to Carl Sandburg when he gave his concerts and poetry readings. I think that it was also a term used if not invented (folk music) by the Lomax's but I'm not sure.

However, I think I know a folk song presentation by someone who is part of a musical/cultural tradition although sometimes the lines about that are blurry. For example, Uncle Dave Macon was a showman, professional entertainer for medicine shows and on the Grand Ol' Opry but I think he was a real folksinger.

Jo Stafford had rural roots and put out a lovely album of folk music. She was a professional pop singer in the forties. Many would argue that she wasnt a real folksinger but I wonder if it really mattered that she wasnt? She conveyed her roots when she sang those songs.

Was Burl Ives, a professional actor and student of German Leider with an operatic coach a real folksinger?

What I think that Steve is trying to do is diffuse the pretense that some have when presenting themselves as folk singers. We usta' say that someone was "folkier than thou".

Burl Ives did a lot to present the image of a folksinger to the public. Josh White was a blues singer though he sang many folk songs. Is the blues folk music? I think so.

The point being made here is that there is something wonderfully authentic and real in the performance from someone who is a "carrier" of a tradition of music. But it can be also presented by someone who isn't steeped in it maybe from birth. The "real" part of the statement is to me the most important point that Steve is making.

I can't tell you what a real folksinger is but I can feel when they sing with truth and honesty.

Frank