Great thread, I have to applaud Don's remarks.

I'm in favor of training. Problem is, you then have to have the ear and skill to use your new tools within folk song appropriately. Some people don't have that ear, or instinct, or it takes a long time to develop. That's where the phony or classical 'feel' pops up and ruins the effect. So I'm all for getting some training, then using it with care.

Coming from the other direction, there are a lot of 'natural' singers who've done a CD or two who just aren't going to go any further because they think they need no work on technique. Folk singers particularly can linger on their consonants so that everything is pinched and nasal, or mumble a la Bob Dylan, at full mic, so that none of the clever lyrics are ever heard. I might enjoy hearing you do a song or two, but a whole evening or CD can get tiresome. You may start thinking you're being slighted by audiences in favor of those with better looks or more 'star quality' or connections, when it's an annoying vocal style that's dragging you down. Think it over, if the audience doesn't 'get it' like you'd like, maybe you need a vocal tuneup.