Hi Maryrrf,

If you want to include just one song in your programme from the Eastern shores of the Atlantic, to indicate how the folk revival took off over here, then I think you should choose one of Ewan MacColl's.

"The shoals of herring" would be a good choice, but "The thirty-foot trailer", or I'm a free-born man", or "First time ever I saw your face" or "Dirty old town", or "The Springhill mine disaster", or any one of a dozen others would do as well.

The man himself was far from flawless, and he made some big errors. But nobody over here did as much to show that the energy and vitality of the ballad tradition could be poured into new songs about events and issues of our own time. (On your side of the pond, his brother-in-law, Pete Seeger also achieved a lot in this area.)

Of course, there's a case for including one of those magnificent traditional songs like "Bushes and briars" or "The seeds of love" in any programme of folk songs that were popular in the '60s. But these songs had already been appreciated for a long time before then. What was different about the '60s was that many people began to realise that folk music was not just about preserving the glories of the past. They discovered that we could channel the spirit of the old ballad tradition into new songs about our own experiences.

Many people were initially attracted by new songs that spoke directly about the concerns of the present day, but later learned to love the older songs that provided the templates for them. And I still believe that if we hope to attract a wider audience for traditional folk music, then we must start with songs which address issues relevant to our present situation.

I hope that your show goes well - don't forget to tell us all about it afterwards.

Wassail!