Charlotte - I doubt WalkaboutsVerse has considered all the ramifications of the word 'authentic', especially in regard to folkies and folk music. 'Authenticity' is a chimera ... 'what we consider as authentic always shows us more about ourselves and our values than about the object under consideration.' That's from book I've been reading recently and would recommended to anyone interested in serious study of folk music and just what we mean by the term: Matthew Gelbard's "The invention of 'folk music' and 'art music'"

I've been so impressed with it I quoted it recently in another current and very contentious - not to say 'ghastly' thread ... in answer to Richard Bridge's perpetual harking back to the 1954 definition of folk music.

We can all benefit from opening our eyes, ears and minds to new ways of thinking about traditional music. Does being a 'folkie' mean you HAVE to be as set in your ways and views as some 19th century antiquarians? I hope not, for folk's sake.

Sue (the view from this side of the pond)