One of the great things about the Internet is it allows you to have international discussion For many years, I have been involved with Billy Bragg www.billybragg.co.uk great site, great labor (labour) songs and political threads with a US twist.
Well the subject of music comes up alot and through these discussions, you find out a lot of interesting things. Like the Village Folk Music - which was suppose to be so unique and primal wasn't the first
There was an interest in traditional roots music (for lack of a better word) years before the village revival.
It all started somewhere in the 40's when Blues greats Leadbelly, Big Bill Bronzy, and, Josh White started touring Europe and the UK and found a new audience. They also inspired some folks to pick up guitars and play along.
One of them was a jazz singer/banjo player from Glassgow named Lonnie Gleason Donnegan. He was singing with this trumpeter Ken Collyer Collyer was playing Dixieland or traditional jazz as it was known over there. without all of the details known, Lonnie Donegan cuts a version of Leadbelly's "Rock Island Line" and it becomes a smash hit in the Uk. Suddenly, its a monstrous hit and all of these folks started picking up guitars, wash tub basses, harmonicas and the like. One of them was a group of chaps from Liverpool who were called "The "Quarryman" who later became ....whats their name Oh The Beatles.
Lonnie Donegan was not a guitar virtuoso. He did not develop all of the intricities of Leadbelly and Josh White as did Bert Janch or John Renborun or the Late Dave Van Ronk and Stephan Grossman.
But he had drives, guts and a legitimate love for the music
So whenever I talk to my friends who rant and rave about the Village and what they did and sometimes have to say "You weren't the first"