I am sure that the best traditional singers and musicians practised their art, and thought carefully about their songs and how best to deliver them. I thought the notion of the unspoiled, unselfconscious yokel had been dismissed long ago. It's reported that Walter Pardon stopped singing when he judged his voice was no longer good enough. Fred Jordan was constantly adding songs to his repertoire, and was not averse to learning them from revival singers, and rather cultivated his "man of the soil" image. Some were semi-professional, providing music at local events around their area for cash or other payment, rather like many folk musicians today.
|