By the time I read the last couple messages in this thread I'd forgotten the responses I might have made to the earlier ones. . . One of the hazards of being an Old Folkie, I guess.

These items are not arguments, but follow-up comments:
1. Don, I thought of your point about Pete and the Weavers post-McCarthy when I saw the first post with his name. It was about three years ago that he celebrated his birthday by doing a benefit concert for School of the Americas Watch and an Arizona anti-Nuclear group at the New York Ave. Presbyterian Church in DC, sharing the bill with Odetta. Packed. And just as full of spirit and resistance as ever!

2. "GUEST Pete," Melanie is on tour right now. I live in the Tampa Bay area, and recently saw her name in the calendar listing for touring artists. Our local Community Radio Station has been giving her new album air play during drive time.

3. Finally, "GUEST MW Harrison," while I was recently checking local venue schedules for an upcoming concert, I saw a reference to Roger McGuin - whose name I admit I did not recognize. As it turns out, his web page has a touring schedule that begins on the current date and has him criss-crossing the country for 13 gigs between now and May. I had seen his name because he's doing the Tarpon Springs (FL) Performing Arts Ctr. in November, a week before John McCutcheon's area concert. Roger's website also references his last album as Grammy-nominated for 2000-2001 in the folk category. I checked, and it's a collaboration with Pete, Joan Baez, Odetta, Judy Collins, Tommy Makem, et. al.

Like earlier post-ers, I suggest that there is widespread lack of agreement on the meaning of the term "folk star." If folk music grows out of the experience of the people, using vernacular musical idioms and "period" instruments, then Springsteen's "Rising" album and Tom Petty's new independent album about corporate sellouts are just as much "folk" as Pat Humphries' "Buy This American Car" and McCutcheon's "Talking Pat and Jerry Blues" and "The List" are.

Yipes! Sorry for getting carried away.   M.