I can give you an example of one song and it's many varients that speak to the changes in me over the years. Back in the early 1950's, the first folk song I heard and learned was "Foggy, Foggy Dew," pretty much as sung by Burl Ives. My mentor of the time was the late "Willi Waw Willi." I sang this version often until I heard and learned the fine version that Sandy Paton recorded in the late 50's. I sang that for some years. In fact it ended up on an obscure record that several of us made at the Seattle World's Fair in 1962.

Much later, I learned the version as recorded by Ewin McCall. I still prefer this version as it's much slower, deeper, and much more thoughtful. There is no way I could have performed it in my younger years.

What I found interesting is that when the version from the 1962 resord surfaced recently, I at first thought, "Hey. What a neat version." I didn't even recognise that it was me, at first. When I was recently asked to sing that version at a gathering, I did so, but then I followed it with Ewin's slower varient. The effect was quite startling.

The point I'm trying to make is that I have aged (matured?) over the years, my tastes have also. And this is very true of most of the singers I know. CHEERS, Bob