There seems to be a dichotomy between the "performers" and the "collector/documentor" types. I suppose it depends on the nature of the group making the decision. I would guess that the larger the group involved, the greater the emphasis would be on the performers. The category seems to be "accompanied or unaccompanied music not rock or classical" which is quite broad. Fowke, Creighton, Lomax, Asch et al. deserve greater recognition for their contributions. I personally think that Lightfoot and Tyson are clear Canadian treasures. It's a long stretch to call them traditional, but then that may not be a requirement for recognition in a wide "folk" category. Tyson actually did a fair amount of traditional music in his early days. I have a hard time coming up with any traditional Lightfoot recordings, but there may be a song or two out there. Between the two of them are a lot of fine songs, some of which might be on the road to "traditional". Keelaghan & White have written some good songs too, but hardly qualify at this stage for a Hall of Fame lifetime achievement. Stan Rogers could likely bring up all the pro and con arguments that shadowed Roger Maris. If the Canadian goal is to show some respect for historical tradition with a worthy nominee, then go for one of the collectors. If the hope is to crack a US dominated Hall of FAme list with a Canadian electee, then maybe you should gather around Lightfoot. It's nearly 10 November plus 24 years.

rich r