Hi, Chris - I think traditional folk music is doing fairly well in the U.S. - you just have to look a little harder. It doesn't have the commercial backing it has in the UK; but it's here, and it's healthy. I've been to traditional singing sessions in Washington, DC, in Oregon and Washington State, in Denver, in Boston, in Connecticut, and in various places in California. Our Song Circle Locations PermaThread hasn't been updated for a while, but it will give you a good idea how widespread traditional singing is.
-Joe Offer-