Not that you are being overly defensive or anything chris'nightbird'childs. Perhaps you could tell us where you live in the US, so we can understand your angst about 'folk' not being 'wide spread' where you are.

I live in Minnesota, and we have tons of folk music here. As nearly every other American poster to this thread has pointed out, there is TONS of folk music in the US, though the Anglo American variety is now pretty obscure here just as it is in the UK.

That is what you are lamenting isn't it? A lack of Anglo American folk music?