I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Ewan MacColl was the only true genius that I have ever met. If he was a fraud then he certainly fooled me! Having said that, I do not appear to have suffered any ill effects as the result of being 'hoodwinked'!
When I was in my teens and early twenties one of my great joys was hearing Ewan singing ballads - preferably live; he was an absolutely brilliant singer and he sang wonderful songs that few other people seemed to be singing. Then, as now, it seemed impossible to escape from the trite and superficial world of rock and pop (which I find soooo f...king booooorrrinng!!!). Ewan, and a handful of others on the folk scene were offering something different and with so much more depth and colour and emotional satisfaction. Ewan was the King - and still is, as far as I am concerned.