I liked and respected Ewan MacColl. he was a great man and a great artist.

But a lot more people listened to the Kingston Trio, and a lot of people stopped listening when they packed in. A lot of people were listening to folk music in those days who would never have sat through Ewan singing the ballad of Tam Linn.

we could do with people like that nowadays, people who can communicate folk music with a mass audience and get folk songs into ordinary households - otherwise children will never learn these songs of their heritage.

In England The spinners did it it and The Corries, and they were largely despised for their efforts. They never had the mass success the Kingston Trio enjoyed in America though - I would think only Lonnie Donnegan made albums with folksongs on, that lots of people bought - having said that not many people bought albums - as I remember. Perhaps Nina and frederick also should be given credit. we had few tv channels in those days and there was always a folk music slot on a BBC early evening programme called Tonight.

The present tendency of serious folk artists to strive after an authentic ethnic sound makes that sort of exposure for ordinary people to folk music very unlikely nowadays.

I guess its perhaps different in America - a different set of circumstances that I don't understand. But really I would think you need as many people behind the folk music barricades with you as possible - the barbarians are not just at the gates, they are already here!