Folk music and folk music history surely don't HAVE to be mutually exclusive. Some of the clips especially of the "source singers" in episode 1 of Folk Britannia were breathtaking (wish there'd been more, but possibly that's as far as the Beeb archives stretch) - and made it well worth ploughing through some more controversial editorial sections.

In this thread, greg stephens made a great point about ceilidh bands and the like who perform for parties, municipal "dos" and the like. They're entertaining people too and probably conform more to a folk context than anything else now available.

Therefore, please can I ask anyone - ANYONE - performer or punter or both! - from NE England who has recollections of the nascent ceilidh band circuit before 1975 (or the more traditional dance bands like the Cheviot Ranters that had been going on around the area for much longer) to PM me? I'd like to write their experiences into my own little folk music history project. Which - try as I might to avoid it - will be every bit as editorialized as anyone else's. That's how it goes, I guess.

Also, "Guest, wordy" - please would you PM me and let me know if I can ask you about your experiences round the NE folk scene?   

Sorry for drifting off topic here, but, hell, you've got to take every opportunity you can get!