"Might I also suggest that there was some benefit to folk clubs from folk comedians,They brought more bums on seats,some of those bums,learned to appreciate,serious folk music,in the same way Fairport brought young people in through electric folk,who later went on and developed as traditional style musicians."

Ah, Cap'n - the old 'trickle down theory' (combined with the 'arse education theory' - novel!) - I've never been very convinced by it myself. A competing theory might involve words like 'dilution' and 'marginalisation' (of folk/traditional music).

"It is for this reason that the "meaning of folk" is not just an academic discussion.This finacial consideration gives many people a vested interest in enlarging, or changing, the category of "folk" so that includes themselves, but not others."

Yes, Greg - exactly! Thank you for making this point so eloquently.