One of the golden rules of debate is 'when you are in a hole stop digging'.
Because people no longer sang around the fire as, in our experience, they did prior to 1975, this does not mean their memories were wiped clean overnight and they could no longer remember the songs.
Our work with Travellers started in 1973 and continued unbroken to 1990.
We then intermittently recorded them until 2004, so you were only 29 years out - not bad for you.
You may have noticed that this thread is a duologue - has it not occured to you that our inability to agree is putting others off participating?
I suggest you get on with it without me. Should I have a point to make I will do so, but as I am more likely to get a more considered response by talking to my garden shed I doubt if it will be directed at anything you have to say.
Please don't involve me
Jim Carroll