Yes, Nigel, that's pretty much where I was headed with what I wrote. The problem with "folk" is that it really does mean all kinds of things to all kinds of people, and although I have my own idea of what it means and clearly so do others on this thread it's not necessarily a globally accepted notion, nor do we necessarily agre with each other even on this forum. There are also many positive and negative connotations, depending on the experiences and prejudices of the listener.
Which is why I'm not losing any sleep over it all, but I still stumble over trying to tell people what kind of music I play. My best moment was with a class of kids in an inner London school ..."Oh good," said one tactful child. "I like folk music. Except I can't remember ... is it fast or slow?"

Anne