The Captain is right on course with this one. MacColl had worked for close on twenty years. he was someone talked about with awe on the USA scene. I owned several American collections of folksongs where The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face was published as a folksong written by Ewan MacColl - long before it was widely known in England. In the early '60's, he must have seen songs like Where have all the Flowers gone, and feel his moment was surely arriving - only to have it dashed away from him by someone younger, sexier, more dynamic as recording artist - it must have been a very bitter pill to swallow.

His revenge was terrible however and must have been beyond his wildest imaginings. mainly due to his crazy followers and disciples, who interpreted his fit of pique as licence to reject and destroy the entire contemporary folksong movement in England.

Take a look at footage of American folk festival bills of those early years - the big names on the bill are the contemporary artists. the traditional section is almost afterthought - a repectful nod to posterity. In England, this got turned round totally. And its still pretty much where its at.