the club where I saw Ewan and Peggy and where I bought the lp was Farningham,this club was very successful,in fact there was a friday and a sunday club[singers club ]the residents were Skinners Rats and Pete Hicks,
In complete contrast with my experience with Ewan, this club was very encouraging to all types of folk music,floorsingers[I remember Brixton Bert,SimonPrager/SteveRye JeffDale all blues singers and good ones doing floorspots and pretty broad in its booking policy].
now this must have been about 1970,Stephane Grappeli was booked one night and people were being turned away,this was about the same time that Ewan and Peggy were booked.
so as far back as 1970 there were sucessful folk clubs with booking policies.
Jim Carroll said.
Subject: RE: Peggy Seeger's Cockney Leadbelly??
From: Jim Carroll - PM
Date: 01 Jun 08 - 04:48 AM

WMD
Not being 'purposefully obtuse' - Peggy laid out her stall fairly openly and honestly in her letter to The Living Tradition; she apologised for for her behaviour and 'confessed to her own wrongdoings'. I'm happy to grant her 'absolution' - how about you? As far as I'm concerned, she has no reason to apologise for the actions of her half-brother.
It's more than a little slick to blame the decline of the clubs on 'backbiting'.
My experience leads me to believe that they have reached the present sorry state because a parasitic growth has choked the life out of them to the extent that the term 'folk' has become meaningless and can now refer to anything from the Child ballads to the compositions of George Gershwin or William McGonagall.
Jim Carroll .
Well, I can remember going to a club in 1967,and hearing Ron Geesin,Ron on occassions during his gig used to recite Mcgonagle.
The reciting of Mcgonagle,and a fairly broad repertoire including blues ,American folk songs and bluegrass,has been going on for over forty years,.
to say they are in a sorry state,because of a catholic inclusion of Mcgonagle,child ballads,and others in the booking policies/and or floor spots at folk clubs,is historically inaccurate.
in fact I can recall seeing
Jug bands,Stephane Grappelli,PeteStanley,
Ron Geesin,GerryLockran,Ralph Mctell,Roy Harper, Derek Brimstone Red Clay Ramblers,Between the period 1966 and 1970.