I was five. Somebody sang the first stanza and chorus of "The Streets of Laredo" in a B-western on our first TV. Spooky, scary, haunting.

I was seven. Memorized all of "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," which was folksy enough at the time.

I was nine. "Hang Down Your Head, Tom Dooley," in the Kingston Trio version. Not drippy like most pop songs, not loud and crazy like rock 'n' roll. Stark, that's it!

High-school and later: Lomax's "Folk Songs of North America": many great songs, fascinating commentary. The Clancy Bros. and Tommy Makem, MacColl and Lloyd (sea songs esp.), The Dubliners, Mississippi John Hurt, Hobart Smith, Dave Swarbrick, field recordings, bluegrass fiddling, Steeleye Span, The Chieftains, Dalglish and Larsen, Silly Sisters, Bothy Band, Kevin Burke, Connie Dover.

No epiphanies since.