Howard's point about role models is a good one. I bought a Fylde guitar because Nic Jones played one, and nicked my granddad's collarless shirt out of his wardrobe because Martin Carthy wore one on the cover of 'Crown of Horn'.

More signicantly, my guess is that the popularity of the English concertina - not previously a 'folk' instrument - in the folk revival is to a large degree down to Alistair Anderson.