In fact, at the risk of appearing vain, I quote the end of my obit below, as it is not easy to access now, and it is a judgment which I would stand by and I believe has something to contribute to this thread: "A certain penchant for 'soupiness' [a word his own father had used of Ives's ventures into a more pop sort of music] persisted as an aspect of Burl Ives's work, especially later in his career, when the revival work of men like Ives, Josh White and Richard Dyer Bennett in the US and Elton Hayes in Britain, was superseded by the more energetic - and politicised - American singing of the likes of Pete Seeger, and the more authentic (and politicised) British singing of Ewan MacColl and A L Lloyd. Folk music eventually overtook Burl Ives and left him far behind. But his name remains one that folk people continue nevertheless peculiarly to honour." {The Guardian, 15 April 1995}