Ron-

"Wrong. Folk music comes out of a community"

Yes and no.

Prior to war, civil rights, alt lifestyles issues several important dimensions of our world opened the ears if you will of a new generation.

Very complex.

Part rebellion against urbanization - anything non tech anti tech non urban would do.

Part rebellion against two generations of musical tastes that of their grandparents and of their parents.

What was the old music- commercial, crosby, sentatra....of the grand parents tin pan alley. Manufactured hits, commercialism- anything anti comercialism would do =music of the people

Perhaps going back to the ancient song hall a bit of a retro look- the days of the follow the bouncing ball (still seen in pizza chains in the 70s) desire to sing and not be sung at.

They could have turned to jazz but it was far too abstract and additionally within the fifties possibly a bit of something from the shaddows- night club, drugs, tobacco and possibly a bit on the far side of the racial divide....too alt culture

Lots of other things happened as well....but many dimensions make the receptivity for group change.

So the ears were open to a product to fit them. Folk music was that product. However those with the power of possessing the stages and media provided a product, their personal product flavored with their interests- as seger says lefty politics, civil rights. (nothing wrong with those issues or their freedom to do so) So they got the product but in a flavor manipulated by those with the power who as we have seen generally flowed politically one way.

Any folk music would have done the job. There was much in Seegers work that was popular as his political however he only had one flavor of political and so did most of those with the power of the media and the stages. So as the issues came along into the ears went the only thing that was available and out came then your community. Lefty single side single issue folks. Behold the power of folk music a phrase seeger used a few times in the documentary.

Now when the issues were resolved and the sounds of the community marketed and packaged in the great american age set market place america moved on to other issues and Under Regan heightened community and the patriotism that lasted to the first gulf war. People in this new community seeing only the one sided one issue culture in the previous generation found it branded and the brand was not of their liking so folk music wound down.

That is why at the concert of seeger related lefty music at Glen Echo the audience was predominantly over 56.

No you dont have to have balance but if you refrain from branding the entire community and genre things have more potential for growth.

Conrad