Thought it might be interesting to tabulate the "driving forces" mentioned in this thread. If nothing else, it impresses me enough to take a second look at my collection of recordings...

Buddy Holly
Kingston Trio
Chet Atkins
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Planxty, Bothy Band, etc.
Singing in church
PP&M, Simon and Garfunkel and all these old vinyl records me parents had
Judy Collins songbook
Leonard Cohen
Chieftains
A friend gave me a Sandy Denny record and some Pentangle records
Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, etc.
The Beatles
Beethoven
Harry Belafonte
Pete Seeger
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Midnight Special
Barbara Carins
Both my grandparents played and sang, and my parents too.
I can't remember not singing. I sang along to Perry Como, Dean Martin, and others.
I found Alan Lomax's *Folk Songs of North America* in the library.
I learned guitar to impress the girls
Sandy and Caroline Paton
The New Lost City Ramblers
The Beers
Hootenannies and coffee houses
Limeliters
Richard Dyer-Bennett, Jean Redpath...etc.
The Weavers
Burl Ives
"New Folk" with Hedy West, Jackie Washington, David Gude
And The Greenbriar Boys
I think it was the nuns.
My dad
Englebert Humperdinck
I borrowed a guitar, learned a couple of chords
Guthrie
LeadBelly
Van Ronk, Eric Von Scmidt, Geoff Muldaur, Rolf Cahn, etc.
The Rose of Tralee
Sink the Bismarck, Hey Little Devil
A guitarist (John Malcolm) who could play bass, rhythm and melody at the same time, who sang interesting songs
'Sam Hall', 'Whittington Fair' ...the one with Uncle Tom Cobbley and all (or perhaps, Widdecombe)
"Cycles"
Dave Isom, of The Bushwackers
Other sailors started me in folk/acoustic stuff
Ian & Sylvia
Tom Paxton
Joe & Eddie
Gordon Lightfoot
James Keelaghan
The Furies
I am mesmerized by ballads - the combination of poetry and music.
I've always been of the opinion that a good instrument is the best inspiration to play.
Christy Minstrels
"The Johnny Cash Show"
Saw an ad' re "Musos to start folk music club". Why wasn't I told about this bloody years ago?!
I grew up where evenings were spent singing songs such as The bonnie Swans, Famous Flower of Serving Men, The Bonnie Lass of Anglesey and so on.
The Great Irish Tenor John McCormick
Fairport, Steeleye Span
June Tabor, Nick Jones, Frankie Armstrong, Martin Carthy, The Watersons
Irish Rovers
Planxty, Anuna, the Wolfe Tones
My third grade teacher's daughter, Kat Eggleston
Walked into a music store and... bought my first guitar
Singing was something we loved to do to entertain ourselves.
Girl scouts and summer camp singing
Baez
Sing Along with Mitch
Hootenanny on TV
Ewan MacColl, Jean Redpath, Jean Ritchie, John and Tony, Young
Tradition, Coppers, Watersons, Jeanne Robertson