This example is not folk, I hastily note, but in the mid 1960s, I booked Eddy Arnold to appear with the Phoenix Symphony. I believe we were the second symphony orchestra to book him for a "Pops" concert (Dallas Symphony was first). Country fans were agahst! Eddy is country! Eddy is accompanied by steel guitar, maybe one or two fiddles, a piano, trap drums, one or two guitars, a bass fiddle; not a 90 piece symphony orchestra!

Classical music audiences were aghast too. Symphony orchestras perform Beethoven, Bach, Motzart! "Tennessee Waltz?" Never!

Before I left the orchestra, we had Eddy Arnold back three times to perform "Pop" concerts.

The performances were super! Eddy had full orchestral arrangements of all of his hits, and the orchestra members loved him.

Some folks came to the first concert expecting to hear the Tennessee Plowboy, with his usual accompaniment. Some wanted their money back when they realized he was appearing with a symphony orchestra. Those that did, I told could get their money back if they didn't enjoy the concert.

The orchestra performed the first half and did repertoire normally associated with a symphony orchestra. The pieces were a bit lighter than might be found on a regular symphony concert (Copland's Rodeo Suite, Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite, etc.) and Eddy did the second half of the program with his own musical director conducting.

No one left the concert. No one asked for their money back. Classical music lovers found that "Country" wasn't all that bad, and "Country" fans learned that listening to classical music didn't really cause warts.

So what's wrong with that? What's wrong with Arlo Guthrie trying a new medium?

The music purists, regardless of whether it is classical, pop, rock, blues, or folk, IMO, are among the most intolerant of the intolerants.

Likely, the first musician was a vocalist. Suppose, because someone criticized him/her, he/she would never have picked up a reed and made a flute? Or strung a gut string on a rudimentary fiddle of some kind, and made an instrument that could be played with a bow?

I guess all folksingers would now perform acappella!

DougR