I remeber a folk festival which I will not name where too many "singer/songwriters" sang too many of their own songs with lyrics and melodies that were fortuneately forgettable. Several of these singer/songwriters must have known because they hyped their songs before and after. The one redeeming singer/songwriter was Tom Paxton who did not even introduce his songs. He just sang them and his audience knew them. And it was not an American festival so he was not even in his own country. I am enjoying this thread. The irony is that many of his songs are now in the tradition, and the songs' shelf life will be (I will not be around to prove it) significant.