One thing that's emerging in some of the comments above is what happens as our voices age. In general, men's speaking voices get higher and women's get lower, until by the age of 80 (or something like that) they are indistinguishable in terms of pitch.

Something similar has got to be happening to our singing voices as we get older, and although there are no doubt plenty of youthful Mudcatters out there, I know that there are a good proportion of folk singers in their 50s, 60s and 70s. We can't stop getting older, but some training in singing techniques will help us to maintain a good range and slow down the rate at which our voices change into those of quivery, whiny old men or growly, plummy old women.

And although I have commented above that voice teachers may try to push you up to sing up to the top of your vocal range, I still recommend trying some vocal training. You don't have to sing in a range or a style that you don't feel comfortable with - it's your voice and you have the final decision about what you do with it. A good teacher will understand and respect that.

Marje