There is no reason in the world why a club shouldn't be able to get together enough singers to hold decent singing evenings as long as people are prepared to make the effort - if they are not - why bother?
I believe that, with few very rare exceptions, anybody can become at least a proficient singer is they are prepared to work at it
Professionalism doesn't necessarily mean good - enough evidence of this to be found, god knows.
The best guest evenings I ever attended were by non-professionals anyway - Sam Larner, Harry Cox, The Stewarts, Joe Heaney, Kevin Mitchell, Walter Pardon... hardly card-carrying members of the M.U. but far more entertaining that most of the professionals I ever heard sing.
If there are enough people locally to make setting up a singing session, it is inconceivable that there aren't enough people capable of forming a good team of residents if the incentive is created without having to rely on the services of outsiders.
All too often, relying on guests became a reason for not making sure that a club developed its own quality performers - if a club is going to be of any value whatever, it has to be on the basis of a strong resident team and not having to rely on outside help.
There's nothing wrong with booking guests, but the democracy of the early folk clubs which allowed us to make our own music, sing our own songs and become aware of our own traditions without having to have them sold to us by professionals was what made folk song unique, just as being able to scratch together a group with tea-chest bases and guitars and sing and play skiffle was equally unique.
Jim Carroll