Dylan certainly influenced more people.

However Mac Coll was tremendous. He would always talk and discuss with you - try writing to Dylan.

He was so generous with his talent - trailing round England to tiny folk clubs even as an elderly man with a heart condition. He gave England something that Americans can only dream about - folk clubs ad hoc, all over the place, forming and re-forming.

Places where massive mature talents rub shoulders with greenhorns, totally unpatronising.

Americans on mudcat always say we wish we had a folk club. And you say - just form one, like we do. And there's a glum silence. LIke they think the local nutter will turn up with an AK47.

MacColl was amongst the first one to form a folk club. And when he'd shown us how it was done - he donated his enormous talent.