"Jim maintains that dilution of real folk music is what caused all the ills that heralded the decline"
Sorry Al - you miss my point
I don't believe dumbing down played any part in the decline - that was right at the beginning - things improved from there
Some time in th late seventies an article appeared in The Folk Review entitled "Crap Begets Crap", initially complaining about poor organisation and noisy audiences, but over the editions if dovetailed out to what was being presented as 'folk' at clubs and the lowering of standards of performance
Around that time a pamphlet appeared by Birmingham student, Trevor fisher, entitled, 'We're Only in n For the Money' based on an interview he had recorded from a folk superstar at Loughborough who, when asked why he performed the way he did, he replied "for the Money"
Things seemed to go downhill from there - crappy singing from singers who couldn't be arsed to learn their songs, long, interminable singers from the floor spots which often deprived those residents and guests who had made the effort of a chance to sing - until finally, it became a reguar occurrence to leave a night at a folk club without hearing a folk song.
I was lucky - I had the Singers Club, which had a fairly firm policy and a level of performance that showed respect for the songs and audience.
We even had a venue to bring our singers to, Walter Pardon, Mikeen McCarthy, Bobby Casey, Tom McCarthy..... I was lucky enough to see Joe Heaney. Paddy Tunney and Mike Seeger there.
I used to go out four times a week to different clubs, eventually it was just the Singers, till Ewan died and it closed.
Crap had truly begotten crap
"I took your terminology as being somewhat disparaging. Other people will have done the same"
I hope others will take what I have written as being honest Dave - please allow others to speak fro themselves.
"And all the time i thought you were a pioneer, jim,"
Wash yo' mouf out boy!!
"for the record whisky was watered down to 40 per cent after the second world war."
The the Scots malt I drink Dick
Jim Carroll