Folk goes from strength to strength. It is an exciting time to hear wonderful interpretation of traditional words and tunes.

At one time, young people shared their passion in smokey upstairs rooms of pubs. Now, its Youtube.

The art however remains as ever; every generation adds to the evolving tradition with its own styles. As I keep saying, Cecil Sharpe would have been as bemused by hearing melodeons accompanying Morris as some grumpy old men on here react to electric guitars and looper pedals.

There are many interpretations of the word folk, from modern songwriters putting their lives, hopes and aspirations to paper, all the way back to Child ballads and far beyond, er.. putting their lives, hopes and aspirations to either paper (broadsides) or oral tradition (changes every month, never mind generation.)

Oh, and somewhere along the way, there's even a pigeon hole for Jim Carroll's narrow sub genre.

Forty years ago, if I pick on a song, say, Handweaver and factory maid, I got an appreciative round of applause for singing it unaccompanied. Now, most people prefer to hear it with guitar. That's the beauty of folk. It didn't grind to a halt in 1954. It evolves. That's what it is all about for crying out loud.