Clubs were all we had to sing long ballads Dave
Taking these songs out of people's homes, which was largely were they were sung was artificial - I have said the clubs were a compromise
Would you be prepared to sing a twenty verse ballad in a pub session - I wouldn't !!
The clubs proved perfect venues for us urban dwellers and when they went the scene began to go up the Swanee
How would your develop a young singer who wanted to have a go now - knock on his/her door and offer your services ?
Can we cut out this "white-collar" shit
I was working on the docks when I went to my first folk club and I spent my working life climbing into people's lofts and crawling under their floorboards - many of my fellow-folkies did similar - bit difficult to keep your collar "wite" under those conditions
One of the finest singers of traditional songs I know spent his life painting industrial chimneys from a crane
When some managed to break our of the slog and go to Uni, we envied them for their good luck and when some became teachers we weer over the moon
Jim