What a fascinating idea. Looking positively at the many strands of creativity to emerge from our folk clubs and the revival generally.

Those of us around in 60's and 70's understood it was a stylistic choice - not forced on us because we had lived in an isolated village because it was the only music we knew of, but something we recognised and valued as an aid to creativity or discarded.

It did seem at one time that every week a new treasure would emerge - Paul Downes was making his first albums with Steve Knightley's first songs on,   Martin Graebe was coming up with 'Honiton Lace' , Bill Caddick came up with 'The Writing of Tiperary', Alan Bell's amazing songs, Tony Capstick was going round singing John Connolly's The Punch and Judy Man, and of course The Band Plated Waltzing Matilda was being played on the John Peel radio show. I know that i've left half a hundred other names out.

We knew that in some period earlier in the 20th century someone had written The Ladies go Dancing at Whitsun, and MacColl had had this great purple patch in the 1950's. But it did seem to us that suddenly there was this sudden upsurge in talent.

Many of though didn't feel homespun, rural or interested in writing about the past. I think we looked towards Jansch, Dylan, Jeremy Taylor, and Tom Robinson - we felt like urbane city dwellers who didn't want a 'celtic twilight' ttone in our compositions. I always felt if we don't leave footprints in the sands of time - no one will know we existed.