i had hoped to get into this thread sooner. Having just waded through the whole thing, I should rather offer some random thoughts rather than resopnd to any previous posts..
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i entered the world of folksong performance during the Great Folk scare of the '60s. There were a lot of fine folksingers out there singing traditional songs. once in a while, they'd sing a "new" song that took their fancy. Some of these caught on, some didn't..
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Some of them wrote their own songs as well,. both good and bad. sometimes the good ones were forgoten but the bad lived on, for a while..
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As being a folksinger came to be seen as a viable career (big bucks and babes) more youngsters took a stab at it..
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When I was cook, stickman,manager, auditioner at at coffee house in those times, I often asked the youngsters what kind of songs they did and was met with such responses as "I do Joanie's songs," or "We do Peter Paul and mary." I knew then that the age of folksong popularity was coming to an end..
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"Never ascribe to malice that which can be more easily explained by stupidity.".
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This, in my opinion sums up the distinction between singer/songwriters and folksingers. It is, to a large extent the fault of the promoters, record producers and radio "personalities.".,none of whom have the slightest clue as to what constitutes folk music.
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We have here a weekly "Folk Show" the host of which wouldn't recognise a traditional song if it bit her on the *. We also have another "Folk Show" which presents a wonderful panoply of tradtional songs intermingled with a few conteporary offerings. This is what its all about..
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Essentially, iy all has to mixed together. That which is taken up by the traditional purveyors of folk song and/or the "people," will be the folksongs of the future. Sadly though, there;s an awful lot of crap that will make it through. (I still cannot abide the singing of what must be the most universal "folksong," Happy Birthday).
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I fear that I'm beginning to ramble. i might just come back when I've had more sleep..
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Curmudgeonly yours -- Tom