Folk music isn't the only arena where "ownership" is a sensitive issue. A friend, who's also a singer, was telling me of his experience at a recent Cowboy Poetry gathering. For those of you not in western America, this is a phenomena about two decades old where people, generally from rural areas, get together to recite verses they've written about the cowboy life, some sentimental, some humorous, some maudlin - these gatherings also include food and music.

My friend had been invited to return from the previous year and be on the prestigious evening program with some of his songs, and a traditional poem "Lasca," which he does well. During the day another poet, a newcomer who had presented well, was chosen by the organizers to take a spot on the evening program. The newcomer asked my friend what he intended to perform that evening. My friend listed the songs, and mentioned Lasca. The newcomer immediately began pressuring him not to do Lasca, because that was "his" big hit. My friend pointed out that he had been invited back because of "his" rendition the previous year. They went round and round about it, with the newcomer even appealing to the organizers. My friend finally got to do his version at the evening show, but it left a bad taste in his mouth about the whole episode and he had some choice expletives about the lineage of the other cowboy poet!