I am surprised at the relative lack of singers on this list who learned their repertoire from the oral tradition as opposed to from the revival (recordings, books, etc.) Many fine traditional singers of ballads are on the Folk Legacy Label and Sandy Paton's pre-Folk Legacy recordings of Horton Barker, on Folkways, are also excellent. Texas Gladden has been mentioned, and her new Rounder release in the Lomax series is long overdue. Aunt Molly Jackson's Rounder release is great. At the moment I am having trouble remebering the woman from Arkansas who made many excellent recordings, someone will surely come up with her name soon. (Or I will come back soon with it.)

Revivalists make many excellent recordings, but there is nothing like the true vine.