Holy shit! This thread has sure opened my eyes about negro work songs and their relation to so many sea shanties (and other stuff) I wasn't completely ignorant before - but this certainly ties a lot of stuff in, if you see what I mean.
Thanks a lot, all you knowledgeable folk. This is what makes the Mudcat such a joy to visit.
It seems obvious that the links between negro chants, sea shanties, timber calls, cajun music, jaz songs, blues, spirituals, skiffle, rock 'n roll, and even calypso, are endless.

So, I ask the question, what isn't folk music?