I think a more interesting question is, what is the "folk ethos"? That is what gets carried on like some kind of virus. The reason why people mention Seeger and Guthrie is that they embody a stance in the world which is reflected in their music, and in turn the stance reflects the music. The ethos is based on the commitment to the possibility of everyone contributing to music, and that that is an expression of, and a further commitment to, a community. Traditional folk songs (whether mythically or accurately) are part of the threads of common life -- their preservation and continuation are seeds of hope that, just as those songs came from communities, so today there is a hope -- goofy given the world around us but a real hope -- that new communities can come from songs. The songs are seen as seeds of community, even if the folk garden they are to grow is only in the minds of those who sing them, and the people who come out to hear them. I think every folk song sung to a sympathetic audience creates a temporary community around that song, the singer, the event. I think folkies believe this, though some would be shy to admit it. yours, Peter T.