Hi Purgo-I am not a writer and sometimes my thoughts don't come across as clearly as I would like them to.

I'm not saying it should be an obligation. :-). I am speaking from a performer's standpoint and I am saying that it makes *me* sad when I hear someone perform a song and give erroneous and mistaken information on the song to the audience. In the instances mentioned above, the performers were corrected by audience members as soon as the statements were made, which IMO detracted from their performances. I guess I would prefer a singer to either say "I don't know" or remain silent in their introductions of songs. But again, that is just my opinion.

I speak only for myself in this: I find that when I have some background on a song, especially a traditional one, I am able to relate to the lyrics and the story on a more personal level and my performance of the song (I feel)is enhanced. Again, this may not work for everyone, but it works for me.

As I stated above I believe that one should give credit to the composers and writers of songs if they be known, especially if you like the song enough to sing it. Not only is it a token of respect to the composer, but a common courtsey. Since much of my material is traditional and learned from other singers, I try to let my audience know who those singers are. Again, it is *my* way of attributing my sources, I suppose.

I don't think there are any "all or nothing" or "black and white" rules here (so what IS folk music??? ARRRGGGHHH! :-) ) This is just my opinion.

BTW-Jeff Davis wrote a wonderful piece on this very subject in the latest Folk Alliance newsletter. The newsletter is not online, but if anyone wants to PM me, I will give you Jeff's contact information and I am sure he will send you a copy.

All the best,
Debra Cowan