Hi Peter,

I think that there may be living trad folk singers today. They need to be discovered. I confess that I don't know of many who are still alive. That doesn't mean they're not there. It's been a long time since I've done any voluntary field work in unearthing trad folksingers. I keep hearning about the Jarrell family up in the Round Peak part of the country. There are those such as Art Rosenbaum from Athens Georgia who is in touch with people like the Ellers family from North Georgia. We still have the thriving Georgia Sea Island Singers from around these parts. Also the Macintosh County Shouters. The key to it is to take the time to do the research (which I don't have anymore). People like Stephen Wade are doing this. David Holt. (for Southenn trad folk country) and there are blues historians (musicians like Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal) and the like who can identify trad blues musicians. There are active folk song scholars and folklorists who are able to come up with those who are left. To really answer this question, you oughta' take a trip up to Washington and talk to them in the Folkarts Division of the Library of Congress. They probably would be able to advise you as to who is still around.

Frank Hamilton