Andy,

The solution is simple to me. A greater appreciation for the folk traditions of each respective country is in order. Work that the Folklife Center in Washington is doing, the Smithsonian in DC as well, the work that the Lomaxes have done for the Library of Congress,recording companies such as Rounder Records, Folkways/Smithsonian Folk Legacy, Greenhays (owned and operated by the Jean Ritchie Pickow family), Arhoolie (Chris Strachwitz), Legacy and Blues Roots (Columbia) and others have done, and the countless wonderful books in the field of folklore and folk music.

In the UK, (correct me if I'm wrong George) The Cecil Sharp House, the radio broadcasts by Ewan McColl, "revivalist" folk interpreters such as the laudable Martin Carthy, Nic Jones, and our own imports such as David Jones and Louis Killen, the Comhaltas from Ireland, Tommy and Sarah Makem, ....there are so many that are doing the job and not begging the question one bit. These are not the popular music singer/songwriters.

As to Country and Western, this is a record company designation such as was the term Hillbilly music to isolate a market for sales. The music of Country and Western started from an interest in American folk music and soon became appropriated by the music merchants in a similar fashion to what has happened to the term "folk" these days. Loretta Lynn may be the coal miner's daughter but she is not singing songs of the coal mine where she grew up because that "don't sell". Sarah Ogan Gunning, Mike Paxton, Hazel Dickens, Pete Steele, Nimrod Workman, Merle Travis and others have sung of the coal miner's life. Merle Travis did not make all of his money singing coal miner songs, though. A wonderful book to read would be Archie Green's "Only A Miner" to give you some more background on "Country and Western".

Mind you, I have no gripe with popular music. I love it play it, and enjoy much of it but "it ain't folk music".

Frank Hamilton