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Kate Bennett wrote:
> AHA, the old question of what is folk music. I have no idea. Music by folks?
> Some acoustic guitar element. Anyone? Steve Dulson must know!
>
> garret said, "and something that *i* connect with folk albums is a
> lack of instruments. (but, i would be open to a proper explanation of what
> folk music entails.) Joni herself maintains that none of her albums are
> folk."
With this post, I am reminded of a story Arlo Guthrie told at the Troubadours of
Folk concert in Los Angeles in 1993. I had attended this show to see Joni, and
aside from the rush of seeing her, one of the highlights of the concert was
Arlo's story.
Arlo was describing a folk music festival which had happened in either Russia or
some part of Eastern Europe; Pete Seeger was also on the bill. Apparently
everyone was performing all of the old folk standards to a pretty luke warm
response from the crowd. At some point Arlo started up with an Elvis Presley
song, and he said Pete Seeger shot him an intense look of disapproval, but he
went on with the song all the same. Arlo said that within moments, everyone in
the audience was singing along with great enthusiasm. Finally a song to which
everyone knew the words. He said he glanced back over at Pete to get his
reaction only to discover that he was singing along too. Aha - Pete Seeger also
knew the words.
It was a great story that offered a whole new definition of "Folk Music." There
was a PBS presentation of a 1 hour version of the Troubadours of Folk concert,
which included Arlo spinning this tale as only Arlo could tell it. (Joni
performs "Borderline")
I guess the bottom line was that "Folk Music" is any song that can promote a
sense of unity. So my friends, that said, I think we may have made a folk
singer out of Joni Mitchell, in the very best sense of the word.
Byron
