Good points Max. These days there are so many wannabe's in the singer/songwriter thing. I've been asked to crituque and usually politely say...don't give up. The greats all had to start somewhere.
I'm too polite, although I'm serious when I use that advice, MOST of the singer songwriters I've come across are really bad.
Having said that, when a well known singer/songwriter either dies suddenly or eventually finds their mark and gets famous, one thing often happens. Old forgotten recordings will surface and they'll sell because of the well established name. I have some LP's by Gordon Lightfoot, Wille Nelson, Jim Croce and others that are just awful... But somewhere those masters existed and...business is business.
As for Bob Shane making his remark on how they should have written their own stuff I'm thinking he was talking strictly from the bu$iness side of things rather than the artistic.
Song writing is a whole different skill set. Many of the great song writers from back in the day (Most) were interested in having others, as many as possible, perform their songs.
A year or two ago a young "Singer songwriter" asked if I wrote my own songs, I explained to him that I work as an entertainer/performer and song writing is one of many talents I simple don't possess. Oh, you're a cover artist ( a term I DESPISE)...I replied to him, thank you, for putting me in a class with Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, the Mills Brothers the Kingston Trio, etc. etc. etc..
His reply... Huh?
Interesting that these books are still available....
https://www.amazon.com/Folk-Song-USA-John-Lomax/dp/0452253071
I belive that the songs came from many places.
But, I'm inclinded to belive that Dave was a researcher....he went looking ...
Whereas, the songs came to Bob and Nick mostly through other people.
I don't knopw why during NBJ they used current song writers....
I think it was said that all of the old good stuff was all used up and gone... they and everyone else had found it ..
Shane said that the mistale they made was not writing all of their songs themselves....to this I'd say Bob... easier said than done.
Rollin River was the only song that ever came close to being a Trio song after 1967...
The two CDs that were made by George, Bill and Rick were .... interesting....but nothing like The Kingston Trio.
Because .... George, Bill and Rick were George, Bill and Rick.
They weren't Dave, Bob, Nick, or John.
Or whatever whole that was bigger than its parts.
Max
End of story.
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