It seems so long ago. Well, it was. 50 years ago, I was a freshman at Indiana University.

It was the beginning of the "age of folk music". I was self taught on the guitar so that I could play the slow tempo songs that were becoming popular. Not that I particularly liked folk music--too "simple" for my jazz oriented musical mind. But it was better than rock 'n roll (like "The Twist").

A PBS fundraiser show last night reminded me of the 60's (and a little beyond) "peace" songs, from "Greenfields" to "We Shall Overcome". Early decade songs by the Kingston Trio, Limelighters, etc. were fairly light hearted (Tom Dooley excepted!), but as Vietnam exploded on the scene, songs like "Simple Song of Freedom" (Bobby Darin), "Blowin' in the Wind", "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "500 Miles", etc., became the anti-war music theme--songs of protest.

Although I meant this post as a little reminder of an age of genuine folk music coming out of the grave from a 100 year burial (think Stephen Foster), it (the post) morphs into the "what have we accomplished?" question. We kids of the 60's protested Vietnam. "No more war" was the rally cry. Since then, two Iraq "invasions" and the Afghanistan debacle.
"When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn?" (Flowers gone)