Folk Cover-Up

I share singer Nanci Griffith’s frustration when she states she is “incredibly angry that the music industry turned its back on folk music and said it’s not commercial viable” (“A Die-Hard Folkie--and Proud of It,” by Richard Cromelin, March 28).

Hmm! Here is an article questioning the noticeable lack of record releases in the folk vein and a similar absence of mainstream radio play. Could it possibly be that Calendar, a mainstream publication with a vast readership and the opportunity to showcase the fine artists that contribute to the total spectrum of musical styles, has failed folk music lovers by recognizing only the big sellers and those groups that are MC (Musically Correct)?

One has to look elsewhere to find reference to the musicians and songwriters of current folk, and they are there. I can almost hear the Calendar editorial staff conspiring: “We won’t cover ‘folk,’ OK? If you have to do a piece on someone making it big in that scene, run it under ‘country-Western.’ And remember, if you have to mention Dylan’s early albums, call it ‘folk-rock.’ ”

WILLIAM VIETINGHOFF

Thousand Oaks