At the same time that White Folkies like Pete Seeger were discovering the Blues of Leadbelly (don't laugh, he could play 'em better than any of you) and others, were collecting "Folksongs" from all around the World. Paul Robeson had done this earlier, presenting the music of people from quite diverse geographical, ethnic and cultural regions, in an effort to promote the idea of universal brother (and sister)hood. Recently some folks we know have been marching in their footsteps in an exploration of music often recorded on 78's at the same time as the Blues we know and love, which we must remember, was up until the last 30 years or so about as obscure as could be. Some of them have begun exploring their own ethnic roots, like this fellow, playing a great Italian ballad:
