A singer of folk music; a musician who performs traditional songs or original songs in the folk music style.
Folk + singer (one who sings). Became a standard term in the 20th century as folk music emerged as a distinct genre and movement.
The folk music revival of the 1960s took 'folksinger' as an identity of moral seriousness—these weren't entertainers but activists using music to protest war and injustice, making a guitar into a political statement.
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