>I'm still struggling to "get" folk music, to be honest.

To clarify, what you're talking about here is
-traditional folk music: ballads, breakdowns, etc., mostly stemming from Anglo-American repertoire and styles
-modern spinoffs thereof (bluegrass, some singer-songwriters)
-Interpreters of traditional music that aren't members of trad music communities (ie, interpreters like Pete/The Weavers, Odetta et al)
-vocal/pop-folk, esp. of the classic late '50s/early '60s variety (New Christy Minstrels, Rooftop Singers, Brothers Four, Kingston Trio, Serendipity Singers, etc.)

correct?

I'm asking b/c while all those (and more) are part and parcel of 'folk music'*, you can look at them within the same continuum or as separate species worthy of independent consideration. I usually try to take a balanced view I can go into in more depth as we look at it.

*along with international ethnic music; though I sense that's not really something you have the same issue with, it's represented an integral part of the modern folk movement since the '40s.