If the 70’s were a decade of massive growth for folk music, the 80’s were even bigger. There was more of everything- more festivals; the emergence of new “stars” including Rita MacNeil, and Loreena McKennitt, each selling hundreds of thousands of records; new writers, new genres of music. Stan Rogers was poised to become a major artist. In Atlantic Canada young players began to explore the traditions unearthed by the folklorists during the first half of the century and reinterpret them. Women artists inspired by the women’s movement and the creation of “women’s music” in the United States entered the field in force. Ferron, Heather Bishop, and Connie Kaldor gained national and international audiences. The Winnipeg Women’s Music Festival demonstrated what a richness there was. Stephen Fearing, James Keelahan, and other new voices began to be heard. The mainstream of the industry began to pay attention for the first time since the 60’s and old issues of the commercial value versus the artistic value of the music began to be raised again.