Shirley Collins is one of the most respected and legendary traditional folk song collectors and singers of all time. She was at the forefront of the Folk Revival of the 1950s and 60s when she met Alan Lomax and subsequently traveled the US with him in 1959 collecting traditional old world and American folk songs. On her return to England, Shirley cemented her role in the English folk scene, recording over twenty albums and inspiring untold numbers of fellow musicians in her 60 odd years in music. Lodestar is a collection of English, American and Cajun songs dating from the 16th Century to the 1950s.