I'm not usually a folk music sort of guy but since that seems to be common on this thread, I'll give it a whirl
Dr. Hook and the Medicine show did this live performance back in the early seventies. The guys looked pretty rough at the time. The lead singer looked much healthier five years later so he must have made some changes.
This one is called Carry Me Carrie
I've known many homeless men and often think of this song when one of them comes to mind.
The Rolling Stones did this one in 1968.
No Expectations is about as folksy as they get. The Beggars Banquet LP was done with very little electronics. It was one of the last songs where Brian Jones played. Jonny Cash and many others have covered this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mehrjwB-hVE
Gordon Lightfoot did
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1976. The ship went down in Nov. of 75. My uncle died in Lake Huron in 74.
Bob Seger did Turn the Page for years before he finally made it with the release of Live Bullet. Seger went from playing to 50 people to a crowd of 78,000 all in the same week and just like that they made it after more than a decade as relative unknowns beyond the local area around Detroit
Neil Young performed Old Man live in concert 1971
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBpAf1fF7gg 
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