Definition of "folk ballad" []

• A song that is traditionally sung by the common people of a region and forms part of their culture (noun)

WordNet. Princeton University. 2010.

• "They could barely forgive Bob Dylan for turning to rock in 1966 and cheered when, starting with "John Wesley Harding," Dylan returned to acoustic guitar and folk ballad — though never again to the pure folk sound of 1963."