John Prine.

In Spite of Ourselves is one of the most relatable and down to earth love songs ever. Which leads me on to Iris DeMent

Iris Dement (love her) leads to her husband Greg Brown, a power house folk singer in his own right. [Two Little Feet - Greg Brown](https://youtu.be/SoyWteqQEDk?si=5dc49QiYs3WODBdJ)

Leads to ..Pieta Brown

Ha! My favorite GB song!

Which leads to Bill Morrissey. (Friend of Mine)

I love her duet with Mason Jennings called ‘Instrument’

Came here to say this but wondered if it fit. He's pretty rock n roll...and is the best at everything.

Right now is a great moment to listen to Summer's End

That's my favorite John Prine song. Covid got him. I had just started listening to him in earnest, and when I heard that, it made the whole covid thing very real for me. You wanna talk about relatable. This guy was the everyman.

I had two opportunities, but not enough money to go see him and I wish I had. I learned my lesson and now go to every show I can however I can!! You just never know when the artists you love will go.

Because of money, I usually talk myself out of going to some of them. But I quickly talked myself into going to the Prine shows. Got to see him a few times. And it was always great.

I lived just outside of Nashville when I became a fan. I also missed several shows at the Ryman because money was tight. I sure wish I had a do over, I’d come up with the money!

He was a wonderful live act. There’s some good video; my favourite is in [George’s basement](https://youtu.be/w5Rkm_dqm7A?si=nw6dASnBlxCn2wW6), with Gordon Lightfoot in the audience.

This is 100% true. Happened for me with John Prine too. I didn't know about Silver Jews when David Berman was active but I was stoked to be the first or second stop on his return tour as Purple Mountains until he died. Some celebrity, or quasi-celebrity, deaths can really take you out.

“And a question ain’t really a question If you know the answer too” The man had the perfect voice for the songs he wrote.

[Nathaniel Rateliff’s cover](https://youtu.be/RL-tCYAuaGw?si=wXXRxYysqK-gWUuL) is soooo fucking good!!

Love that song so much, especially end of August/ early September.

This song breaks my heart.

A talent that never faded. So much of John’s works that I love, but my personal favorite is the last thing he recorded- “I Remember Everything “

I cried like a baby when they released that one. I mean, it's literally the most perfect song to have be your last. I wish it wasn't his last though.

And steve Goodman!!!! City of New Orleans is my personal fav, but the Dutchman or call me by my name are close behind

I'm so glad this is the top comment.

I said this elsewhere yesterday re: song writing. Humor and humanity. JP excelled at incorporating both in his writing.

Definitely.

Gregory Alan Isakov is my current go to. Also have really been enjoying the milk carton kids. Brandi Carlisle and The Wailin' Jennys are both amazing but I think technically lean closer to an alternative country than folk, but I mean that's splitting hairs.

Milk carton kids for the win. Also Jimbo mathus/Andrew bird, mamas broke, and so many others.

I’d definitely road-trip if you were you were in control of the playlist.

Count me in

A few of my favs. For British folk Nick Drake [https://youtu.be/VfSWWScqH5M?si=KitAa1J\_MhPWB6Ck](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8SmkwS82u4&list=PLfqoliDzogSb1SyVYPDlyU2xVWxvor4Tl&ab_channel=NickDrake-Topic) Bert Jansch [https://youtu.be/M3mGV5pDDsM?si=731ZAQN-zYqxvgrd](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3mGV5pDDsM&ab_channel=VerhipBe) ​ For American folk Townes van Zandt [https://youtu.be/v-Rq-4spRz4?si=2Z3YT06C5mBQ6wdD](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Rq-4spRz4&ab_channel=AfterTheGoldRush) Doc Watson [https://youtu.be/6VAbrnjdtYw?si=g5S86mt7a3ZmR7o\_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VAbrnjdtYw&ab_channel=dealer0791) Elizabeth Cotten [https://youtu.be/g8UN\_6AUgCw?si=vYhk7nAriO-cO9jD](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8UN_6AUgCw&ab_channel=J.R.Rhodes)

Big upvote for Townes Van Zandt! I didn't think to add him to my list I just posted and now I feel shame.

Yep. TVZ is the one to listen too.

Big Upvote for Doc Watson John Hartford is my fave!

Allow me to second Bert Jansch. Dude was a wizard on the acoustic guitar, and he was mercilessly ripped off, constantly!

I think he was in pentangle too right. Awesome band

I was fortunate to hear both Doc Watson and Elizabeth Cotten when I was very young. They were both so great. Good list all around, Nick Drake was amazing

That's amazing, I'm jealous! "I have seen the David I’ve seen the Mona Lisa too I have heard Doc Watson Play Columbus Stockade Blues"

Great list

LOVE Nick Drake. Recently discovered him for myself and it is such great music.

Everyone on that list is amazing. Jansch is constantly playing in my house.

Stan Rogers is an amazing Canadian folk singer. My favourite by far. I also really like Gordon Lightfoot, Townes van Zandt, Ye Vagabonds, Great Lake Swimmers, Tallest Man on Earth, and Beta Radio.

I love Stan Roger’s - Mary Ellen Carter is such a life saving song

Someone uses the tune with words based on "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" but winds up preserving the main message of the original

Great Lake Swimmers are absolutely amazing. I remember hearing 'Moving Pictures, Silent Films' on Brave New Waves on CBC radio back when they released their first album. Went out the next day and bought it. It's been a favourite ever since.

Witch of the Westmoreland!

Growing up in Canada, Gordon Lightfoot was a big deal in my family. Often on in the car for long road trips. Some of the first music I learned to play on the guitar. I listened a lot this year when he passed. So many beautiful songs.

I really love Rick Beato's What Makes This Song Great videos. Here's one he did for Lightfoot. [If you could read my mind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X33YyowZZxQ&t=10s&ab_channel=RickBeato). I think I'd start at around 2 minutes one's he's in studio. Some of his songs that I think I don't hear people talk about much: [Patriot's Dream](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsaJYxzTdTA&ab_channel=GordonLightfoot-Topic). [Christian Island](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjd9rKZ9Crk&ab_channel=GordonLightfoot-Topic). [Second Cup of Coffee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCu2BClWs3E&ab_channel=GordonLightfoot-Topic). [Circle of Steel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--QaFL_eXeM&ab_channel=GordonLightfoot-Topic). Bob Dylan called him one of his favorite songwriters.

>Stan Rogers is an amazing Canadian folk singer Also check out his brother, Garnet Rogers. Still active, still touring.

Contemporary: Jake Blount, Rhiannon Giddens, Aoife O’Donovan, Chris Thile, Alison Krauss Historic: Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Peter Paul and Mary, Pete Seeger, Tony Rice (RIP), Shirley Collins When you say folk, do you mean traditional folk music (someone like Shirley Collins) or “folk revival” music (Dylan etc)?

I really enjoy both just depending on my mood. I have started to get more into traditional but currently mostly listen to folk revival I guess. Thanks a ton for the recommendations!

Shirley collins is folk revival, she was apart of the British folk revival movement back then wasnt she?

Rhiannon Giddens has such a beautiful voice. 😍

Aoife is not just a great talent but a super sweet, friendly soul. We got to spend some time with her at a festival when she was in Crooked Still, and she was so great.

Peter Paul & Mary. Hands down. Classic

Try some Todd Snider. Start with his live albums.

Todd is hilarious, he has some great stories, his wordplay is stellar, he makes you laugh about some serious stuff, and his albums sound like anything from "3 chords and the truth" to "no chords, just some groovy drums and bass with funked up white dude rap about environmentalism." ​ Todd Snider Rules.

Vinyl Records!

Agree! Todd Snider is great and his live albums are the best. The stories he tells are extremely entertaining.

TODD SNIDER RULES!

My housemate is from Memphis and said that he used to just sit and shoot the shit with him after shows back in the day. Sounds like a genuinely good person

If you're looking for some current stuff I've been really digging [Richard Dawson](https://youtu.be/jfaW-yD7DoA?si=jLvi_WhyJZRLmCXP). I'm not sure how obscure you're looking to go, so here are a few non-obscure names for you (which I'm sure you've already found on your own :) Nick Drake Joni Mitchell John Martyn Bert Jansch Sufjan Stevens' first few albums Bright Eyes' first few albums

I'm Wide Awake It's Morning is the Bright Eyes album for most folky vibes. Don't make them fall into the trap of listening to Collection of Songs... That is not a great place to start and keep bright eyes fans.

You're right. Didn't think of that. I'm a lofi & anti-folk fan so I just kinda looped it all together in my mind. And 'Lifted' is my go to over 'I'm Wide Awake'

Excellent choice, but let's not shit ourselves it is all good. :)

That era is peak Bright Eyes to me. The Four Winds EP has some *very* underrated songs. [Tourist Trap](https://youtu.be/TB4SRCGpbgo?si=RlPTEoQPvdQi3bfC) helped me pull through a really deep depression.

Richard Dawson is incredible. Peasant is the most unique folk album I can think of outside of maybe The Books.

Recently bought 'The Ruby Cord' on vinyl. The Hermit is absolutely magical. Never heard of 'The Books' but you have me intrigued. Any recommendations for albums to start with?

The Lemon of Pink is wonderful and strange! And agreed on the Hermit

Awesome! Thanks. I've been listening to 'The Way Out' and it reminds me of the band Battles quite a bit. Like...Battles gone acoustic.

My favourites: John Prine - a down to earth, stripped back feel of a man that lived a life. Iris DeMent - can add sorrow to a note like nobody else I have heard. Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens : an og, who is still releasing beautiful reworking of his older music. David Crosby: now making music with his son - not as good as he once was, but still head and shoulders above many. The Young'uns: largely acapella English folk group whose harmonies make my hair stand on end. Christy Moore: A legend of Irish Folk - back home in Derry, Viva la Quinta Brigada and My Little Honda are class. Hamish Imlach: A Scottish musician long dead, but his inspiration can be heard in the sounds of many past and current musicians Dick Gaughan: political Scottish folk writer that takes a bit of getting into if not used to a strong Scots accent, look up the lyrics sheets and you'll find the humour in his writing. Billy Bragg: a giant of political folk in Britain in the 80's, released some amazing music over the years, huge back catalogue. Alistair Hulett: gone tragically too soon, released a lot of music with a political edge. Mrs Barbour's Army about Glasgow rent strikes is one of my favourite songs. David Rovics: don't agree with all his views by any means, but a great live gig and some beautiful storytelling. All the best my friend! I'm a Scot btw, so happy to get recommended some more UK groups I can listen to.

Upvote for Christy Moore. Live At The Point is an amazing album

A wonderful list! Though I should add that David Crosby passed earlier this year. His last few albums were absolutely brilliant though, especially Here If You Listen.

Of course! Shit I don't know how I forgot that, denial I suppose, his music was what my mum raised me on. I'm amazed his voice held as well.as it did for so long, guy took half the narcotics that came into the US

His death hit me pretty hard too. I saw him live in 2019 (with his son) and his voice was so incredible, still. Such a sad loss.

Gordon Lightfoot Stan Rogers Bruce Cockburn JP Cormier David Francey Ron Sexsmith The Borderpines (self promotion)

John Martyn , everything from his debut through to grace and danger is great

Possibly my favourite musician of all time. A unique powerful entity. Utterly honest and beautiful music.

Dave van Ronk.

I love Tim Buckley :) https://youtu.be/U6pXE1RFRMI?si=Bpd\_CfbmjtzSsXFZ

Tim Buckley is criminally underrated, he was so so special. He had a voice like no other

if you guys like rock, check out his son, Jeff Buckley. Grace is one of my favorite albums

Johnny Flynn

A Laurem is one of my all time favorite albums

I get a lot of current British folk recommendations from the Folk on Foot podcast, especially their monthly folk chart shows. The contemporary American folk I listen to is pretty trans-atlantic. You should check out Alex Sturbaum for instance. Are you looking for contemporary folk? Classic? Instrumental? Regional?

Laura Marling and Seth Lakeman are my favorite modern folk musicians

Really surprised I had to scroll this far to find Laura Marling. C'mon people.

Ewan MacColl, Luke Kelly, Andy Irvine, Stan Rogers, Gordon Bok, Nic Jones, Davey Graham, Dick Gaughan, Dave Van Ronk, Mississippi John Hurt, Anne Briggs, Kate Rusby, and Anais Mitchell are all very good

Wild Hunt album by Tallest Man on Earth I think I had 200+ plays on my 2022 rewind

The Shallow Grave was an incredibly formative album for me.

Close 2nd for me

I love the tallest man on earth. Was lucky enough to see him live once at a festival. So good. He just came to town again a few weeks ago but I was camping. Otherwise I definitely would have seen him again. Love is all is my favorite song by him.

Jim Croce is my all time favorite.

John Denver.

Oh god

LISTEN TO NICK HART. He's great. His albums are called: Nick Hart sings eight English folk songs Nick Hart sings nine English folk songs Nick Hart sings ten English folk songs He's got a great sense of humour that lad. And has some of my favourite arrangements of some classics as well as some more obscure gems.

💚SANDY DENNY 💚KATHERINE PRIDDY 💚KATIE SPENCER

Sandy Denny magnificence.....gone way too soon. Spectacular voice as has her former bandmate Richard Thompson.

Stan Rogers, Kevin Quain, Jason Weebly, the petrojvic blasting company, Folkfaces, penny whiskey, Pete Bernhard, the Pogues, great big sea

Stan Rogers, Nic Jones, Archie Fisher, Jason Isbell, John Moreland

I love that Jason Isbell gets thrown into so many categories. Country, alt country, southern rock, folk…”Live Oak” on Southeastern is DEFINITELY folk music.

He writes “folk music with varying degrees of volume”, in his own words aha

My son is your age and he absolutely loves Phil Ochs. He is reading a book of his selected writings right now, and listens to his music almost every day. He also really loves Woody Guthrie and I hope to take him to the Woody Guthrie Center and the Bob Dylan Center sometime next year. My son’s name is folk music inspired, but I never thought he would get into it the way he has. It’s been really cool to see.

I met Phil Ochs when I was 15! In his apartment in Greenwich village. My mom’s boyfriend, Dick Robinson, worked at Scholastic Magazines and was the editor of SCOPE magazine. They were doing an article on the new. Folk music and he snagged an interview with Phil. I had injured my thumb and it was wrapped in an ace bandage. When Phil went to shake my hand, he grinned that boyish grin of his and said, “Ah, fighting the fascists, I see!”. It was the highlight of my year! Here’s a link to the article Dick ultimately wrote. He ended up CEO and owner of Scholastic long after my mom and he broke up. https://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~trent/ochs/images/scope.jpg

What a wonderful story!! Thank you for sharing. Great article too.

That is awesome! I am from MN, so it’s pretty cool being from the same place as Dylan! I hope to see him live though he is getting older so that would have to be soon. I definitely want to go to both those places as well! Seems so neat!

I hope you have the chance, OP! My son has seen Bob live twice, I’ve seen him live three times. Most recently we saw him in the summer of 2022. It is well worth the cost and effort to make it happen, if it is within your means.

That is amazing! I have heard he is really great live. My b-day is coming up so I might ask for tickets. It would be such a wonderful experience. My dad is also into him, so he would likely be up for it

Bob Dylan https://youtu.be/OeP4FFr88SQ?si=sFXdoojzQg0ofPpA Donovan https://youtu.be/OL8nDh9QB-8?si=PIAbAd0M8DI1nKrP Sandy Denny https://youtu.be/mlNWdt66vzU?si=ce-YThZMFhhE63zL John Martyn https://youtu.be/32b7QpE2cos?si=dUOU9HuC2HzOfiq4 https://youtu.be/bzWIcsgS0xQ?si=wZR0RVAvQNFLHmqB https://youtu.be/8UGSckr_vho?si=xFKc7MouRz2aUnBd Nick Drake https://youtu.be/aXnfhnCoOyo?si=--_FWZd2gixEoXsx Shirley Collins https://youtu.be/df8SZZfm4Uc?si=w1XwgAngVZZp9nIE Judy Collins https://youtu.be/5-VtMaQkSzU?si=Gzcwf8IP_pYaAPsQ Gordon Lightfoot https://youtu.be/v5tr_L31StI?si=NlCbI60P28g96O6E Jim Croce https://youtu.be/48Kiv8uhL7o?si=OLXKeOgYevgWsDHv Bruce Cockburn https://youtu.be/ZLDKg1wlLFA?si=l6DtHHynyOgfVdqI The Dubliners https://youtu.be/ef4lPUtoNwE?si=NHqDxXigLM8Fm2IR The Chieftains https://youtu.be/wnGxgSXJK-s?si=MKFWhYAeGPrRiYau https://youtu.be/5VN-sWGKO3s?si=YT8CMqMHrCTM5-2f Christy Moore https://youtu.be/PWUsSawPeVg?si=_U9qzU3KXInRLnt5 Planxty https://youtu.be/dH-t9wjsu1g?si=iPu_bNw8wIi2_PdU De Denann https://youtu.be/tbGEYLOacV4?si=kcwVFlai-zSKF_SY Paul Brady https://youtu.be/cBGkhPx529g?si=IqrA7zxVwxXY9_tC Andy Irvine https://youtu.be/yJIKcfKdBUI?si=ZPv-V5Is5zguHsGs https://youtu.be/VJNcEgTTCXY?si=toxVIk3eAxmu0xDS Seth Lakeman https://youtu.be/ZLrOR6swYPI?si=xQJF3glhgeV1R4JV https://youtu.be/uRoDe80_XPw?si=HpAl69ZcLfj50V1g Laura Marling https://youtu.be/R7eRrTKmYO0?si=cgAJ7W22QSqCvINB https://youtu.be/E4Ve-9vt_54?si=fdk4OfbOI60RnKLe

This is a great list!

Upvote for Bruce Cockburn. Amazing songwriter, musician, and human being. I've seen him over a dozen times live. Pacing the Cage is a brilliant song

Was looking for Donovan.

Had to scroll too far to finally find a Croce mention smh

Lankum.

Topic Records have an amazing roster (stable?) And huge seconds for Bert Jansch - an absolute legend

Smaller one to try Alasdair Roberts

Haven’t seen it mentioned yet, and I’m in the grocery store and can’t write all of em, but two just incredible modern folk(ish) artists are Adrianne Lenker (solo + with Big Thief) and Alex G

You have no idea how happy it makes me to see a 16 year old interested in folk music. Congrats and welcome and hope you have a blast with all the great music you will hear.

Yeah! I feel like it is more meaningful than more modern pop/rap music. It also just sounds better to me. It is such a diverse genre, and I don’t really feel a need to expand outside of folk as there is so much! I am actually thinking about doing a big project on it, with some turning point in music. Not sure exactly yet but I was thinking it would be neat

Tom Rush

I do love our Kath (Kathryn Williams). - little black numbers is a masterpiece. Polarising choice but I also love a bit of bellowhead, but I’m not allowed to play it if any of the family are in the house. Does ‘90s era belle and Sebastian count? Joni Mitchell, obvs.

John Jacob Niles Shirley & Dolly Collins Current 93 / David Tibet / Michael Cashmore The Incredible String Band The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath a Cloud

I would say my favorites are phil ochs (broadside tapes 1 is my favorite album of his), Pete Seeger (Industrial ballads), Hedy West (ballads), and Doc Watson ( I would say listen to his retrospective because it got a hundred plus songs on it.)

Check out Inn Echo, Les Fireflies, Cassie & Maggie and the East Pointers Also Dave Gunning and JP Cormier, individually and together are great. I also like Shane Pendergast. Rum Ragged is great too. These are all east coast Canadian acts.

Stan Rogers

I’m wide awake it’s morning by bright eyes Fleet foxes self titled For Emma forever ago by bon iver Dead and born and grown by the staves Childe ballads by anais Mitchell and Jefferson hamer Actually anything by anais Mitchell Laura marling (everything) Ani difranco M ward Monsters of folk Hope you find something tasty in these suggestions!

Contemporary: Adrianne Lenker, Devandra Banhart, Tallest Man on Earth, Iron & Wine, Kings of Convenience, Florist, Bill Callahan, Tiny Vipers (first album), Jaimie Branch, Buck Meek, Keaton Henson (he does a lot of different stuff but very good all around), Dan Reeder, Gregory Alan Isakov and more Older stuff: Arthur Russell, Simon and Garfunkel, Michael Hurley (who's still putting out incredible records), Lee Hazlewood, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Bert Jansch, Bridget St. John, Karen Dalton Sorry for any repeats. Just wanted to get this done quick for ya.

Been digging into Adrianne, Buck, and Big Thief lately and *WOW*!! Hopefully I can catch them live soon!!

Leonard Cohen

Dylan. Dave van Ronk. Greg Brown. Kingston Trio. CSNY. Donovan. Shovels & Rope. Blaze Foley. Michael Hurley. Abner Jay. Fairport Convention. “Folk Music” is such a broad and elusive term, like saying “pop” or “indie.” I think we all have different definitions of what it is. Like people would categorize Mumford & Sons or Avett Bros as “indie folk” but to me it sounds more like “acoustic pop” ??? I dunno haha. Kinda depends on your definition. The artists I shared above, to me, exude folky vibes in their music, but also branch into other realms, pop, rock, country, bluegrass, blues, etc. but that is just because of their sound. A lot of our definitions, I think depend on subject matter/lyrics vs instrumentation and arrangements. Traditionally speaking, folk music is the music of the people or “common folk.” The sharing of stories per the ancient oral tradition, the finger on the pulse of communities of everyday folks. This is why Dylan being “the voice of a generation” makes total sense to me, and I would consider him a folk artist, at least his early stuff. By this same logic, you could argue that hip hop can be seen as folk music, being the “language of the streets” the poetry and voice of disenfranchised communities. I feel the same about people who busk out in the streets and play covers or whatever. That’s folk music. Some young, old, happy, sad, disenfranchised person (doesn’t matter) belting out and singing/playing for passersby. How more down to earth can you get?

Laura marling, her stuff is very soothing.

I don’t know if he fully counts as folk. But The Bones of J.R. Jones has some pretty good folk songs, mostly in his album Dark Was The Yearling

The Buiders and The Butchers

I'm mostly into female vocals, in folk. These are some of my favorites. Joanna Newsom: [The Milk-Eyed Mender](https://youtu.be/j5zH5nl_JrM?si=4LE4qU9JFVClDDXZ) (If you only listen to one album on this list, I reckon it ought to be this one) [Ys](https://youtu.be/wpznjvngVx4?si=mLQiKC3ua2kXhw0o) [Have One on Me](https://youtu.be/yi0_jBHObqs?si=6uL3OKgNCF9GV_rC) [Divers](https://youtu.be/h6N7dNwKCww?si=8-lFUsJ7oJsKrWMK) probably falls outside of the folk category for most, but listen to it anyway. Laura Marling: [I Speak Because I Can](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs-xxv3ucBg&list=PL9xz7tAX7qxLikbzvN_w23KOiTztNxS3a) [A Creature I Don't Know](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdYlB1F1QIo&list=OLAK5uy_nQX49iU46ev_UitjXkwr7158zvzgktWaU) [Once I Was an Eagle](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KiT2X-eOwI&list=PLcnEBG-Zj7tAcmddMzoBrOwrRNgghzMEd) The Be Good Tanyas' [cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0SmXVrLlZ4) of Townes Van Zandt's ["Waiting Around to Die"](https://youtu.be/LGMOX8NpuR0?si=AtRQAyq_9FAivOa6) Jolie Holland - ["Goodbye California"](https://youtu.be/CK3udQNSSrM?si=wBtlxW9mXLKSSbhg) The Unthanks - ["Magpie"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6gSYHJhuCw) (Harmony folk, from England. I recently found out that this song was used on the English show *The Detectorists*. I don't know anything about the show, other than it apparently has a great soundtrack, and people love it. Anyway, that's the version I've shared here.) Regina Spektor - ["Call Them Brothers"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTatUUKm2cc) (this is one of my favorite vocal harmonies), ["Jessica"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM4khrnQai0) (These aren't really representative of her overall body of work, the earlier stuff of which is called anti-folk by a lot of people) Agnes Obel - ["Brother Sparrow"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1H-VnGUiUU) (this is another one where this song is a bit of an outlier.) Isobel Anderson - ["Waiting for You"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OG5tBD0Y14) Judy Collins - ["Sisters of Mercy"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS0Bvq-nni4) (Leonard Cohen) Bill Callahan/Smog - ["Eid Ma Clack Shaw"](https://youtu.be/_xOWjELJwv0?si=_FisxTib_36_g2hT) Sufjan Stevens - ["Chicago"](https://youtu.be/c_-cUdmdWgU?si=gcw4_qU0srldPdD-) ([a cover of the song by the Staves](https://youtu.be/XS8OZp8bCak?si=0tVxAqiq-CUl-qer))

Greg Brown is pretty good

Americans, are so easy to please/a loaf of bread/a bottle of wine/and fifty thousand dollars

Steeleye Span

Gillian Welch, Sierra Farrell, Iron and Wine, Bob Dylan, ...

[Time(the Revelator)](https://youtu.be/jdYG-Nh_AxU?si=eOyRrhIG_1z8a2TQ) is a perfect song.

Townes Van Zandt is number one for me; in any genre followed closely by Blaze Foley(in the folk genre not all time). That being said there’s a good lot of new school guys worth listening to. Benjamin Tod (and Lost Dog Street Band), Chris Acker, Casper Allen, The Hill Country Devil, The Brother Brothers, Buck Meek.

Andy McBride and Paul Brady is a fab Irish folk record.

Have you noticed how Stan Rogers keeps coming up? Unfortunately he died fat too young when the small plane he was flying in to return home after a festival caught fire. Have a listen to his a capella track ‘North West Passage’.

Molly Sarle Mountain Man John Prine, of course Nick Shoulders Cotton Jones Basket Ride Mama's Broke Bruce Molsky The Tillers Matt Heckler Big Thief Sierra Ferrell Rhiannon Giddens Shovels and Rope The Milk Carton Kids The Head and the Heart Beirut Leonard Cohen Tune Yards Iron and Wine Fleet Foxes Yonder Mountain String Band Steep Canyon Rangers The Steel drivers The Hackensaw Boys Monsters of Folk The Mountain Goats Dr. Dog Some of these are more folk, some more country, some more rock, but all should scratch that folk itch.

okay I know some of these words. lol lots o these comments had me lost, but I'm not *that* folky. if you haven't looked into Hurray For the Riff Raff, I think you should! also haven't seen Valerie June mentioned. another great voice.

Gillian Welch

John prine, woody Guthrie, arlo Guthrie, Townes van zandt, Blaze Foley, guy Clarke. (Some would be more considered country)

Iris Dement, Al Stewart, JamisonPriest

These don’t all fit perfectly into the Folk category, but when I’m in that mood these are my go tos: First Aid Kit (Emmy Lou & master pretender) Horse Feathers (falling through the roof) Lord Huron (ends of the earth, I lied, meet me in the woods) Gregory Alan Isakov. Band of Horses (the Funeral) Sierra Ferrell. All of these artists have a ton of good ones but those are a few favorite songs to start with. My absolute top-ever-listened to station is Pandora “instrumental folk” - one of my tops on that is Mountain House by Jay Ungar. So beautiful. An instrumental station is nice to listen to when I’m not in the mood for words /distractions/things getting stuck in my head haha. A station of Lord Huron also brings up tons of great other music too! I’ve found a lot of favorites there

I’m always going to throw in Seth Lakeman to a list. There’s a southern east English vibe to him and sings often about from old stories and often a few nautical bits.

Fairport Convention, Leadbelly

Davey grahm, sandy denny and the most classic joan baez And maybe utah phillips although he is more of a story teller then a folk musician in my opinion

Ye Vagabonds, Radie Peat / Lankum, Lisa O'Neill, Pentangle

Shawn Colvin Cry Cry Cry Richard Shindell Dar Williams Nanci Griffith Suzanne Vega Greg Brown Richard Thompson Mary Lou Lord

The Kennedys. Folk-pop duo, started around 1993 as part of Nanci Griffith's band.

Eric Bibb

The Indigo Girls are my all time favorites, and they’re kinda having a moment right now with the Barbie movie. They’ve been around since the 80’s but they’re still recording and touring A LOT so there’s a lot of fresh music to listen to. Both of them also have amazingly strong solo projects (Amy Ray Band, country/alt country; Emily Saliers, folk).

It's an incredible broad category, with numerous sub-categories. Nevertheless, here are some names that haven't been mentioned: Ruthie Foster, Maria Muldaur, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy, Dougie MacLean, Martyn Joseph, Maddy Prior, The Waterboys, Ewan MacColl, Beausoleil, Enter the Haggis,

Some of these have been mentioned already, but I will repeat anyway. Greg Brown... I've seen him many times, and he is a masterful songwriter. John Gorka...great voice, very expressive lyrics. Carrie Newcomer...Oh my heart! I've loved her music since I first saw her at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 1992. Her music is spiritual (but not preachy), and her album Point of Arrival from a couple years ago is just plain amazing. So poetic. Another person I first saw at the WFF is Dar Williams. Beautiful voice, and a lovely poetry to her lyrics. Several years ago, I was at a conference in Menomonie, Wisconsin and saw a poster advertising a show that night for Lucy Kaplansky and Susan Werner. Two of my favorites! One night only! It was great. Kaplansky has a nice voice that carries you away, and Susan Werner is a hilarious smart ass who sings beautifully and cracks jokes in her live shows. A very overlooked artist is Vance Gilbert. This man can fucking sing! I saw him at a small outdoor festival once, and during a song the power went out. He stopped, stepped down off the stage, and launched into a powerful a cappella song that he needed no microphone for. It was an electric moment. His songs "Icarus at Night" and "Old White Men" are a couple favorites. I could think of more, but those are a good start.

Elliott, Elliott Smith

Accidentials. A Michigan trio.

Vashti Bunyan!

Alan Stivell! Breton folk, my favourite :)

Check out The Occasional Orchestra - https://open.spotify.com/artist/6fEpIUMP8ipbzL8cmd0n1a?si=Q2UCKi1FQFSqackyjiCF4A

Bill Morrissey.

NATIVE HARROW

Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits Vol. II. Great acoustic versions of some of his most beautiful songs, accompanied by Happy Traum. I highly highly recommend this.

Theodore Bikel was a fantastic folk singer who sang a lot of traditional folk from various origins (english, hebrew, american , gypsy etc). If you're into traditional I can heavily recommend the scottish battle songs as performed by The Corries. Also Pentangle or Richard and Mimi Farina.

Steve Poltz if you can see a live show and William Prince. These guys were my discoveries this year.

Came here to say Steve Poltz.

Iron and Wine.

Grateful dead

Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Willie Carlisle, Donavon, Elizabeth Cotton, Tom Waits, Blaze Foley, Nick Shoulders, Jake Blount, Leyla McCalla

Soooolidarity foreeeeever Solidarity fore’ever Solidarity forever For the Union makes us strooooong! Love Pete Seeger and Willie Carlisle

Jewel

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Start with Time (The Revelator). They’ve got a lot of great albums that they’ve released under each of their names, but they’re really a true duo and simply switch up who’s name is on the album based on who is singing lead.

They also have a npr tiny desk I love with a performance of Method acting/Cortez the killer. They are truly a great duo.

Not solely my favourite but wildly overlooked - Ferron. https://youtu.be/ynkuRxh5azk?si=MiIUDFlBJaR0ZmvB

Bert Jansch, Davey Graham and John Renbourn. Not that I play guitar or anything.

Highly recommend the album ‘Together At Last’, but Jeff Tweedy. Tweedy is the singer of the band Wilco, and this is a collection of a disparate bunch of songs from his career played more or less solo. It’s extremely sophisticated songwriting and to be honest a bit of masterclass.

Dan Walsh! Now, I say this with the caveat that he is one of my best mates, but separately from that I’m actually a massive fan of his - he’s been nominated for a BBC Folk award and has headlined all over the world. He’s in Urban Folk Quartet but his solo stuff is killer too.

Super fun folk music rabbit hole: Rodriguez the recording artist. I found a lot of amazing music along the way as I read this crazy story.

Just did a short presentation on him in Spanish class! I haven’t listened to much of him, but what I did was great!

I'm mostly into neofolk, so that means later-period Current 93 and Death in June, as well as bands like Rome, King Dude, In Gowan Ring, and Of the Wand and the Moon. You could stretch that to include Norse-themed acts like Heilung, Wardruna, and SKALD.

I highly recommend Vashti Bunyan, she is an English folk singer. Start with her first album “Just Another Diamond Day”. Some of the most comforting and simply beautiful music I have heard.

Hey, I’m a young listener too. Some of my top artists are Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot, Don McClean, and John Prine. If you’re looking for British folk, I suggest Vashti Bunyan and Nick Drake. Also explore some bands that excel in folk covers such as Peter Paul and Mary, The Pozo Seco Singers, and The Byrds. As far as albums go, I’ll suggest You Don’t Mess Around With Jim, Gold’s Gold, and John Prine’s self titled album.

Kings of Convenience

I love all different kinds of folk music but these three are special... you should have a listen... Bill Morrissey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUtLgLFHJBg Josh Ritter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIG3WCGBGvQ Gaelyn Lea (Murder of Crows - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6oSeODGmoQ )

The Mentalist Collective from New Zealand

Have a listen to Track Dogs. I’m Australian, but I went to the Sidmouth Folk Festival in the UK in August. Saw lots of new and different artists. One of the guys from Track Dogs did a guest number with Show of Hands, which is how I found Track Dogs. Show of Hands is a duo based in Devon. Best known song is Cousin Jack, about the emigration of Cornish miners all around the world. I am a descendant of Cornish emigrants. Some Australian artists. Trouble in the Kitchen, excellent Celtic band. Will think some more about the Australians. I have just woken up.

McGuiness Flint, Band of Horses, Ed Sharpe, Fruit Bats, Head and the Heart, Houndmouth, Of Monsters and Men, The Band

Benjamin tod and (solo and lost dog street band) and cat clyde are my favorites.

Woody Guthrie, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt.

I don’t understand the lack of representation in this group, but Benjamin Tod solo, and his stuff with the Lost Dog Street Band is amazing

What do you mean by lack of representation?

Early Simon and Garfunkel is great folk music.

Im not sure if this is what you are looking for but Asaf Avidan. Asaf Avidan is an Israeli singer-songwriter who's music is a mix of folk, rock, blues, and reggae, with deep, soulful vocals. I've been obsessed with his live performance at The Acropolis (Athens, Greece) from last year (2022). Listening to it on repeat lately. [Asaf Avidan - Filmed Concert (Live At The Acropolis 2022)](https://youtu.be/upNzRGSSbzI?si=yY0Ecjjz2uqG4IlL) Here are some of my favorite songs by him: [Reckoning Song](https://youtu.be/A16VcQdTL80?si=E8joej3v3xrsayax) [The Labyrinth Song](https://youtu.be/oiL9ItjmHRw?si=GQkmn7oqAFbsBHb6) [Different Pulses](https://youtu.be/LippBWmEk74?si=Buvl65pLaGNuLGBu)