Folk artists, songs, decades and similar genres

folk music timeline

Explore folk history by listening to songs from every decade. Click on the decade to view songs.

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s

Similar Genres to folk

Discover more related genres to folk genre. This list is ordered by similarity from left to right.

folk rock,country rock,traditional folk,roots rock,lilith,mellow gold,alternative country,singer-songwriter,new americana,soft rock,classic rock,ectofolk,indie folk,rock,brill building pop,adult standards,art rock,classic uk pop,album rock,psychedelic rock,heartland rock,texas country,new wave pop,outlaw country,pop rock,bubblegum pop,british folk,women's music,american folk revival,contemporary folk,blues rock,canadian singer-songwriter,stomp and holler,pub rock,yacht rock,progressive bluegrass,appalachian folk,old-time,cosmic american,merseybeat,bluegrass,rock-and-roll,deep new americana,roots americana,alternative rock,melancholia,country,traditional blues,new england americana,permanent wave,power pop,dance rock,freak folk,blues,acoustic pop,psychedelic folk,jam band,british invasion,boston folk,country blues,banjo,anti-folk,canadian country,symphonic rock,southern rock,austin singer-songwriter,acoustic blues,canadian indie,traditional british folk,experimental,hard rock,art pop,queer country,electric blues,indie rock,modern folk rock,canadian americana,piano rock,piedmont blues,classic country pop,new wave,rockabilly,modern blues,british blues,beatlesque,baroque pop,nashville sound,canadian pop,lounge,country dawn,mandolin,traditional country,classic garage rock,disco,north carolina roots,neo mellow,celtic,nashville singer-songwriter,new romantic,chamber pop,sunshine pop,bluegrass gospel,classic canadian rock,delta blues,post-punk,progressive rock,indie pop,easy listening,alternative pop,austin americana,instrumental bluegrass,soul,drone folk,alternative americana,jangle pop,nashville americana,arkansas country,vocal jazz,ottawa indie,oklahoma country,irish folk,supergroup,fingerstyle,swamp rock,native american,gbvfi,canadian folk,protopunk,freakbeat,glam rock,australian rock,motown,chamber psych,honky tonk,alternative roots rock,western swing,experimental rock,dream pop,jamgrass,sophisti-pop,rock drums,celtic rock,cowboy western,american primitive,scottish singer-songwriter,spirituals,lo-fi,country gospel,toronto indie,funk,synthpop,manitoba indie,ambient folk,vocal harmony group,acid rock,neo-traditional bluegrass,kentucky mountain folk,texas blues,punk blues,uk post-punk,quiet storm,buffalo ny indie,contemporary vocal jazz,zolo,dallas indie,yorkshire folk,swamp pop,doo-wop,yodeling,gospel blues,red dirt,scottish folk,folktronica,bakersfield sound,jazz blues,nederpop,library music,mountain dulcimer,boston rock,contemporary country,pei indie,punk,jazz fusion,native american contemporary,vancouver indie,candy pop,canadian indigenous,iowa indie,string folk,laboratorio,new weird america,persian pop,art punk,europop,underground power pop,outsider,louisiana blues,vintage country folk,dance pop,jazz rock,slowcore,modern southern rock,kingston on indie,new jersey indie,canterbury scene,modern blues rock,modern old-time,western americana,new orleans blues,electronica,jug band,jazz pop,string band,space rock,denton tx indie,classic girl group,duluth indie,deep adult standards,double drumming,kentucky roots,jazz violin,country road,nl folk,rock keyboard,harmonica blues,memphis americana,australian dance,australian country,paisley underground,alaska indie,riot grrrl,irish singer-songwriter,audiophile vocal,philly soul,piano blues,garage punk blues,athens indie,dance-punk,post-hardcore,modern power pop,portland indie,country pop,neo soul,industrial,traditional english folk,pre-war blues,rhode island indie,jig and reel,garage psych,memphis blues,southern soul,chicago indie,nottingham indie,chicago blues,christian indie,indiecoustica,canadian blues,harlem renaissance,new orleans americana,scottish new wave,australian pop,ontario indie,classic soul,classical mandolin,newfoundland indie,roots worship,rhythm and blues,rock of gibraltar,australian alternative rock,cowpunk,australian americana,krautrock,alternative dance,boogie-woogie,deep christian rock,lancaster pa indie,north carolina indie,soul blues,experimental vocal,southern americana,vintage old-time,classical bass,uk americana,bush ballad,experimental pop,grunge,tucson indie,garage rock,metropopolis,modern country rock,icelandic pop,ska,minneapolis sound,south carolina indie,jazz piano,stomp and flutter,bebop,washboard,fourth world,swamp blues,uk pop,uilleann pipes,steampunk,australian indie,pop quebecois,girl group,etherpop,country boogie,modern rock,one-person band,swing,jazz,arab folk,compositional ambient,noise pop,michigan indie,neo-rockabilly,electropop,indie punk,no wave,canadian celtic,christian punk,pop,c86,swedish americana,hollywood,deathgrass,psychedelic soul,truck-driving country,gothic americana,irish neo-traditional,folk punk,trip hop,bow pop,brooklyn indie,chamber folk,hurdy-gurdy,britpop,scottish indie folk,garage pop,contrabass,instrumental acoustic guitar,free folk,welsh indie,maine indie,tin pan alley,midwest americana,operatic pop,psychedelic blues-rock,irish dance,albany ny indie,shanty,icelandic experimental,piano mpb,madchester,canadian rock,tempe indie,acoustic rock,triangle indie,berlin school,clawhammer banjo,new rave,emo,dutch blues,devon indie,olympia wa indie,norwegian singer-songwriter,scottish indie,chicago soul,psychedelic folk rock,neo-psychedelic,pop folk,scottish rock,calming instrumental,big band,show tunes,nashville indie,glam metal,german rock,austindie,australian blues,classic psychedelic rock,slam poetry,cello,concertina,british soul,vermont indie,northumbrian folk,palm desert scene,brazilian modern jazz,synth punk,australian children's music,post-grunge,dark cabaret,ambient,scottish fiddle,neo-synthpop,shoegaze,cape breton indie,norwegian pop,ska revival,dayton indie,garage punk,neo-progressive,indie poptimism,japanese guitar,experimental psych,indie singer-songwriter,urban contemporary,san marcos tx indie,soul jazz,bristol indie,louisville indie,pop edm,stride,pop soul,irish accordion,la indie,dixieland,minimalism,atlanta indie,bossa nova,drone,post-teen pop,electronic rock,emo punk,industrial rock,australian indigenous,modern funk,new mexico music,dusseldorf electronic,british singer-songwriter,brighton indie,western mass indie,ohio indie,anthem worship,

folk playlist created by Chosic

Enjoy this playlist of popular folk music. We made this playlist using an algorithm created by our team.

Play on spotify

List of folk artists

Here is a list of folk artists on Spotify, ranked based on popularity, who exemplifies the folk genre. You can find out what folk genre sounds like where you can preview artists or sort them the way you want, just click the headers to sort.

#	name	Popularity	instrumentalness	danceability	energy	acousticness	Happiness	tempo	followers
1	Simon & Garfunkel	72	3	45	34	68	48	111	4637760
2	Van Morrison	72	4	56	53	46	59	119	2842116
3	Bob Dylan	71	1	53	47	54	54	123	6129547
4	Yusuf / Cat Stevens	70	2	56	46	52	54	124	1712477
5	Tracy Chapman	70	0	67	33	53	48	117	1459907
6	Paul Simon	69	3	62	48	59	59	116	2107139
7	The Mamas & The Papas	68	0	51	55	58	61	119	1545332
8	James Taylor	68	1	60	36	52	50	107	2341044
9	John Denver	68	1	45	30	69	51	119	1857008
10	Gordon Lightfoot	67	2	57	40	57	55	110	764548
11	Jim Croce	67	0	60	43	70	72	127	1229119
12	Brandi Carlile	66	0	50	46	51	34	120	741619
13	Fleet Foxes	64	8	46	41	51	29	117	1279178
14	Don McLean	64	1	47	33	64	44	116	866714
15	Linda Ronstadt	63	1	49	33	54	45	120	821806
16	Carly Simon	63	0	55	46	48	51	119	1018963
17	Jackson Browne	62	0	56	51	40	50	122	1230568
18	Carole King	62	2	58	42	64	58	118	1385725
19	Buffalo Springfield	62	7	53	46	48	62	122	735276
20	Jennifer Warnes	62	1	51	24	66	37	116	70962
21	Steve Earle	61	6	51	58	31	63	136	264737
22	Nick Drake	61	45	54	26	77	40	115	720144
23	Crosby, Stills & Nash	60	0	51	34	58	45	124	1764436
24	The Band	60	4	53	67	30	61	121	1010980
25	Alison Krauss	60	0	52	23	83	35	128	341328
26	Emmylou Harris	60	1	52	43	49	52	120	334094
27	John Prine	60	1	57	37	57	62	130	493293
28	Harry Nilsson	60	7	53	36	58	53	114	439875
29	Tom Waits	59	8	52	37	74	46	111	1280354
30	Bonnie Raitt	59	2	58	43	54	52	114	637966
31	Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young	58	1	47	39	54	50	126	1538782
32	The Lovin' Spoonful	58	9	56	52	43	69	120	464627
33	Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit	57	1	50	54	23	44	111	210167
34	Rodríguez	57	0	49	64	37	54	117	488075
35	Donovan	57	10	54	38	53	55	113	660440
36	The Byrds	57	6	47	58	35	64	121	918392
37	Little Feat	56	6	56	58	30	68	126	415645
38	John Hiatt	56	3	59	56	37	62	122	201939
39	Peter, Paul and Mary	56	1	51	22	70	46	116	681904
40	The Little Willies	55	1	55	23	84	42	92	31031
41	Lyle Lovett	55	0	54	33	53	43	118	191958
42	Warren Zevon	55	5	59	54	38	60	114	382569
43	Joan Baez	54	1	45	25	66	40	118	597569
44	Margo Price	54	1	61	64	26	61	132	123050
45	Taj Mahal	54	4	67	50	50	70	120	195218
46	Joni Mitchell	54	0	53	33	82	49	99	1292774
47	Jason Isbell	54	0	48	38	41	38	118	375575
48	Townes Van Zandt	53	0	54	29	73	50	113	307056
49	Natalie Merchant	53	6	56	36	52	38	125	385418
50	Indigo Girls	53	0	49	50	50	48	114	311927
51	Frazey Ford	53	12	68	33	55	37	108	81461
52	Amanda Shires	53	3	54	48	33	40	119	49485
53	Sonny & Cher	53	0	55	61	32	62	125	372129
54	Drive-By Truckers	53	3	47	69	18	52	119	202777
55	Justin Townes Earle	53	2	59	48	49	53	120	165487
56	Sarah Jarosz	53	0	57	25	80	36	120	135333
57	Loggins & Messina	52	4	53	51	40	64	132	448720
58	Lucinda Williams	52	1	54	46	38	45	114	226638
59	Gillian Welch	51	1	58	26	75	38	117	210563
60	The Secret Sisters	51	0	46	32	77	32	127	85158
61	Aoife O'Donovan	51	1	48	33	76	33	114	56134
62	Ry Cooder	51	13	60	37	52	62	114	288631
63	Harry Chapin	51	1	50	40	61	42	113	327361
64	Stephen Stills	50	6	54	52	37	55	120	273238
65	Marianne Faithfull	50	4	57	39	51	49	115	182154
66	Mary Chapin Carpenter	50	2	59	50	57	58	126	196268
67	k.d. lang	49	1	45	41	46	28	123	359653
68	Rodney Crowell	49	1	62	54	42	61	127	89399
69	Doc Watson	49	13	53	29	86	72	120	96777
70	Joan Armatrading	49	0	62	41	40	49	127	251038
71	Eilen Jewell	49	2	57	54	40	58	119	57099
72	Neko Case	49	0	43	55	47	34	126	209845
73	Blaze Foley	49	10	54	23	84	46	119	81265
74	Traffic	49	2	45	56	30	53	110	553781
75	Rosanne Cash	49	0	66	45	43	64	114	163491
76	The Be Good Tanyas	48	5	56	37	63	48	110	86798
77	Valerie June	48	5	51	43	59	40	132	157202
78	Cowboy Junkies	48	6	49	30	42	32	120	173272
79	The Wailin' Jennys	48	0	54	20	86	29	114	139074
80	Yola	48	0	48	54	51	50	115	129510
81	Shelby Lynne	48	1	62	39	50	42	117	50090
82	Art Garfunkel	48	2	43	32	65	39	113	524238
83	Sara Watkins	47	0	48	27	73	27	116	47545
84	Iris DeMent	47	0	55	27	73	47	118	74787
85	Leon Russell	47	0	53	47	42	62	117	245346
86	Patty Griffin	47	0	44	32	75	33	118	148485
87	Rhiannon Giddens	47	16	59	36	58	52	112	119427
88	Tim Hardin	46	1	58	23	77	52	102	48769
89	Rickie Lee Jones	46	0	57	26	54	35	110	179506
90	Judy Collins	46	0	39	23	82	32	110	234386
91	Guy Clark	46	0	60	31	69	46	111	124829
92	Buddy Miller	46	0	49	44	39	51	127	30082
93	Bruce Cockburn	46	18	55	45	54	51	118	55092
94	Graham Nash	45	1	56	32	51	47	123	214357
95	Blood, Sweat & Tears	44	10	48	53	43	50	107	560906
96	Allison Russell	44	0	54	32	67	34	109	44735
97	Loudon Wainwright III	44	1	55	35	62	51	120	74265
98	Lori McKenna	44	0	55	39	46	35	123	58727
99	Shawn Colvin	44	1	53	38	58	41	109	126661
100	Melanie	44	0	51	24	79	46	99	101111
101	Steve Forbert	44	1	61	57	32	72	119	37655
102	Janis Ian	44	0	52	26	73	34	107	140688
103	Karen Dalton	44	21	46	31	78	37	117	122879
104	Richie Havens	44	5	55	49	64	59	117	115913
105	The Jayhawks	44	1	55	61	24	51	115	111983
106	Fairport Convention	43	13	42	37	52	41	129	109897
107	Pete Seeger	43	1	55	31	90	62	114	157581
108	Nanci Griffith	43	0	52	32	59	50	116	90173
109	Richard Thompson	43	5	52	49	52	51	125	85348
110	I'm With Her	43	0	71	11	87	24	104	77740
111	Jeff Tweedy	43	22	64	38	49	51	122	85935
112	Courtney Marie Andrews	43	0	52	33	74	34	116	45251
113	Arlo Guthrie	43	3	56	52	62	58	124	140394
114	Tim Buckley	43	4	42	35	66	38	111	213051
115	The Youngbloods	42	6	57	46	65	72	114	124381
116	Hurray For The Riff Raff	42	3	53	37	72	38	115	107376
117	David Crosby	42	10	53	33	53	32	116	285529
118	Buffy Sainte-Marie	42	2	54	43	56	55	115	90676
119	Woody Guthrie	41	5	61	18	94	65	117	174156
120	Chris Smither	41	1	55	40	78	46	107	32859
121	Levon Helm	41	0	62	71	36	72	123	138478
122	Jackson C. Frank	41	20	45	26	87	42	119	80472
123	The Flying Burrito Brothers	41	5	47	50	15	55	112	139027
124	Jeffrey Foucault	41	1	56	27	77	32	114	26772
125	The Kingston Trio	41	0	60	39	69	68	133	103140
126	Gretchen Peters	41	0	48	27	79	26	113	23254
127	Odetta	40	0	59	33	73	62	111	73256
128	Gram Parsons	40	0	55	43	47	57	110	129999
129	Maria Muldaur	39	0	54	35	71	46	117	23575
130	Dave Van Ronk	39	6	53	16	88	40	115	56126
131	Roger McGuinn	38	2	48	51	39	60	123	44922
132	Carolina Chocolate Drops	38	23	60	39	86	63	110	134771
133	Adia Victoria	38	18	55	52	36	41	114	39568
134	Mary Gauthier	38	3	50	26	70	31	126	43009
135	Dar Williams	37	0	52	47	50	45	119	55396
136	Richard & Linda Thompson	37	8	60	31	49	54	105	29252
137	Phil Ochs	37	0	54	23	79	49	115	53029
138	New Riders of the Purple Sage	36	1	55	61	14	76	119	95877
139	Jimmy LaFave	36	0	52	36	65	33	107	19503
140	Greg Brown	36	7	59	33	67	46	111	35039
141	Allison Moorer	36	0	49	46	44	31	119	26273
142	Ramblin' Jack Elliott	35	17	53	29	70	48	121	30168
143	Tom Paxton	35	0	58	33	74	65	116	42076
144	Laura Nyro	35	0	41	42	77	56	114	63133
145	Eliza Gilkyson	35	0	55	40	51	47	109	22311
146	Phoebe Snow	34	1	52	33	62	49	126	53630
147	Dave Alvin	34	4	55	53	24	49	116	33865
148	John Sebastian	34	3	54	35	57	60	120	39508
149	Ian & Sylvia	33	1	54	22	78	62	111	28986
150	Jesse Winchester	33	1	62	36	60	59	130	13929
151	Tift Merritt	33	1	57	45	46	42	103	35263
152	Dave Rawlings Machine	33	0	53	34	71	50	115	42781
153	Chris Hillman	33	11	62	57	30	57	106	17603
154	Sandy Denny	32	31	42	22	74	25	118	55075
155	Jesse Colin Young	32	6	60	56	43	61	122	48265
156	Kate & Anna McGarrigle	31	1	47	28	82	44	123	23487
157	Alejandro Escovedo	31	1	51	59	19	51	119	36795
158	Lowell George	31	0	58	35	50	53	109	44826
159	Kate Wolf	31	0	46	11	85	34	129	19485
160	Steve Goodman	31	2	56	55	45	65	117	20876
161	Crosby & Nash	30	0	58	27	77	21	109	216675
162	Dillard & Clark	30	7	53	29	53	38	75	12387
163	Tom Rush	30	11	57	29	70	40	101	26073
164	John Gorka	29	1	60	18	82	38	130	17660
165	David Bromberg	28	10	56	38	62	51	124	30004
166	Carrie Newcomer	27	0	51	33	78	38	128	15231
167	Amy Ray	27	8	51	53	47	45	124	16924
168	The Weavers	26	0	50	36	76	61	122	23601
169	Cheryl Wheeler	26	0	52	36	80	50	113	13756
170	Shawn Phillips	25	19	38	58	30	35	138	9552
171	Shannon McNally	25	0	52	41	49	42	131	15612
172	Buddy & Julie Miller	25	0	54	55	25	44	114	10839
173	Utah Phillips	25	1	58	36	89	64	114	14384
174	Lucy Kaplansky	24	0	56	35	63	37	110	17097
175	Richard Shindell	23	0	49	38	59	37	126	11586
176	Antje Duvekot	22	0	50	27	73	38	115	11860
177	Kris Delmhorst	22	0	50	32	65	38	113	10372
178	Patty Larkin	21	0	60	42	71	43	109	8593
179	Eric Andersen	20	31	50	23	74	31	112	10048
180	Julie Miller	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	5229
181	Bill Morrissey	18	0	0	0	0	0	0	5216
182	Catie Curtis	16	0	60	46	40	47	108	10001

Top artists of folk genre

folk music timeline

Similar Genres to folk

folk playlist created by Chosic

List of folk artists

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