Folk

Overview Edit

Folk means traditional music, the music of the people. Going back hundreds or thousands of years, the music that people played in certain locations was their 'folk' music. So, for example, Irish folk was the music that Irish people naturally started playing among themselves many generations before the modern recorded music industry was born. Irish folk, along with Scottish folk, Appalachian folk and other Western folks, often involve stringed instruments (like banjos or guitars) and storytelling songs. African folk music tends to prioritize dancing over storytelling, and is therefore often thought of as 'dance' or 'world' rather than folk - but it is, basically, the music of those people. The Blues is a kind of folk music which emerged from the black people of the Southern US States.

Nowadays, folk has become a lazy term used to indicate the presence of an acoustic guitar in a song.

Yusuf Islam

Yusuf Islam

Photo Credit - Getty Images

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Top ranked Folk releases

15872572 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Take Me Home Listen Take Me Home 2009 Celtic Thunder
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15601665 RELEASE That's Proper Folk!! That's Proper Folk!! 2008 Various Artists
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843356 RELEASE Facing Future Facing Future 1993 Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
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5045447 RELEASE Listen Please try again. The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary Listen The Very Best of Peter, Paul and Mary 2005 Peter, Paul & Mary
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3314406 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Trouble Listen Trouble 2004 Ray LaMontagne
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8782589 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Flight of the Conchords Listen Flight of the Conchords 2008 Flight of the Conchords
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508750 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Tea for the Tillerman Listen Tea for the Tillerman 1970 Cat Stevens
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565679 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Songbird Listen Songbird 1998 Eva Cassidy
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1212282 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Waiting for My Rocket to Come Listen Waiting for My Rocket to Come 2002 Jason Mraz
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6358207 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Till the Sun Turns Black Listen Till the Sun Turns Black 2006 Ray LaMontagne
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5870313 RELEASE Listen Please try again. We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions Listen We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions 2006 Bruce Springsteen
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561371 RELEASE Listen Please try again. The Essential Bob Dylan Listen The Essential Bob Dylan 2000 Bob Dylan
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6209812 RELEASE Yellow House 2006 Grizzly Bear
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613096 RELEASE Listen Please try again. Songs of Leonard Cohen Listen Songs of Leonard Cohen 1968 Leonard Cohen
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7335470 RELEASE Listen Please try again. The Shepherd's Dog Listen The Shepherd's Dog 2007 Iron & Wine
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Top ranked Folk artists

  1. Yusuf Islam Yusuf Islam 1948-
  2. Celtic Thunder Celtic Thunder 2007-
  3. Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen 1934-
  4. Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes 2006-
  5. Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash 1968-
  6. Ray LaMontagne Ray LaMontagne 1974-
  7. Peter, Paul & Mary Peter, Paul & Mary 1961-
  8. Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Lightfoot 1938-
  9. Eva Cassidy Eva Cassidy 1963-1996
  10. Grateful Dead Grateful Dead 1965-1995

Websites Edit

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