Books, Movies, Music & Entertainment - GOOD folk music suggestions?

Anyone got any favorites they'd like to share?

He's been dead more than 20 years, but Stan Rogers is still my favorite. http://www.stanrogers.net/

WOODY GUTHRIE
Pete Seeger
Fred Neil
Odetta


p.s. I like yer sig... Kodachrome is a great song...

Fairport Convention.

does Emiliana Torrini count? Her new one, you could call "folk."
Iron & Wine
John Fahey (older)
Joan Baez' first two albums on Vanguard are amazing.

Fairport Convention.

+1

And get yourself some acoustic Richard Thompson. Guitar GOD.

Michael Hurley...Long Journey.

Ralph McTell (british folk) You Well Meaning Brought me Here, Streets
Ian and Sylvia on Vanguard
Richard and Mimi Farina on Vanguard
Tom Paxton
Phil Ochs
Gordon Lightfoot (I prefer his early UA stuff)
The Weavers Reunion at Carnegie Hall
Some of the early Randy Newman
Peter Paul and Mary the entire catalogue
Bob Dylan (blonde on Blonde is my personal favourite)
Chad Mitchell Trio
John Denver early catalogue.

Thats a good start.

Kingston Trio

Beside those already mentioned:

Nick Drake
Leadbelly
Skip James

Some may consider some country or bluegrass....but they all kind of overlap to me.

Just going through my MP3 (CD) collection here:

Tres Chicas
Alison Krauss
Neko Case
Emmilou Harris
Joan Baez
Lucinda Williams
Nickel Creek
Vanessa Peters
Rachael Yamagata
Lisa Loeb
Stacey Earle
16 Horsepower

Anything by Cris Williamson up until the late 1980's. She sounded like she was going for "soft rock" airplay after Prarie Fire.

Tom Rush
Pentangle
Mississippi John Hurt

It's almost impossible to find, because I don't think it was ever available on CD, but New York folk singer Paul Kaplan made a great album called "King of Hearts" in the early 80s. Well worth picking up if it turns up in a yard sale somewhere.

A folk duo called Magpie made a good LP called "Working My Life Away" around the same time. Not sure if it's available on CD. Probably out of print. It's better than their later stuff, which is on CD. Along the same lines, I liked Sally Rogers and Howard Burson's album "Satisfied Customers."

For Celtic-flavored folk/rock, try the group Rare Air.

Michelle Shocked, "Arkansas Traveler."

For Celtic-flavored folk/rock, try the group Rare Air.Try Fairport Convention: Unhalfbricking and Full House

Richard Thompson is a bona fide miracle. Phil Ochs of course. I would regard the recent Steve Earle output as more in the folk/protest mode, than country music. Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Sandy Denny, etc, for English folk. Gentle Giant incorporated madrigal singing into their progressive rock (OK, it's not really folk).

Nick Drake
+1

Gentle Giant
Wow (and I mean that in a good way)

I don't know if he's quite folk, but, I've been on a Slim Whitman kick lately.

I'd recomend Richard Buckner, but then I always do. http://www.mergerecords.com/m3u.php?media_id=195&

The Serendipity Singers! j/k :)

1) I like lotek's list.

2) With my Scots DNA, I greatly enjoy anything with Celtic roots.

http://www.jimgillmusic.com/


My wife and I are good friends with Jim Gill, a local folksinger/songwriter. His talent is as rich as any I've encountered in over 50 years of music appreciation. His bandmates Ted and J. are equally as talented, and as a group will make you wonder why you've not heard them before.

Any folkies in the NE Ohio area would be delighted by attending a concert featuring Jim Gill and Friends or Jim Gill solo.

Beth Orton

Judy Collins
Joni Mitchell
early Bonnie Raitt
Buffy St. Marie
Pete Seeger (rainbow race, one of my favourites)
Arlo guthrie
Joan Baez
Eric Andersen (sic?)
We Five
New City Ramblers
Rambling Jack Elliot
Fred Neil

If you're from Northern New Jersey seek out
Greg Steir, and tell him Marty says hello!

British folk rock? Lindesfarne (fog on the tyne highly recommended).

Can you tell I'm a bit of a folky at heart?

marty

Bert Jansch (I can't believe I forgot him)
Kings of Convenience - get "Quiet is the New Loud"

fruit (http://www.fruitmusic.com.au/)

- Wil

who did wreck of edmunds fitzgerald?

who did wreck of edmunds fitzgerald?


I think it was Gordon Lightfoot.

yup, Lightfoot off the Summertime Dream album, 1976.

also one of my favourite artists.

I don't know if he's technicallly folk, but I like John Prine. Some of his songs make me laugh (Dear Abby), some make me cry (Donald & Lydia), and some really makes me think (Sam Stone).

There's too many to suggest.

Try this:

http://www.folkalley.com

tune in while you browse BF to get your folk fix.

~JG

I don't know if he's technicallly folk, but I like John Prine. Some of his songs make me laugh (Dear Abby), some make me cry (Donald & Lydia), and some really makes me think (Sam Stone).

Yup,John Prine is great. I saw him in concert at the Kent State Folk Festival back in '99. Some people think he's country because of his southern accent but I believe he's from Detroit so I don't know what's up with that.


Has anyone listened to anything by Kate Wolf? She's been one of my all-time favorites for years. RIP Kate.

There's too many to suggest.

Try this:

http://www.folkalley.com

tune in while you browse BF to get your folk fix.

~JG
Great website. WKSU is local to me, I've been listening to Jim Blum for years. The bummer is, it seems Blum seldom recognizes any local talent.

who did wreck of edmunds fitzgerald?
I think it was Gordon Lightfoot.

He must have gotten in a lot of trouble for that.

http://www.jimgillmusic.com/


My wife and I are good friends with Jim Gill, a local folksinger/songwriter. His talent is as rich as any I've encountered in over 50 years of music appreciation. His bandmates Ted and J. are equally as talented, and as a group will make you wonder why you've not heard them before.

Any folkies in the NE Ohio area would be delighted by attending a concert featuring Jim Gill and Friends or Jim Gill solo.


Lou,
Gill hosted John Gorka at Bay HS last year. Great show. We got there late and just caught the end of Jim's set. I thought he was very good.
My Folk List (not in order of favs) Tim Buckley, Tom Rush, Josh Ritter(#1 in Ireland), Turin Brakes, Ray LaMontagne, Laura Nyro, Bill Morrissey, John Prine, Damien Rice, Leonard Cohen..........
Check out the Beachland Ballroom. Josh Ritter will be there in April. Here's the link
http://www.beachlandballroom.com/

Lou,
Gill hosted John Gorka at Bay HS last year. Great show. We got there late and just caught the end of Jim's set. I thought he was very good.
My Folk List (not in order of favs) Tim Buckley, Tom Rush, Josh Ritter(#1 in Ireland), Turin Brakes, Ray LaMontagne, Laura Nyro, Bill Morrissey, John Prine, Damien Rice, Leonard Cohen..........
Check out the Beachland Ballroom. Josh Ritter will be there in April. Here's the link
http://www.beachlandballroom.com/


Damien Rice is pretty good. Ever heard any Greg Brown?-

Damien Rice is pretty good. Ever heard any Greg Brown?-

Ya. He is coming to Cleveland at the Beachland on May 21st.
See ya there.

He's been dead more than 20 years, but Stan Rogers is still my favorite. http://www.stanrogers.net/
word

word word word word word

California Dreaming. With evil intent I get the band or DJ to play it at some dance venue where most of the couples are doing non or minimum contact dancing. Then the wife and I go into a full hip to shoulder A. tango embrace and do a broken field blur of footwork through the crowd of newbie dancers. That style of tango is folk dancing to me so California Dreaming is folk music to me.

What about the classic & timeless; "Drums of Passion" by Babatunde Olatungi .. Made In America* (in NYC I think) :beer:

Judy Collins
Joni Mitchell
early Bonnie Raitt
Buffy St. Marie
Pete Seeger (rainbow race, one of my favourites)
Arlo guthrie
Joan Baez
Eric Andersen (sic?)
We Five
New City Ramblers
Rambling Jack Elliot
Fred Neil

If you're from Northern New Jersey seek out
Greg Steir, and tell him Marty says hello!

British folk rock? Lindesfarne (fog on the tyne highly recommended).

Can you tell I'm a bit of a folky at heart?

marty


a) you do, of course, mean the new lost city ramblers, right?

b) i'm shocked that i haven't seen doc watson on this list yet. amazing guitarist and gifted banjo player, and great interpreter of folk songs old as the hills

c) clarence ashley, dock boggs, roscoe holcomb, mance lipscomb, cousin emmy, uncle dave macon, the original carter family, gaither carlton, vashti bunyan (gorgeous voice)...for newer, devendra banhart, joanna newsom, vetiver, thanksgiving

d) big +1 on michael hurley. i'll be seeing him play tomorrow.

b) i'm shocked that i haven't seen doc watson on this list yet. amazing guitarist and gifted banjo player, and great interpreter of folk songs old as the hills


I remember the first time I heard Doc's flat picking skills. To this day I swear he is the most gifted player I have ever heard. Oh and he just is amazing in general like you said.

yep...we've had this talk before...but i have to add that i'm so proud that lately i've been figuiring out how to flatpick in his style. takes a lot of work to play that fast, and youhave to make your fingers bounce off the frets...it's satisfying to do, though.

i whole-heartedly second pentangle and bert jansch

For you Nick Drake lovers try:

Sufjan Stevens
Elliot Smith
Devandra Banhart
M. Ward
Red House Painters
The Flying Burrito Brothers
Cowboy Junkies
The Books - Avantgard Folk

Townes Van Zandt.

Sufjan Stevens is quite talented and I would also recommend Matt Costa

Townes Van Zandt.

****, how could i not have mentioned him? or, for that matter, guy clark, jerry jeff walker, john prine, joe ely, or or ray wylie hubbard? the texas guys.

also, how could i have forgotten sufjan stevens? not strictly folk, but then again, folk is a broad term anyhow. sufjan stevens, though, is pretty damn talented.

He's been dead more than 20 years, but Stan Rogers is still my favorite. http://www.stanrogers.net/
Wow! As soon as I saw the title to this thread, Stan Rogers was the first person I thought of. I guess he's not nearly as obscure as I thought!

Dar Williams
Patricia Barber
Someone suggested Red House Painters so I'll suggest Sun Kil Moon as well ... just avoid their newer release (all modest mouse covers and it doesn't work)
Kingsbury Manx
Iris DeMent
Rod MacDonald
Eric Bibb
Leo Kottke
And a second vote for Kings of Convenience