List of folk rock artists

All of the performers listed here had or have both significant folk elements and significant rock elements in their music. Most will be considered folk rock.

Most sections on this page are in alphabetical order. This may not be immediately obvious, as people are alphabetised by surname, whereas groups are alphabetised by name.

inger-songwriters

A number of singer-songwriters are associated strongly with folk rock. Among those who started out strongly identified with folk music but later incorporated rock influences in their music, or vice versa, are:

*Eric Andersen
*Joan Armatrading
*Joan Baez
*David Blue
*Jackson Browne
*Jeff Buckley
*Peter Case
*Gene Clark
*Bruce Cockburn
*Leonard Cohen
*Judy Collins
*Rick Cordes
*Jim Croce
*John Denver
*Jonathan Coulton
*Donnie Dureau
*Donovan
*Bob Dylan
*Art Garfunkel
*Tim Hardin
*Gerard Jaffrès
*Bert Jansch
*Wizz Jones
*Paul Kelly
*Ronnie Lane
*Gordon Lightfoot
*Bill Madden
*Shelagh McDonald
*F.J.McMahon
*Ralph McTell
*Joni Mitchell
*Van Morrison
*Fred Neil
*Phil Ochs
*John Phillips
*Shawn Phillips
*John Prine
*The Roches
*Tom Rush
*Paul Siebel
*Judee Sill
*Paul Simon
*Cat Stevens
*Al Stewart
*John Stewart
*Alan Stivell
*Richard Thompson
*James Taylor
*Suzanne Vega

In addition, others (usually of at least a slightly younger generation) seem to have mixed both elements from the outset of their careers:

*James Blunt
*Jonatha Brooke
*Harry Chapin
*Tracy Chapman
*Jim Croce
*Henry Conley
*Matt Costa
*Ani DiFranco
*Steve Forbert
*Jonathan Edwards
*Arlo Guthrie
*Indigo Girls
*Jorma Kaukonen
*Mark Knopfler
*David Knopfler
*Philip Lindholm
*Don McLean
*Willis Alan Ramsey
*Joel Sprayberry
*Bruce Springsteen
*Todd Snider
*M. Ward
*Gillian Welch
*Teddy Thompson
*Neil Young

Singer-songwriter Paul Simon, as one half of Simon & Garfunkel, was a transitional figure between a Dylanesque singer-songwriter and the folk rock vocal sound.

American singer-songwriter Philip Lindholm often uses an innovative form of classical guitar in otherwise rock-orchestrated music, recalling the lyrical poignancy of Simon and Dylan with a new and rich approach to folk rock.

Canadian singer-songwriter Nathan Bishop performs both folk and rock instrumentation and leans on lyrical and narrative traditions in his songs.

1960s North American folk rock vocal groups

These bands were associated with original North American "folk rock" sound, drawing to some extent on traditional folk music, but to a greater extent on the work of folk-influenced contemporary songwriters, such as Bob Dylan or the Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan.

*The Band
*The Beach Boys
*Bermuda Triangle Band
*The Blue Things
*Buffalo Springfield
*The Byrds
*Creedence Clearwater Revival
*Crosby, Stills & Nash
*Ian and Sylvia
*The Lovin' Spoonful
*The Mamas & the Papas
*Simon & Garfunkel
*Peter, Paul & Mary, transitional between urban folk vocal groups and folk rock
*The Turtles, whose first hits were in this genre, but who headed off in other musical directions
*We Five, whose lead singer Bev Bivens had a defining influence on the West Coast vocal style of the mid 1960s
*The Youngbloods

Other U.S. bands of this era

There were also significant folk influences in the music of several other North American bands of this period who were not generally identified with the folk rock label.

*Dion DiMucci (mid and late 1960s recordings)
*Grateful Dead
*Jefferson Airplane
*Hot Tuna
*Love
*Moby Grape
*Sonny and Cher
*Gene Vincent (mid and late 1960s recordings)

British and Irish folk rock

The British and Irish folk rock (or "electric folk") sound started out as an offshoot of the North American. Fairport Convention and Pentangle, were almost certainly the seminal bands of this movement. Fairport first releases had a sound very close to that of North American folk rock, but began deliberately incorporating elements from the folk music of the British Isles in short order. This in turn led Ashley Hutchings to leave Fairport and found Steeleye Span and later The Albion Band to continue exploring traditional music's relationship with rock instruments and arrangements. Pentangle was more eclectic, and remained acoustic longer. Several bands in Brittany were also closely associated with this musical movement following the work of Alan Stivell.

Unrelated to this movement are a few British acts of the mid-1960s whose music was based on or paralleled US folk rock of the time, such as Chad and Jeremy, Peter and Gordon, The Searchers or Marianne Faithfull.

Electric folk

The following are electric folk artists, meaning that much of their material is traditional, although presented in a more contemporary style (see electric folk for details). It is ordered chronologically.

*Fairport Convention (1967-)
*Steeleye Span (1969-)
*Alan Stivell (Breton; electric folk from 1970)
*The Albion Band
*Jack The Lad (1973-1976)
*Junah (2003-present)
*Malicorne (French; 1974-1986)
*Oysterband (1976-)
*Broadside Electric (USA; 1990-)
*Comus
*Cordelia's Dad (USA)
*The Demon Barbers
*Eighteenth Day of May
*Jim Moray
*Red Ruth
*Traitor's Gait

Celtic rock

A clearly related sound can be found in Irish music of a slightly later period.
*The Corrs
*The Waterboys

Other Celtic rock groups include:

*Amadan
*Blaggards
*Capercaillie
*Carbon Leaf
*Celtas Cortos
*Cruachan
*The Dreaming
*The Elders
*Gerard Jaffrès
*Five Hand Reel
*Horslips
*The Indulgers
*Junah
*The Kissers
*Lindisfarne
*The Men They Couldn't Hang
*The Mickeys
*Moving Hearts
*The Prodigals
*Planxty
*Rathkeltair
*The Sandcarvers
*Saw Doctors
*Seven Nations
*Tears For Beers
*Young Dubliners
*Runrig (Scotland)
*Punch the Monkey - A Celtic rock/punk cover band (USA)
*Wolfstone

Canadian Celtic rock

The Canadian bands Spirit of the West and Great Big Sea are also more associated with this sound that with the earlier North American folk rock.

The Canadian band Celtae are fusing two folk traditions, that of Cape Breton and Newfoundland with a broad definition of rock that includes elements of hard rock, funk, and jazz while retaining the original flavour of the traditional music.

Also:
*Enter the Haggis
*Glengarry Bhoys
*The Town Pants

Folk punk

*Against Me!
*Attila the Stockbroker
*Billy Bragg
*Bread and Roses
*Captain Chaos
*Defiance, Ohio
*Erik Petersen
*Filthy Thieving Bastards
*Gainesville Liberation Orchestra
*Ghost Mice
*Johnny Hobo
*The Levellers
*The Killigans
*Mutiny
*Mischief Brew
*New Model Army
*Rosa
*Spoonboy
*Sforzando
*Swamp Zombies
*This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb
*Violent Femmes
*X-tal

Celtic punk

A similar impulse (but a very different sound) can be found in bands who mix traditional Irish and general Celtic music with punk rock.

*Barleyjuice
*The Bloody Irish Boys
*Dropkick Murphys
*The Family Mahone
*Farler's Fury
*Flogging Molly
*Flatfoot56
*The Gobshites
*Greenland Whalefishers
*Irish Stew of Sindidun
*Jackdaw
*Keltic cowboys
*The Killigans
*Larkin
*Larkin Brigade
*The Mahones
*Neck
*The Peelers
*The Pogues
*The Porters
*The Pubcrawlers
*Real McKenzies
*Saint Bushmill's Choir
*Screw City Saints
*Sharky Doyles
*The Skels
*Siobhan
*Swingin' Utters
*The Tossers
*Welch Boys
*Whiskey Chaser
*Whiskey Rebels
*The Vandon Arms

Uncategorised British and Irish folk rock

*The BibleCode Sundays
*The Clare Voyants
*Sandy Denny
*The Dream Academy
*Eclection
*Fotheringay
*Fleetwood Mac
*Gryphon
*Hedgehog Pie
*Jethro Tull; not all of their music has folk elements, but "Songs from the Wood", "Heavy Horses" and "Stormwatch" are clearly of this genre.
*JSD Band
*Junah
*Led Zeppelin; Most from "Led Zeppelin III" and "Led Zeppelin IV", their two most folk inspired albums.
*Magna Carta
*John Martyn
*Ralph McTell
*Pentangle
*Pig Rider
* [http://www.pyrates.co.uk Pyrates! - Folk Sung Pirate style!]
*Renaissance
*Shamus O'Blivion and the Megadeath Morrismen
*Strawbs
*Richard Thompson
* Trees
*Tricks Upon Travellers

Van Morrison, although from rock and roll, released some folk-rock style tracks, always in an idiosyncratic mode. His recent music (since the late 1990s) is more akin to folk-rock, especially in his collaborations with The Chieftains.

The Incredible String Band began doing straight folk before heading off into experimental folk, then folk rock and finally in other musical directions. Band member Robin Williamson has often returned to this style of music.

Other uncategorised folk rock

*The 3rd and the Mortal (Norway)
*A Fragile Tomorrow
*Arthur Alligood
*Amaral (music group) (Spain)
*America
*The Bedridden (Australia)
*Boiled in Lead
*Borknagar (Norway) ("Origin" album)
*The Broken Shillelaghs
*Jeremy Casella
*Vic Chesnutt
*Celtas Cortos (Spain)
*Harry Chapin
*Continental Drifters
*Den Fule (Sweden)
*The Duhks (Canada)
*Energy Orchard
*Fiddler's Green (Germany)
*Flight of the Conchords
*Folque (Norway)
*Garmarna (Sweden)
*Gåte (Norway)
*Gordon Giltrap
*Randall Goodgame
*The Grapes of Wrath (Canada)
*Great Big Sea (Canada)
*The Greencards
*Andy Gullahorn
*Gundula Krause (Germany)
*Hedningarna (Sweden)
*The Hooters
*I Ratti Della Sabina (Italy)
*The Jayhawks
*Los Jaivas (Chile)
*Matthew Perryman Jones
*Junah (Ireland)
*Leb i Sol (Macedonia)
*The Lost Dogs
*Bill Mallonee
*Chris Mason
*Sandra McCracken
* Melnitsa (Russia)
*Modena City Ramblers (Italy)
*Dawn Xiana Moon
*James Moors
*Old Crow Medicine Show
*One Star Hotel
*Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers
*Andrew Osenga
*Over the Rhine
* Pesniari (Belarus, USSR)
*Jill Phillips
*The River Bends
*Roaring Jack (Australia)
*Ruby Blue (UK)
*Schandmaul (Germany)
*The Sonny Tractor Band
*Spiral Dance (Australia)
*Spirit of the West (Canada)
*Aaron Sprinkle
*STS (Austria)
*Thompson (Croatia)
*Kazuki Tomokawa (Japan)
*Triquel (Spain)
*Two Gallants
*Uke til u puke
*Derek Webb
*The Waifs (Australia)
*Weddings Parties Anything (Australia)
*Andy White (UK)
*Denison Witmer
*David Wolfenberger
*YU grupa (Serbia)