The ones i play most are:
Steeleye span
Capercaillie
Isla St Clair
Clive Gregson & Christine Collister

Chris N

Also

Capercaillie
Karen Matheson (lead singer in Capercaillie but excellent on her own CDs)
Sinead Lohan (Irish)
Cliar
Julie Fowlis

Ian

Anne Briggs. 'A collection' (Topic -TSCD504).
Most of Sandy Denny' solo output.' A Boxful of Treasures' (Fledling 5002) will keep you enthralled for years.

The Bothy Band
La Bottine Souriante
Danu
de Dannan
Nic Jones
Paddy Keenan
Lunasa
Oysterband
Planxty
Silly Wizard
Spiers and Boden

to name but a few.

Al Stewart
Loudon Wainwright III
Leonard Cohen
Nick Drake

Saw Doctors
Richard Thompson
Oysterband
Capercaillie
Eliza and Martin Mcarthy
Clannad
Runrig

Howard

By sheer coincidence, I shall be going to see Ms Collister (with Dave Kelly & the Travelling Gentlemen (Pick Withers (Dire Straits, Bob Dylan), Peter Filleul (East of Eden, Climax Blues Band), Pete Emery (John Dummer Blues Band, Jo-Anne Kelly), and Gary Fletcher (Blues Band)).

Should be good...

Shirley Collins (False True Lovers)
Shirley Collins and Davy Graham (Folk Roots, New Roots)
Shirley and Dolly Collins (Anthems in Eden)
Shirley Collins and Albion Country Band (No Roses)
Mary Black (No Frontiers)
Anne Briggs (Collection)
Vishti Bunyan (Just Another Diamond Day)
Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention (Liege And Leaf)
Judy Dibble and Trader Horne (Morning Way)
Annie Haslam and Renaissance (Ashes Are Burning)
Celia Humphries and Trees (Polly On The Shore)
Jacqui McShee and Pentangle (Basket of Light)
Karine Polwart (Faultlines)
Maddy Prior and Steeleye Span (Parcel of Rogues)

Incredible String Band (5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion)
Nick Drake (Five Leaves Left)
Christy Moore (Ride On)
Dando Shaft (Dando Shaft)
Donal Lunny (Journey)
Dr Strangely Strange (Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal)
Planxty (Well Below The Valley)
Richard Digance (England's Green And Pleasent Land)
Richard and Linda Thompson (I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight)

Probably forgotten some music - but the above list contains many of my favourite albums.

And Ougenweide, of course,



Olaf Casalich, Renee Kollmorgen and Brigitte Blunck do the singing.

In no particular order:


Joni Mitchell

James Taylor

Bob Dylan

Leonard Cohen

Alison Krauss

Nickel Creek

Shawn Colvin

Eva Cassidy

Simon & Garfunkel

Andrea Zonn

Pete Seeger/Weavers

Jonatha Brooke

John Prine

Iain Matthews

Cesaria Evora

Richard and/or Linda Thompson

CSN&Y/and individual members

Rickie Lee Jones

Elliott Smith

Milton Nascimento

Dave Van Ronk

Judy Collins

Dan Tyminski

Gillian Welch

October Project

Pentangle

Incredible String Band

Joan Baez

Tom Rush

Richie Havens

Kate Rusby


... just to name a few.

Fred

There are some interesting interpretations of what classifies as "folk" in these lists - not that it matters.

Fred

A pretty impressive list and a few names I definitely shound investigate.

Thanks, Rotf

quote:

Originally posted by Nigel Cavendish:
There are some interesting interpretations of what classifies as "folk" in these lists - not that it matters.

Nigel - I wasn't sure if Annie Haslam and Mary Black were folk singers, but HMV puts them in the folk section. I even wondered if HMHB were folk, but I though that might be stretching it. I didn't include Kirsty MacColl, which may have been a mistake.

Wonder why we try to classify music - when really it comes down to recordings we enjoy and ones we don't - quality is the ear of the listener.

Does Cajun music count as folk? How do we define "folk"? If yes, the Beausoleil, Michael Doucet, Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat's Zydeco, and several others performers do it for me. Just going through a rediscovery of a bunch of CDs i bought in the late 80's and early 90's.
It can be infectiously catchy and lively or really quite sad.

ROTF

Mary Black was once a folk singer but most of her output these days is very MOR. Kirsty MacColl is one of my favourites but I would say she was more of a pop singer than folk.

Chris, I would class cajun as folk.

But I agree with ROTF that classifications are not really important - enjoy what you like.

I agree totally Nigel and ROTF. I think it's the modern obsession to have to label everything. It's not even the distinction between "good" and "bad" music - I'm sure some of what I like would be "bad" to others but in the privacy of my own room who else cares!

I use CD Trustee to catalogue all my CDs. The software used gracenote to get all the information, and if I filler my collection to just folk the list I have is

Artist Name Album Title
Sam Baker Mercy
Julie Collings Demo EP
The Duhks The Duhks
Kathleen Edwards Back to Me
Kathleen Edwards Failer
Kathleen Edwards Live From The Bowery Ballroom
Patty Griffin 1000 Kisses
Patty Griffin A Kiss in Time
Patty Griffin Flaming Red
Patty Griffin Impossible Dream (Import)
Patty Griffin Living With Ghosts
Lucy Kaplansky The Red Thread
K. D. Lang Hymns Of The 49th Parallel
Natalie Merchant The House Carpenter's Daughter
Joni Mitchell Hits
Polly Paulusma Scissors In My Pocket
Po' Girl Po' Girl
Karine Polwart Faultlines
Karine Polwart The Pulling Through EP 2005
Kate Rusby Hourglass
Kate Rusby Little Lights
Kate Rusby Sleepless
Kate Rusby The Girl Who Couldn't Fly
Kate Rusby Underneath The Stars
Emiliana Torrini Fisherman's Woman
Abigail Washburn Song of the Traveling Daughter
Kathryn Williams Relations



I must admit there seems to be some missing that I would class as folk music, but so what

Lots of the above for me too.

A relatively recent discovery for me is David Hughes.

I now have four of his albums of witty modern folk music. Great stuff - check it out.

John.

In addition to a lot of the above:
Norma Waterson
The Waifs
Los Lobos
Ewan McColl
Not sure of the difference between "folk" and a lot of the "world" music that I listen to - believe it's all played by folks.

Looking forward to the new Richard Thompson boxset.

Richard Thompson box set? Nobody told me about that ... awaiting with interest.