Folk Music

Peter Yarrow (1938–2025), Peter, Paul and Mary singer

Peter Yarrow was a singer-songwriter and guitarist with the legendary folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary, known for their song “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

Mike Brewer (1944–2024), One Toke Over the Line singer

Mike Brewer was half of the folk-rock duo Brewer & Shipley, best known for their 1971 hit song, “One Toke Over the Line.” 

Ella Jenkins (1924–2024), first lady of children’s music

Ella Jenkins was a singer and songwriter who focused on creating music for children during her entire decades-long career.

Barbara Dane (1927–2024), folk singer and activist

Barbara Dane was a folk, blues, and jazz singer who spent her career fighting for peace and justice through the power of song.

Malcolm Holcombe (1955–2024), singer-songwriter 

Malcolm Holcombe was a singer and songwriter known for his back-to-basics Americana music. 

Randy Sparks (1933–2024), founder of the New Christy Minstrels 

Randy Sparks was a singer-songwriter who founded the New Christy Minstrels, a group that was part of the 1960s folk revival, and whose Grammy Award-winning debut was on the charts for two years.

Melanie (1947–2024), Brand New Key singer

Melanie was a folk singer and songwriter who had major hits in the 1970s with “Brand New Key” and “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain),” and she was one of three women who performed solo acts at Woodstock.

Tom Smothers (1937–2023), half of the Smothers Brothers

Tom Smothers was one-half of the innovative comedy-folk duo the Smothers Brothers along with his brother Dick.

Karl Tremblay (1976–2023), Les Cowboys Fringants singer

Karl Tremblay was the lead singer and cofounder of the Quebec folk rock band Les Cowboys Fringants.

Roger Whittaker (1936–2023), The Last Farewell singer 

Roger Whittaker was an English folk singer and songwriter best known for his version of “Wind Beneath My Wings,” as well as “Durham Town (The Leavin’)” and “The Last Farewell.” 

Len Chandler (1935–2023), folk and protest musician

Len Chandler was a musician during the 1960s folk revival and protest music scene whose work drew the attention of , , and others.

Jimmy Buffett (1946–2023), Margaritaville singer

Jimmy Buffett was a singer and songwriter known for such laid-back hits as “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”

David LaFlamme (1941–2023), White Bird singer and songwriter 

David LaFlamme was a singer, songwriter, and violinist with It’s a Beautiful Day, known for their 1969 hit “White Bird.”

Robbie Robertson (1943–2023), cofounder of The Band

Robbie Robertson was a songwriter and musician who cofounded the classic Americana group The Band, writing “The Weight” and several more of their best-known songs, as well as playing lead guitar for Bob Dylan.

Biff Rose (1937–2023), Fill Your Heart singer and songwriter 

Biff Rose was a singer and songwriter whose songs were covered by such artists as , Pat Boone, and . 

Gordon Lightfoot (1938–2023), Canadian folk-rock legend

Gordon Lightfoot was the Canadian folk-rock legend whose international hit songs included “Sundown,” “Rainy Day People,” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Ron Cahute (1955–2023), folk musician with Burya

Ron Cahute was a Ukrainian-Canadian folk singer and accordionist who recorded with the band Burya.

David Crosby (1941–2023), legendary rock and roll singer-songwriter 

David Crosby was one of the most important figures in rock and roll. He was an original member of folk rock visionaries the Byrds and the super group, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Ian Tyson (1933–2022), “Four Strong Winds” singer and songwriter

Ian Tyson was a Canadian singer and songwriter with the duo Ian & Sylvia who wrote the folk standard “Four Strong Winds.”

Noel Duggan (1949–2022), founding member of Irish band Clannad 

Noel Duggan was an Irish musician who was a founding member of the family folk band Clannad.

Jim Post (1939–2022), “Reach out of the Darkness” singer

Jim Post was half of the duo Friend & Lover, known for their 1968 hit, “Reach out of the Darkness.”

Judith Durham (1943–2022), former lead vocalist of The Seekers 

Judith Durham was the former lead vocalist for the Australian folk-pop group The Seekers, known for their hit song “Georgy Girl.”   

Kelly Joe Phelps (1959–2022), acclaimed slide guitar player  

Kelly Joe Phelps was a celebrated slide guitarist and singer-songwriter who played blues, country blues, folk, and Americana music.

Bob Neuwirth (1939–2022), wrote ‘Mercedes Benz’ with Janis Joplin  

Bob Neuwirth was a folk music singer-songwriter and influential associate of Bob Dylan who wrote ‘Mercedes Benz’ with Janis Joplin.

Judy Henske (1936–2022), 1960s folk singer and songwriter

Judy Henske was a folk singer and songwriter known for songs including “High Flying Bird.”

Paul Siebel (1937–2022), 1960s singer and songwriter

Paul Siebel was a folk singer and songwriter known for songs including the widely-covered “Louise.”

Nanci Griffith (1953–2021), Grammy-winning singer and songwriter

Nanci Griffith was a folk and country music singer and songwriter known for songs including “Love at the Five and Dime” and “From a Distance.”

Trini Lopez (1937–2020), “Lemon Tree” singer

Trini Lopez was a popular singer whose version of “Lemon Tree” was a hit song.

Judy Dyble (1949–2020), Fairport Convention singer

Judy Dyble was an English singer-songwriter who was an early member of the influential folk group Fairport Convention.

Bucky Baxter (1955–2020), steel guitarist for Bob Dylan, Steve Earle

Bucky Baxter was a pedal steel guitarist who toured with Bob Dylan and was a founding member of Steve Earle’s backing band, the Dukes.

John Prine (1946–2020), beloved singer-songwriter

John Prine was an American folk singer-songwriter renowned for songs featuring offbeat lyrics about life, love, and social issues.

Bob Shane (1934–2020), founding member of the Kingston Trio

Bob Shane was one of the founding members of folk revival group the Kingston Trio, and he was the last of the group’s original three members to survive. The Kingston Trio were among the most important drivers of the folk revival in the late 1950s and 1960s, beloved for hits including “Tom Dooley” and “Scotch and Soda.” Shane played guitar and supplied baritone vocals, typically singing lead alongside his bandmates’ smooth harmonies. As original trio members Dave Guard and Nick Reynolds left the group, it was Shane who kept it alive for decades, continuing to tour and record with the Kingston Trio — sometimes going by the name the New Kingston Trio — until his 2004 retirement.

Norma Tanega (1939–2019), folk singer who had a hit with “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog”

Norma Tanega  was a folk singer and experimental musician who had a single hit, the 1966 song “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog.” The track reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was later covered by artists including Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, Yo La Tengo, and They Might Be Giants. Her other songs include “You’re Dead,” which was used as the theme song for the 2015 movie “What We Do in the Shadows.” Tanega was also a songwriter who wrote and cowrote songs for Dusty Springfield, with whom she had a romantic relationship, including “No Stranger Am I,” “The Colour of Your Eyes,” and Midnight Sounds.”

David Olney (1948–2020), acclaimed singer-songwriter

Acclaimed Americana singer-songwriter David Olney died while performing on stage at the 30A Folk Fest in Florida. According to fellow musicians, Olney was in the middle of a song when he said, I
9m sorry, and put his chin to his chest. Musician Scott Miller said on Facebook,"He never dropped his guitar or fell (off) his stool, it was as easy and gentle as he was. Olney had a loyal following and had recorded over 20 albums. His songs were covered by Emmy Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Steve Earle.

Irving Burgie (1924–2019), “Day-O” songwriter

Irving Burgie  wrote the calypso song “Day-O” (aka “The Banana Boat Song”) which became a huge hit for singer Harry Belafonte in 1956. Burgie, who went by the name Lord Burgess, co-wrote the song with William Attaway, based on a traditional Jamaican folk song. “Day-O” spent 31 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and later was featured in a popular scene in the movie “Beetlejuice.” He wrote many more calypso songs for Belafonte including “Island in the Sun.” Burgie was a member of an all-black unit in the Army during World War II. After the war, he worked the folk music circuit in Greenwich Village and then began writing for Belafonte. His mother was a native of Barbados and Burgie wrote the country’s national anthem. He was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007.

Leon Redbone (1949–2019), singer-guitarist known for his Tin Pan Alley-style

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Monterey Pop and the Summer of Love

In 1967, the 'Summer of Love' got off to a groovy start thanks to the Monterey International Pop Festival.

Jimmy LaFave (1955 - 2017), singer and songwriter

Americana singer-songwriter was known for the “Red Dirt” sound…

Bruce Langhorne (1938–2017), session musician with Bob Dylan

Session musician inspired the Bob Dylan song “Mr. Tambourine Man”…

Maggie Roche (1951–2017), folk singer with the Roches

Maggie Roche, a singer-songwriter in the sister folk trio the Roches, died Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, of cancer, according to multiple news sources. She was 65. “Friends, my dear, beautiful sister Maggie passed away today after a long struggle with cancer. She was a private person, too sensitive and shy for this world, but brimming with life, love, and talent,” her sister Suzzy Roche wrote in a Facebook post. “I want to let you know how grateful she was to everyone who listened and understood her through her music and her songs.” Maggie Roche played guitar and sang low harmonies with her sisters Suzzy and Terre in the folk group the Roches. They were performing in New York City during the early 1970s when singer-songwriter Paul Simon heard them and recruited them as backup singers on his 1973 album, “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.”

Leonard Cohen Taught Me How to Be a Person

As a child, I was surrounded by angry screaming. Leonard Cohen’s songs whispered of something better.

Leonard Cohen (1934–2016), Hallelujah singer and songwriter

Leonard Cohen, a legendary Canadian-born singer-songwriter, died Monday, Nov. 7, 2016, according to multiple news sources. He was 82.

Oscar Brand (1920–2016), Canadian folk singer

Canadian folk singer and radio host.

Fred Hellerman (1927 - 2016), last surviving member of the Weavers

Fred Hellerman, a folk singer and the last surviving member of the Weavers, died Sept. 1, 2016, at his home in Connecticut, according to multiple news sources. He was 89.

Glenn Yarbrough (1930 - 2016), Limeliters singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter Glenn Yarbrough,a founding member of the folk music vocal trio the Limeliters, died Aug. 11, 2016, at his home in Nashvillefollowing a long period of ill health. He was 86.

Gib Guilbeau (1937 - 2016), Cajun musician and songwriter

Gib Guilbeau, the Cajun musician and veteran songwriter from Louisiana, died April 12. He was 78. His death was announced by The Burrito Brothers band via Facebook. No cause of death was immediately available. “Gib was a beautiful guy. Great singer and songwriter,” the group wrote, noting that Guilbeau was a member “of the last of the early wave (1968-75) of Flying Burrito Brothers. … It was an honor to play a couple of times with him. Thoughts and prayers go out to Ronnie and the rest of the Guilbeau family. Thanks, Gib, for the music!”

Jim DeRogatis Remembers Nick Drake

Nick Drake was not fully appreciated during his lifetime. Here, music critic and author Jim DeRogatis, co-host of National Public Radio's Sound Opinions, remembers the musician's music and legacy.

Remembering Mary Travers

In a soft but strong voice, the Peter Paul & Mary singer called for social change.

Sandy Denny Evermore

Thirty-five years ago today, the world lost a legend of folk music, one who continues to influence contemporary musicians...