folk rock artists

277 published folk rock artists, led by The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin. The list below shows the 120 most famous.

At a glance

277 published folk rock artists; 2,484 studio albums have verified cover art.

Published artists15 tier 1 · 56 tier 2 · 206 tier 3: 277
Release groups: 12,255
Studio albums: 2,781
Albums with cover artverified Cover Art Archive: 2,484
Timeline events: 4,413
Monthly listenerssum across artists: 505.3M
Claimed salessum of stored claims; implausible values excluded: 1,671M
Average career spanfirst to last dated release: 38.9 years
Full biographies: 215
Biography words: 726,129

When they started

Debut decade from each artist's earliest dated release. Most debuts fell in the 1960s (55 artists).

Artists by debut decade
Decade	Artists
1950s	3
1960s	55
1970s	44
1980s	33
1990s	37
2000s	41
2010s	11

53 artists have no dated release or formation year and are not plotted.

Where they come from

Countries with the most folk rock artists. United States leads with 99.

Often paired with

Genres that share artists with folk rock. The most shared is rock music, with 69 artists in both.

Covers from folk rock

2,484 studio albums have verified cover art. The 12 shown come from the most famous artists.

The Beatles Celebration
The Beatles · 1999
The World’s First Beatles Shaped CD
The Beatles · 1996
The Beatles Tapes From The David Wigg Interviews
The Beatles · 1990
The Compleat Beatles
The Beatles · 1982
Let It Be
The Beatles · 1970
Abbey Road
The Beatles · 1969
The Beatles
The Beatles · 1968
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles · 1967
Revolver
The Beatles · 1966
Yesterday and Today
The Beatles · 1966
Beatles VI
The Beatles · 1965
Rubber Soul
The Beatles · 1965

Leaders

Bob Dylan has the most release groups (400); Bob Dylan the longest career (69 years); Bob Dylan the most awards (50).

Most prolific

Most prolific, by number of release groups
Artist	release groups
Bob Dylan	400
Neil Young	399
R.E.M.	299
Led Zeppelin	298
The Beatles	294

Longest careers

first to last dated release

Longest careers, by number of years
Artist	years
Bob Dylan	69
Glen Campbell	68
The Beatles	64
Carole King	63
Alan Stivell	62

Most decorated

Most decorated, by number of awards
Artist	awards
Bob Dylan	50
Leonard Cohen	42
Joni Mitchell	42
Gordon Lightfoot	40
Neil Young	34

Most famous folk rock artists

The Beatles

United Kingdom · Group · 1960–1970

rock music, pop music, hard rock, rock and roll, blues rock, beat music, folk rock, psychedelic rock, traditional folk music, experimental rock, classic rock

35.2M listeners · 245 wikis

Bob Dylan

United States · Person · born 1941

rock music, folk rock, country music, gospel music, blues, country rock, jazz, folk-pop, American folk music, Christian rock, Americana

14.7M listeners · 184 wikis

Led Zeppelin

England · Group · 1968–1980

rock music, hard rock, blues rock, folk rock, classic rock

21.2M listeners · 120 wikis

Cher

United States · Person · born 1946

rock music, pop music, folk rock, disco, pop rock, dance music, folk music, glam metal, house music

13.8M listeners · 120 wikis

Eagles

United States · Group · 1971–present

folk rock, country rock

27M listeners · 80 wikis

R.E.M.

United States · Group · 1980–2011

folk rock, alternative rock, college rock, jangle pop

23.4M listeners · 69 wikis

George Harrison

United Kingdom · Person · born 1943

rock music, pop music, beat music, folk rock, psychedelic rock, world music, raga rock

9.6M listeners · 125 wikis

Simon & Garfunkel

United States · Group · 1957–2010

folk rock, soft rock, folk-pop, psychedelic folk

9.6M listeners · 70 wikis

The Cranberries

Ireland · Group · 1989–2003

rock music, folk rock, pop rock, alternative rock, post-punk, new wave, grunge, jangle pop, indie rock, indie pop, dream pop, Celtic rock

40.2M listeners · 72 wikis

Neil Young

Canada · Person · born 1945

rock music, hard rock, folk rock, experimental rock, rockabilly, country music, blues, country rock, jazz, alternative rock, grunge, Southern rock

12.7M listeners · 80 wikis

Tracy Chapman

United States · Person · born 1964

pop music, folk rock, soul, blues, alternative rock, American folk music

15.6M listeners · 67 wikis

Paul Simon

United States · Person · born 1941

rock music, folk rock, soft rock, world music

8.4M listeners · 71 wikis

More folk rock artists

Showing 1–108 of 108 artists

John Mayer

United States · Person · born 1977

rock music, pop music, blues rock, folk rock, soul, country music, blues, pop rock, country rock, folk music, soft rock, alternative rock, blue-eyed soul, indie rock, acoustic music

14.9M listeners · 61 wikis · Tier 1

John Denver

United States · Person · born 1943

rock music, pop music, folk rock, traditional folk music, country music, folk music, folk-pop

11.2M listeners · 65 wikis · Tier 2

Mitski

United States · Person · born 1990

folk rock, Q3071, art pop, J-pop, indie rock, folk punk

21.2M listeners · 42 wikis · Tier 1

Jeff Buckley

United States · Person · born 1966

folk rock, soul, gospel music, blues, alternative rock

12.6M listeners · 52 wikis · Tier 2

Laura Branigan

United States · Person · born 1952

pop music, folk rock, dance music, synth-pop, Italo dance

9.3M listeners · 57 wikis · Tier 2

The Mamas & the Papas

United States · Group · 1965–1972

folk rock, sunshine pop

13.2M listeners · 46 wikis · Tier 2

Mumford & Sons

United Kingdom · Group · 2007–present

rock music, folk rock, country music, folk music

13.5M listeners · 44 wikis · Tier 1

Bon Iver

United States · Group · 2006–present

rock music, folk rock, folk music, art pop, folktronica, indie folk, contemporary folk music

17.6M listeners · 37 wikis · Tier 1

Julieta Venegas

United States · Person · born 1970

rock music, pop music, folk rock, pop rock, alternative rock, Latin pop, indie pop, cumbia

19.1M listeners · 34 wikis · Tier 1

America

United Kingdom · Group · 1970–present

folk rock

16.5M listeners · 34 wikis · Tier 1

Don McLean

United States · Person · born 1945

rock music, folk rock, folk music

10.2M listeners · 43 wikis · Tier 3

Maren Morris

United States · Person · born 1990

folk rock, country music, folk music, country pop, new jack swing

11.8M listeners · 37 wikis · Tier 3

The Lumineers

United States · Group · 2005–present

folk rock

18.2M listeners · 25 wikis · Tier 1

La Oreja de Van Gogh

Spain · Group · 1996–present

pop music, folk rock, pop rock, power pop, Electropop, Emo subculture

14.9M listeners · 29 wikis · Tier 1

Leonard Cohen

Canada · Person · born 1934

rock music, pop music, folk rock, blues, pop rock, folk music, soft rock, world music, spoken word, sophisti-pop

131 wikis · Tier 2

Buffalo Springfield

United States · Group · 1966–2012

folk rock

6.5M listeners · 37 wikis · Tier 2

Kailash Kher

India · Person · born 1973

folk rock, pop rock, Indian film music, independent music, Sufi rock, Sufi music

17.8M listeners · 21 wikis · Tier 1

Kenny Loggins

United States · Person · born 1948

folk rock, soul, country music, rhythm and blues, pop rock, soft rock, yacht rock

9.8M listeners · 31 wikis · Tier 3

Jim Croce

United States · Person · born 1943

folk rock, traditional folk music, blues, soft rock

8M listeners · 34 wikis · Tier 2

Morat

Mexico · Group · 2015–present

folk rock

14.2M listeners · 11 wikis · Tier 1

The Proclaimers

United Kingdom · Group · 1983–present

folk rock, pop rock, country rock, college rock, Celtic rock

7.4M listeners · 26 wikis · Tier 3

James Taylor

United States · Person · born 1948

rock music, folk rock, country music, pop rock, soft rock, jazz-funk

45 wikis · Tier 3

Phoenix

Romania · Group · 1962–present

hard rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, art rock, heavy metal music, world music

6.2M listeners · 11 wikis · Tier 3

John Cale

United Kingdom · Person · born 1942

rock music, folk rock, experimental rock, pop rock, art rock, alternative rock, classical music, avant-garde music, proto-punk, spoken word, drone music

84 wikis · Tier 2

Lou Reed

United States · Person · born 1942

rock music, folk rock, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, glam rock, art rock, alternative rock, blue-eyed soul, proto-punk, noise rock, spoken word, drone music

79 wikis · Tier 2

Jimmy Page

United Kingdom · Person · born 1944

rock music, hard rock, blues rock, folk rock, blues, progressive rock

78 wikis · Tier 2

Sinéad O'Connor

Ireland · Person · born 1966

folk rock, pop rock, alternative rock, reggae, college rock, indie pop, Celtic rock

86 wikis · Tier 2

Joni Mitchell

Canada · Person · born 1943

pop music, folk rock, jazz, folk music, art rock, world music, folk jazz

75 wikis · Tier 2

Robert Plant

United Kingdom · Person · born 1948

hard rock, blues rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, heavy metal music

74 wikis · Tier 2

The Velvet Underground

United States · Group · 1965–1972

rock music, blues rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, art rock, alternative rock, art pop, avant-garde music, proto-punk, noise rock, drone music, noise music, avant-punk

74 wikis · Tier 2

Nikolai Noskov

Russia · Person · born 1956

pop music, hard rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, traditional folk music, funk, rhythm and blues, glam rock, progressive rock, art rock, alternative rock, dance-rock, electro, synth-pop, new wave, funk rock, blue-eyed soul, glam metal, folk-pop, trip hop, symphonic rock, romance, bard song

78 wikis · Tier 2

Carole King

United States · Person · born 1942

pop music, folk rock, adult contemporary music, soft rock, easy listening, blue-eyed soul, Brill Building

59 wikis · Tier 2

Dolores O'Riordan

Ireland · Person · born 1971

folk rock, pop rock, alternative rock, jangle pop, indie rock, dream pop, post-grunge, Celtic rock

74 wikis · Tier 2

Alexander Rybak

Norway · Person · born 1986

pop music, folk rock, country music, pop rock, adult contemporary music, classical music, indie pop, baroque pop, crossover, symphonic rock

72 wikis · Tier 2

John Bonham

United Kingdom · Person · born 1948

rock music, hard rock, blues rock, folk rock

57 wikis · Tier 2

Bonnie Raitt

United States · Person · born 1949

folk rock, blues, Americana

45 wikis · Tier 2

David Crosby

United States · Person · born 1941

rock music, folk rock, country rock, jazz fusion

53 wikis · Tier 2

Amy Macdonald

United Kingdom · Person · born 1987

folk rock, soft rock, indie pop

61 wikis · Tier 2

Goran Bregović

Bosnia and Herzegovina · Person · born 1950

hard rock, folk rock, folk music

59 wikis · Tier 3

Jethro Tull

United Kingdom · Group · 1967–present

hard rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, electronic music, progressive rock, art rock, electronic rock

56 wikis · Tier 3

Bob Geldof

Ireland · Person · born 1951

rock music, pop music, folk rock

54 wikis · Tier 3

Glen Campbell

United States · Person · born 1936

rock music, pop music, folk rock, country music, gospel music, folk music

45 wikis · Tier 2

Michael Stipe

United States · Person · born 1960

folk rock, alternative rock, college rock, jangle pop

43 wikis · Tier 3

Donovan

United Kingdom · Person · born 1946

folk rock, psychedelic rock, folk-pop, psychedelic folk, psychedelic pop

43 wikis · Tier 3

PJ Harvey

United Kingdom · Person · born 1969

rock music, folk rock, alternative rock

51 wikis · Tier 3

Jimmy Buffett

United States · Person · born 1946

pop music, folk rock, country music, country rock, soft rock, easy listening

42 wikis · Tier 2

Michelle Phillips

United States · Person · born 1944

pop music, folk rock, psychedelic rock, traditional folk music, sunshine pop

42 wikis · Tier 2

Jerry Garcia

United States · Person · born 1942

blues rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, rhythm and blues, progressive rock, bluegrass music

41 wikis · Tier 2

T. Rex

United Kingdom · Group · 1967–1977

folk rock, psychedelic rock

40 wikis · Tier 2

The Band

Canada · Group · 1967–1999

rock music, blues rock, folk rock, country music, country rock, Americana, roots rock, alternative country

40 wikis · Tier 2

Ann Wilson

United States · Person · born 1950

rock music, hard rock, folk rock, album-oriented rock

29 wikis · Tier 3

Nancy Wilson

United States · Person · born 1954

rock music, hard rock, folk rock, album-oriented rock

29 wikis · Tier 3

Robbie Robertson

Canada · Person · born 1943

rock music, folk rock, rhythm and blues, country rock

37 wikis · Tier 2

Melissa Etheridge

United States · Person · born 1961

rock music, folk rock

37 wikis · Tier 3

Ben Harper

United States · Person · born 1969

rock music, blues rock, folk rock, soul

35 wikis · Tier 3

Gordon Lightfoot

Canada · Person · born 1938

rock music, pop music, folk rock, country music, folk music

44 wikis · Tier 2

The Byrds

United States · Group · 1964–1973

folk rock, psychedelic rock, country rock

43 wikis · Tier 2

Ani DiFranco

United States · Person · born 1970

folk rock

41 wikis · Tier 3

Marty Balin

United States · Person · born 1942

folk rock, psychedelic rock, pop rock, soft rock, acid rock

31 wikis · Tier 2

Greg Lake

United Kingdom · Person · born 1947

hard rock, folk rock, progressive rock, art rock, opera

39 wikis · Tier 2

Facundo Cabral

Argentina · Person · born 1937

folk rock, ballad, bard song

38 wikis · Tier 2

Sixto Rodriguez

United States · Person · born 1942

folk rock, psychedelic rock, traditional folk music, psychedelic folk

38 wikis · Tier 2

Glen Hansard

Ireland · Person · born 1970

rock music, folk rock, traditional folk music, indie rock, indie pop, indie folk, contemporary folk music

37 wikis · Tier 2

Barış Manço

Turkey · Person · born 1943

rock music, folk rock, psychedelic rock, pop rock, progressive rock, Anatolian rock

37 wikis · Tier 2

Maureen Tucker

United States · Person · born 1944

rock and roll, folk rock, experimental rock, art rock, avant-garde music, proto-punk

27 wikis · Tier 3

Phil Ochs

United States · Person · born 1940

folk rock, folk music, baroque pop, singer-songwriter music, protest song

36 wikis · Tier 2

Andrea Corr

Ireland · Person · born 1974

rock music, folk rock, alternative rock

35 wikis · Tier 3

Đorđe Balašević

Serbia · Person · born 1953

rock music, folk rock, pop rock, folk music

35 wikis · Tier 2

Alan Stivell

France · Person · born 1944

folk rock, new age music, Celtic music, crossover, Celtic rock, electroacoustic music, Celtic fusion, music of Brittany, Breton rock

34 wikis · Tier 3

Richie Havens

United States · Person · born 1941

folk rock, soul

34 wikis · Tier 2

Gene Clark

United States · Person · born 1944

folk rock, country music

24 wikis · Tier 2

Damien Rice

Ireland · Person · born 1973

folk rock, folk music

33 wikis · Tier 3

Jake Bugg

United Kingdom · Person · born 1994

blues rock, folk rock, traditional folk music, blues, country rock, Americana, indie rock, indie folk, British blues

33 wikis · Tier 3

Boris Grebenshchikov

Soviet Union · Person · born 1953

rock music, folk rock, reggae

33 wikis · Tier 3

John Sebastian

United States · Person · born 1944

folk rock, traditional folk music

23 wikis · Tier 3

Zdob și Zdub

Moldova · Group · 1994–present

folk rock

32 wikis · Tier 3

Leon Russell

United States · Person · born 1942

rock music, folk rock, country music, gospel music, blues

31 wikis · Tier 2

Robert Hunter

United States · Person · born 1941

rock and roll, blues rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, country rock, alternative hip-hop, bluegrass music

20 wikis · Tier 2

Devendra Banhart

United States · Person · born 1981

folk rock, folk music

29 wikis · Tier 3

Country Joe McDonald

United States · Person · born 1942

folk rock, country music, alternative country

29 wikis · Tier 3

Markéta Irglová

Czech Republic · Person · born 1988

folk rock

29 wikis · Tier 3

Warren Zevon

United States · Person · born 1947

rock music, hard rock, blues rock, folk rock

28 wikis · Tier 3

Aquarium

Russia · Group · 1972–present

rock music, rock and roll, blues rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, experimental rock, art rock, new wave, reggae, jazz fusion, indie rock, neofolk, bard rock

28 wikis · Tier 3

Charly García

Argentina · Person · born 1951

rock music, folk rock, progressive rock, rapping, symphonic rock

28 wikis · Tier 3

Fleet Foxes

United States · Group · 2001–present

folk rock

27 wikis · Tier 3

Flight of the Conchords

New Zealand · Group · 1998–present

rock music, folk rock, funk, folk music, hip-hop, alternative rock, new wave, alternative hip-hop, indie rock, acoustic music, comedy rock, comedy film

27 wikis · Tier 3

Fairport Convention

United Kingdom · Group · 1967–present

folk rock, traditional folk music

27 wikis · Tier 3

Ben Howard

United Kingdom · Person · born 1987

folk rock, folk music

27 wikis · Tier 3

Gåte

Norway · Group · 1999–present

folk rock, progressive rock, electronica, progressive metal, folk metal

27 wikis · Tier 3

Maryla Rodowicz

Poland · Person · born 1945

pop music, folk rock, pop rock, folk music

27 wikis · Tier 3

Michael Kiwanuka

United Kingdom · Person · born 1988

folk rock, soul, rhythm and blues, pop rock

26 wikis · Tier 2

Everlast

United States · Person · born 1969

blues rock, folk rock, blues, hip-hop, hardcore hip-hop, rap rock, alternative rock, country rap, alternative hip-hop

26 wikis · Tier 3

The Lovin' Spoonful

United States · Group · 1965–present

rock music, pop music, folk rock, pop rock

26 wikis · Tier 3

The Guess Who

Canada · Group · 1965–present

rock music, pop music, hard rock, blues rock, folk rock, psychedelic rock, classic rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion, garage rock

26 wikis · Tier 3

Michael Clarke

United States · Person · born 1946

folk rock

17 wikis · Tier 2

Daniel Lanois

Canada · Person · born 1951

rock music, blues rock, folk rock, experimental rock, blues, pop rock, folk music, art rock, alternative rock, new wave, ambient music, acoustic music

25 wikis · Tier 3