Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...

, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hi ...

. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a focal point in the expanding genre of folk music. The festival was held annually from 1959 to 1969, except in 1961 and 1962. In 1985, its founder revived it in Newport, where it has been held at Fort Adams State Park ever since.

History

Founding

The Newport Folk Festival was started in 1959 by George Wein, founder of the already-well-established Newport Jazz Festival, and owner of Storyville, a jazz club located in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1958, Wein became aware of the growing Folk Revival movement and began inviting folk artists such as Odetta to perform on Sunday afternoons at Storyville. The afternoon performances consistently sold out and Wein began to consider the possibility of a "folk afternoon embedded within the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival". Wein envisioned the program to be "similar in scope and tone to the highly successful blues and gospel shows" that had taken place at the Jazz Festival in previous years. Wein asked Odetta,

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...

, and the Weavers to perform on the afternoon in addition to the Kingston Trio. Some in the jazz community accused Wein of crass commercialism in booking these groups because they deviated from, and had a larger following than, most jazz musicians of the time. This pressure coupled with his various conversations with those in the folk community made it clear to Wein that an afternoon program at the Jazz Festival would not suffice and that there was demand for a full Folk festival. Aware of his own limitations in the folk scene, Wein asked Albert Grossman, then Odetta's manager, to join him in planning and producing the festival. Grossman accepted and began working with Wein to book talent and organize the weekend. Pete Seeger was also involved with the founding of the festival. The inaugural festival, held at Freebody Park, included Pete Seeger, Earl Scruggs, the Kingston Trio, John Jacob Niles, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Odetta, The New Lost City Ramblers, and more. Perhaps the most notable performance was the surprise debut of the eighteen year old

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

, who was brought on as a guest of Bob Gibson. The festival returned in 1960 and was expanded to include three nights. The lineup placed an emphasis on music diversity, booking performers from Africa, Scotland, Spain, Israel, and Ireland alongside "traditional" folk musicians such as Pete Seeger, Ewan McColl,

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

, Cisco Houston and Tommy Makem.

Civil Rights Movement

In 1962, two young members of the

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, often pronounced ) was the principal channel of student commitment in the United States to the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Emerging in 1960 from the student-led sit-ins at segreg ...

(SNCC) formed a gospel vocal quartet named the Freedom Singers. And in 1962, Pete and Toshi Seeger assisted the Freedom Singers in organizing a nationwide collegiate tour. As a result, the civil rights movement became deeply embraced by the folk music community. In 1963, the Freedom Singers performed on the first night of the Newport Folk festival, and on the second night Joan Baez joined SNCC activists and roughly 600 festival-goers on a march through Newport. The crowd walked past the Bellevue Avenue mansions and into Touro Park, where SNCC's executive secretary

James Forman James Forman (October 4, 1928 – January 10, 2005) was a prominent African-American leader in the civil rights movement. He was active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Black Panther Party, and the League of Revoluti ...

and Freedom Singers leader

Cordell Reagon Cordell Hull Reagon (February 22, 1943 – November 12, 1996) was an American singer and activist. He was the founding member of The Freedom Singers of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a leader of the Albany Movement and a ...

delivered speeches, rallying support for the March on Washington scheduled for the following March. For the final performance on Friday Wein had scheduled

Peter, Paul and Mary Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's repe ...

. But under the persuasion of Albert Grossman, who was managing Peter, Paul and Mary, Wein decided to allow

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

(whom Grossman was also managing) to close the night. After Peter, Paul and Mary finished their afternoon set, Wein announced that they would reappear at the end of the evening. Dylan performed a set consisting of particularly topical songs: "With God on Our Side", "Talkin' John Birch Society Blues", and "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall". Peter, Paul and Mary then returned and performed an encore of "Blowin' in the Wind". Amidst a "deafening roar of applause" they brought to the stage Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Theo Bikel and the Freedom Singers. The singers stood in a single line facing the audience with crossed arms and clasped hands and began to sing a variation on the Baptist hymn "I'll Overcome Some Day". The hymn's new incarnation - " We Shall Overcome" - had become an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement.

Revival of Mississippi John Hurt

In 1928,

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He wo ...

, a self-taught amateur musician and farmer, recorded 13 songs for Okeh Records which failed to achieve commercial success. Believing his musical career to be over, Hurt continued farming, apparently thinking little of his brief recording gig. Post WWII, few records cut by southern musicians in the 1920s were commercially available. Hurt's records were particularly rare, since few had been manufactured in the first place. But Harry Smith, a member of a tiny subculture of obsessive, cranky collectors, put two John Hurt cuts on his influential 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, prompting many blues hobbyists to begin searching for him. In 1963, Tom Hoskins and Mike Stewart acquired a tape of Hurt's Avalon Blues through their informal network of tape traders. Hurt had recorded Avalon Blues at the end of a week-long stay in New York that spanned Christmas 1928. Apparently homesick in the big city, Hurt included a line about his home in Avalon being always on his mind. Hoskins and Stewart were able to locate Avalon and track Hurt down. After asking Hurt to perform, to ensure he was actually who he claimed to be, Hoskins convinced Hurt to move to Washington D.C. and embark on a national tour. The tour culminated on Saturday evening of the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, when Mississippi John Hurt performed alongside Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry and

for a blues workshop at the Newport Casino. The performance is considered to be a seminal moment for the folk revival and caused Hurt to rise to fame. He performed extensively at colleges, concert halls, and coffeehouses and appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

Electric Dylan controversy

Bob Dylan's 1963 and 1964 performances solo and with Baez had made him popular with the Newport crowd, but on July 25, 1965 festival headliner Dylan was booed by some fans when he played with backing band The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. It is usually said that the reason for the hostile reception by a small number of fans was Dylan's "abandoning" of the folk orthodoxy, or poor sound quality on the night (or a combination of the two). The controversy regarding the reaction of the audience at this event is often overplayed, as it was not the general reaction of the audience, but rather that of a small number of folk "purists", including Pete Seeger. The reaction of "the crowd" to Dylan's performance, certainly from eyewitness accounts, was generally quite enthusiastic. This performance, Dylan's first live "plugged-in" set of his professional career, marked the shift in his artistic direction from folk to rock, and had wider implications for both genres. The performance marked the first time Dylan performed "Like a Rolling Stone" in public. Despite the musical transition, Dylan's growing status within the larger

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...

ensured that his place in the expanding movement would remain secure. Dylan did not return to Newport until 2002, when he played a headlining performance while wearing a wig and fake beard.

Johnny Cash Introduces Kris Kristofferson

In 1969, the

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later s ...

troupe was to perform on opening night of the festival. Cash had recently become aware of

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the Ni ...

, a young, relatively unknown country singer-songwriter, and convinced George Wein to allow Kristofferson to join him onstage. Kristofferson's performance of "Me and Bobby McGee" and other songs gave him a launch into his musical career. The 1969 festival also included the debut festival performance of

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, hav ...

, who performed " Carolina in My Mind" to a standing ovation during a "young performers" showcase. However, Taylor only performed for 15 minutes before Wein ended the festival early with the announcement that

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, a ...

had landed on the Moon.

End of Folk Festival, hiatus and return

The Folk Festival did not return to Newport in 1970, due to financial issues and local controversies involving the Newport Jazz Festival. Following a riot at the jazz festival in 1971, Wein deactivated both events. Wein reestablished the Newport Jazz Festival in 1981, and the folk festival returned to town in 1985.

Michelle Shocked V-J Day Protest

The Newport Folk Festival has, throughout various points in its history, remained connected to protest movements. In the 60's the festival played a substantial part in the civil rights movement. In the early 80's the Newport Folk Festival was one of the first festivals to serve as a platform for climate change protest. In the 1990s, playing on Victory Day (originally " Victory over Japan Day" or "V-J Day") folk musician

Michelle Shocked Michelle Shocked (born Karen Michelle Johnston; February 24, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter. Her music has entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album, and received an award ...

asked the entire standing audience to drop to the ground on cue to show what it would look like when crowds died on "Hiroshima Day." This was relevant to the locale of the festival as Rhode Island is the only US state which still officially celebrates the holiday, and the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associ ...

is also in Newport, a mere two miles from the Fort Adams State Park where the festival is held.

Return of Bob Dylan

In 2002, Bob Dylan returned to the Newport Folk Festival for the first time since his shocking performance in 1965, in which he went electric. The '65 appearance at the Folk Festival was a turning point in his career, a distancing of himself from his acoustic folk music to his more blues-based electric music. Despite wide speculation that Dylan would once again attempt to "shock" the audience at Newport, Dylan performed a straightforward set, with few surprises aside from his adoption of a wig and fake beard. The performance was reviewed favorably and provided a much-needed economic boost to the festival. Dylan has not returned to the Folk Festival since this 2002 performance, but festival organizer Jay Sweet told ''

The Providence Journal ''The Providence Journal'', colloquially known as the ''ProJo'', is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island, and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper was first published in 1829. The newspape ...

'' in 2016 that Dylan has a standing invitation to play the festival anytime he wants.

Pixies Go Acoustic

Alternative rock band The Pixies recorded an acoustic performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 2005. The set was deemed "Pixies Go Acoustic" as a play on words in reference to Bob Dylan going electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. The performance was recorded and turned into a feature film directed by Michael B Borofsky, titled Pixies: Acoustic: Live in Newport.

Establishment of Foundation

The Newport Folk Festival has existed in various forms since its creation; founded as a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, the festival became a for-profit in the mid-eighties. However, in 2011, the festival announced it would return to its non-profit status under the umbrella of the Newport Festivals Foundation. The Foundation not only strived to sustain the Newport Folk and Newport Jazz Festival, but also expand the impact of its Festivals through educational initiatives that celebrate innovation while preserving the deep traditions inherent in Jazz and Folk music.

Turning Point/50th Celebration

In 2008, Executive Producer, George Wein hired Jay Sweet as an associate of the festival. At the time, the folk festival was struggling financially and with Sweet's recommendations, the 2008 line-up varied drastically from previous years. Rock band the Black Crowes and Trey Anastasio, frontman of Phish, headlined and other artists on the bill included Stephen Marley and Damian Marley, sons of reggae icon Bob Marley. The Festival was well attended and received favorable press, despite folk purists questioning the modernization of the festival. Sweet continued his unconventional and somewhat controversial style of booking artists that challenged the conservative definitions of folk music. With 2009 being the 50th anniversary of the festival, Sweet used the opportunity to book both modern and traditional folk acts; symbolizing the past and current styles of folk music. The success of the 2009 festival marked a turning point in the festival's history. In 2011 the two day festival sold out Saturday and in 2012 the festival sold out both days. In 2013 the festival expanded to three days and sold out both Saturday and Sunday. In 2014 the festival sold out all three days months in advance. The festival has sold out every year since.

65 Revisited

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Bob Dylan going electric at Newport, the Festival scheduled a program titled 65 Revisited on the final night of the 2015 festival. The program's details and performers were kept secret prior to the performance - prompting various rumors including the return of Bob Dylan. Instead, the program featured an array of more contemporary musicians, including Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes,

Gillian Welch Gillian Howard Welch (; born October 2, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, count ...

and

David Rawlings David Todd Rawlings (born December 31, 1969) is an American guitarist, singer, and record producer. He is known for his partnership with singer and songwriter Gillian Welch. He and Welch were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original So ...

, Willie Watson,

Hozier Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (born 17 March 1990), known professionally as Hozier ( ), is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. His music primarily draws from folk, soul and blues, often using religious and literary themes. He had his interna ...

and Klara Soderberg of First Aid Kit, John McCauley and Ian O'Neil of Deer Tick, Robyn Hitchcock and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band of New Orleans. The ensemble performed a collection of Dylan's material, ending the performance with "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35,".

COVID-19 Pandemic

The 2020 edition of the festival was canceled due to the global

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. Artists who were scheduled to perform at the festival were invited to return for the 2021 edition. In March 2021, Rhode Island governor Dan McKee announced that the state was working with the Newport Festivals Foundation to hold the folk and jazz festivals in the summer with modified capacities and a different format. Instead of its typical format, the 2021 Newport Folk Festival was instead formatted as two three-day events in July featuring performances, storytelling and workshops.

2022: Joni Mitchell surprise appearance

The 2022 festival marked a return to normal operations. A highlight was when Brandi Carlile introduced a surprise appearance by Joni Mitchell as the festival's closing act. This was the 78 year old Mitchell's first full-length public performance since the early 2000s and her first appearance at the festival since 1969.

Programming style

In recent years, the Newport Folk Festival has developed a reputation for selling out of tickets before announcing the lineup. Unlike most festivals, the festival "rolls out" their lineup over the course of the year instead of releasing a lineup poster on one day. The festival has also developed a reputation for programming surprise, unannounced artists. Past instances include the 65 Revisited program (2015), in which Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, Dawes, and Willie Watson appeared unannounced. Other surprise moments include My Morning Jacket (2015),

(2015),

(2016),

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-so ...

(2017),

Mumford & Sons Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band currently consists of Marcus Mumford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass), and Ben Lovett (vocals, ...

(2018),

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

(2019), Paul Simon (2022), and Joni Mitchell (2022). Like 65 Revisited in 2015, 2018's A Change Is Gonna Come closing set paired guests from the weekend with unannounced guests including Leon Bridges, Chris Thile, and

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Dur ...

Setting

The Newport Folk Festival takes place every year at Fort Adams State Park, in

. Fort Adams houses four stages, the Fort Stage which sits looking out at Newport harbor and the famous Claiborne Pell Bridge, the Harbor Stage, The Quad Stage, and The Museum Stage. The festival is known for its beautiful setting- as the music blog

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outl ...

puts it, "Located at the gorgeously scenic Fort Adams, in Newport, Rhode Island, glimmering, clear blue water surrounds the small vivid green peninsula. Look out from the fort towers and you'll see hundreds of beautiful boats rocking along the water."
Consequence of Sound
. My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James told Spin Magazine, "You've got the sun on your skin and the breeze in your hair. It's magical here... It's just magical."
SPIN at Newport Folk 2010
Brandi Carlile says "It's one of my favorites so far if not my favorite."

WMVY began streaming the festival in 2005 and was joined by

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

in 2008. WMVY'
Archives
contains both performances and interviews from Newport Folk and NPR music has recorded sets available for listening here
NPR at Newport Folk 2010

Sustainability

The festival has made efforts in being green-friendly, teaming with many groups to do so. They partnered with

Clean Water Action Clean Water Action is an American environmental advocacy group. Created in 1972, the group focuses on canvassing and gaining support for political issues and candidates. It is a 501(c)(4) organization and is based in Washington, D.C. History The ...

and Rhode Island Resource Recovery to collect 1.5 tons of recyclables. CWA worked onsite picking up trash and recycling, and set up composting stations to curb the waste generated during the event. A portion of beer and wine sales went to CWA to support their work. The official beer of the festival,

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

-based Magic Hat used plant-based, 100% compostable cups. The festival also partnered with CLIF Bar, who set up a bike valet to encourage people to cycle to the event and participate in their 2-Mile Challenge. They worked with New England Wind Fund to offset power used during the festival, and Klean Kanteen to provide reusable water bottles. They also partnered with Farm Fresh Rhode Island to incorporate local foods into the vendors' fare.

Awards

* In 2015, the Newport Folk Festival was named Music Festival of the Year by Consequence of Sound. * In 2012, the Newport Folk Festival was named Music Festival of Year by Pollstar. * In 2014, the Newport Folk Festival was named Music Festival of Year by Pollstar. * In 2015, the Newport Folk Festival was named Music Festival of Year by Pollstar.

Albums recorded at the festival

* ''The Newport Folk Festival, 1959'' Volumes-

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City. It was a primarily classical label at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but also has a catalogue of recordings by a nu ...

* '' The Kingston Trio Live at Newport'' -

(1959 performance released in 1994) * ''The Newport Folk Festival, 1960'' Volumes- Vanguard Records * ''

The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker ''The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker'' is an album by blues musician John Lee Hooker recorded in New York and Chicago, with two tracks recorded live at the Newport Folk Festival in 1960, and released by the Vee-Jay label in August or September 1961 ...

'' (Vee-Jay 1961) - features two tracks recorded at 1960 Festival * ''Live at Newport'' - Phil Ochs (Compilation from '63, '64, '66)

Albums issued by Vanguard Records after the 1963 Newport Folk Festival

* ''Newport Broadside (Topical Songs)'' - VRS-9144 (Mono) and VSD-79144 (Stereo)

, Bob Davenport, Bob Dylan, The Freedom Singers, Jim Garland, Sam Hinton, Peter La Farge, Ed McCurdy,

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and ...

Tom Paxton Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than fifty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...

* ''Blues at Newport'' - VRS-9145 (Mono) and VS-79145 (Stereo) Rev. Gary Davis, John Hammond,

, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry,

* ''Country Music and Bluegrass At Newport'' - VRS-9146 (Mono) and VSD-79146 (Stereo) Clarence "Tom" Ashley, Clint Howard,

Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim'' ...

Tex Logan Benjamin Franklin "Tex" Logan, Jr. (June 6, 1927 – April 24, 2015) was an American electrical engineer and bluegrass music fiddler. Born in Coahoma, Texas, Logan earned a B.Sc. in electrical engineering at Texas Tech University, then Texas Technol ...

The Morris Brothers The Morris Brothers (Zeke Morris; May 9, 1916 – August 21, 1999 and Wiley Morris; February 1, 1919 – September 22, 1990) were an American country music group particularly popular in the 1930s, although they continued to play together occasion ...

The New Lost City Ramblers The New Lost City Ramblers, or NLCR, was an American contemporary old-time string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the folk revival. Mike Seeger, John Cohen and Tom Paley were its founding members. Tracy Schwarz replaced Paley, w ...

, Fred Price,

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award ...

Mac Wiseman Malcolm Bell Wiseman (May 23, 1925 – February 24, 2019) was an American bluegrass and country singer. Early life He was born on May 23, 1925, in Crimora, Virginia. He attended school in New Hope, Virginia, and graduated from high school the ...

, and The Country Boys. * ''Old Time Music At Newport'' - VRS-9147 (Mono) and VSD-79147 (Stereo) Clarence "Tom" Ashley,

Doc Boggs Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs (February 7, 1898 – February 7, 1971) was an American old-time singer, songwriter and banjo player. His style of banjo playing, as well as his singing, is considered a unique combination of Appalachian folk music and Af ...

, Maybelle Carter, Jenes Cottrell, Dorsey Dixon, Clint Howard, Fred Price,

* ''The Newport Folk Festival 1963 - The Evening Concerts: Vol. 1'' - VRS-9148 (Mono) and VSD-79148 (Stereo) * ''The Newport Folk Festival 1963 - The Evening Concerts: Vol. 2'' - VRS-9149 (Mono) and VSD-79149 (Stereo) * ''Live at Newport'' (John Lee Hooker album)

Albums issued by Vanguard Records after the 1964 Newport Folk Festival

* ''The Newport Folk Festival 1964 - Evening Concerts: Vol. 1'' - VRS-9184 (Mono) and VSD-79184 (Stereo) * ''The Newport Folk Festival 1964 - Evening Concerts: Vol. 2'' - VRS-9185 (Mono) and VSD-79185 (Stereo) * ''Long Journey Home'' - VCD-77004 (Stereo)

The Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...

( Clarence White, Roland White, Billy Ray Lathum, and Roger Bush) with

and Bill Keith * ''Festival: The Newport Folk Festival 1965'' * ''Ben & Jerry's Newport Folk Festival '88 Live'' * ''Ben & Jerry's Newport Folk Festival, Vol. 2'' (1990) * ''Turn of the Decade 1989-90: Ben & Jerry's Newport Folk Festival'' []

Festival lineups

Notable past performers at the Newport Folk Festival include:

First incarnation (1959-1969)

* 1959: The Kingston Trio,

, Bob Gibson with

, Odetta, Earl Scruggs, Jean Ritchie,

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

, Reverend Gary Davis,

Barbara Dane Barbara Dane (born Barbara Jean Spillman; May 12, 1927) is an American folk, blues, and jazz singer, guitarist, record producer, and political activist. She co-founded Paredon Records with Irwin Silber. " Bessie Smith in stereo," wrote jazz ...

, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, John Jacob Niles, Tommy Makem, Oscar Brand,

Ed McCurdy Edward Potts McCurdy (January 11, 1919 – March 23, 2000) was an American folk singer, songwriter, and television actor. His most well-known song was the anti-war "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream", written in 1950. Career Born to a ...

, Cynthia Gooding, Leon Bibb, Martha Schlamme, The Stanley Brothers. * 1960: Pete Seeger, The New Lost City Ramblers,

Lester Flatt Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 – May 11, 1979) was an American bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist, best known for his collaboration with banjo picker Earl Scruggs in the duo Flatt and Scruggs. Flatt's career spanned multiple decades ...

and Earl Scruggs, Peggy Seeger,

Ewan MacColl James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...

, Bob Gibson, Jimmy Driftwood, Ed McCurdy, Tommy Makem, Cisco Houston, Bill Lee, Theodore Bikel, Jean Carignan, Alan Mills. * 1961: No festival. * 1962: No festival. * 1963:

Judy Collins Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and musician with a career spanning seven decades. An Academy Award-nominated documentary director and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, she is known for her ...

, Joan Baez, Freedom Singers, Peter, Paul & Mary, Pete Seeger,

Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ramblin' Jack Elliott (born Elliot Charles Adnopoz; August 1, 1931) is an American folk singer and songwriter. Life and career Elliott was born in 1931 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, the son of Florence (Rieger) and Abraham Adnopoz, a ...

, John Lee Hooker,

, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, Clarence Ashley, John Hammond, Dave Van Ronk, Reverend Gary Davis,

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

, Jim & Jesse. * 1964: Bob Dylan, Jose Feliciano, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Pete Seeger,

, Peter, Paul & Mary,

, Theodore Bikel, The Stanley Brothers,

The Staple Singers The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February 21, ...

, Jesse Fuller,

Robert Pete Williams Robert Pete Williams (March 14, 1914 – December 31, 1980) was an American Louisiana blues musician. His music characteristically employed unconventional structures and guitar tunings, and his songs are often about the time he served in pris ...

. * 1965: Bob Dylan, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Joan Baez with

Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world musi ...

, Peter, Paul & Mary,

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. He is credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 19 ...

, Maybelle Carter, Pete Seeger, Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon, Oscar Brand,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

and

Mimi Fariña Margarita Mimi Baez Fariña (April 30, 1945 – July 18, 2001) was an American singer-songwriter and activist, the youngest of three daughters to a Scottish mother and Mexican-American physicist Albert Baez. She was the younger sister of th ...

, Reverend Gary Davis, Son House, The New Lost City Ramblers, Theodore Bikel,

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list o ...

, Jean Ritchie,

The Chambers Brothers The Chambers Brothers are an American psychedelic soul band, best known for their eleven-minute 1967 psychedelic soul hit " Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions w ...

, Hamilton Camp,

Ian & Sylvia Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959 (full-time in 1961), married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975. ...

, Bill Monroe. * 1966:

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined a ...

, Richie Havens, Judy Collins, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Pete Seeger,

The Lovin Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including " ...

, Phil Ochs,

Tom Paxton Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than fifty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.Skip James Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James (June 9, 1902October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. AllMusic stated: "This emotional, lyrical performer was a talented blues guitarist and arranger with an impressive ...

Bukka White Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White (November 12, 1906 February 26, 1977) was an American Delta blues guitarist and singer. Biography White was born south of Houston, Mississippi. He was a first cousin of B.B. King's mother (White's mother an ...

, Son House,

Dixie Hummingbirds Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cove ...

, Dorothy Love Coates & The Original Gospel Harmonettes,

The Swan Silvertones The Swan Silvertones are an American gospel music group that first achieved popularity in the 1940s and 1950s under the leadership of Claude Jeter. Jeter formed the group in 1938 as the "Four Harmony Kings" while he was working as a coal miner in ...

, Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard, Jim & Jesse. * 1967:

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post- war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicag ...

, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell,

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

, The Chambers Brothers, Arlo Guthrie, Maybelle Carter,

Janis Ian Janis Ian (born Janis Eddy Fink; April 7, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter who was most commercially successful in the 1960s and 1970s. Her signature songs are the 1966/67 hit " Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" and the 1975 Top T ...

, Mimi Fariña, The Staple Singers, The Incredible String Band, Jean Ritchie, Gordon Lightfoot, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Theodore Bikel, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Dave Dudley,

Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States. His songs' lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic explo ...

, Grandpa Jones. * 1968: Big Brother and the Holding Company, Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, B.B. King, Joni Mitchell, Arlo Guthrie,

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

, Ralph Stanley, Elizabeth Cotten,

Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedow ...

, Theodore Bikel, Tim Buckley,

George Hamilton IV George Hege Hamilton IV (July 19, 1937 – September 17, 2014) was an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, switching to country music in the early 1960s. Biography Hamilton was born in Winston-Salem, ...

, Jerry Merrick, Janis Ian,

Buell Kazee Buell Kazee (August 29, 1900 - August 31, 1976) was an American country and folk singer. He is considered one of the most successful folk musicians of the 1920s and experienced a career comeback during the American folk music revival of the 1960 ...

, Eric Von Schmidt, Doc Watson, Mimi Fariña, Jim Kweskin,

Fred McDowell Fred McDowell (January 12, 1904 – July 3, 1972), known by his stage name Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American hill country blues singer and guitar player. Career McDowell was born in Rossville, Tennessee, United States. His parents were ...

Joe Heaney Joe Heaney (AKA Joe Éinniú; Irish: Seosamh Ó hÉanaí) (1 October 1919 – 1 May 1984) was an Irish traditional ( sean nós) singer from County Galway, Ireland. He spent most of his adult life abroad, living in England, Scotland and New York ...

, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, John Hartford,

The Young Tradition The Young Tradition were an English folk group of the 1960s, formed by Peter Bellamy, Royston Wood and Heather Wood. They recorded three albums of mainly traditional British folk music, sung in arrangements for their three unaccompanied voic ...

, Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, Pete Seeger, Bread and Puppet Theater. * 1969: Johnny Cash with June Carter and

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998) Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, beginning in 19 ...

and

The Tennessee Three The Tennessee Three was the backing band for singer Johnny Cash for nearly 25 years; he was known especially for his country/rockabilly style, although he won awards in numerous categories. In 1980, he reorganized the group, expanding it and namin ...

, Big Mama Thornton,

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

, Buffy Sainte-Marie,

(performance interrupted after 15 minutes), Arlo Guthrie, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Taj Mahal (did not show),

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in ...

, Pete Seeger, Pentangle, Jesse Fuller, Buddy Moss and Brownie McGhee, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Son House,

Sleepy John Estes John Adam Estes (January 25, 1899 or 1900June 5, 1977),
known as Sleepy John Estes, was an Am ...

, Jerry Jeff Walker.

Second incarnation (1985-2010)

* 1985: Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie,

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporate ...

, Judy Collins, Taj Mahal, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Merle Watson, Tom Paxton, Dave Van Ronk, Peter Rowan, Mimi Fariña, New Grass Revival. * 1986: Odetta, Tom Rush, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Richie Havens, Patty Larkin, Alison Krauss,

John Sebastian John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Sweet Honey in the Rock, Nanci Griffith, Bill Staines. * 1987: Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Copeland, Billy Bragg, Alison Krauss,

The Bobs The Bobs were an a cappella vocal group founded in San Francisco, California in the early 1980s. They moved to Seattle, Washington and were active recording and touring throughout the United States, Canada and Europe until their farewell show ...

, Katie Webster, Maria and Geoff Muldaur, John Sebastian, Patty Larkin, John Hammond, New Grass Revival. * 1988: Los Lobos, Robert Cray Band, Richard Thompson, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Tom Paxton, Shawn Colvin,

Queen Ida Ida Lewis "Queen Ida" Guillory (born January 15, 1929) is a Louisiana Creole accordionist. She was the first female accordion player to lead a zydeco band. Queen Ida's music is an eclectic mix of R&B, Caribbean, and Cajun, though the presence ...

, Artie and Happy Traum, Doc Watson, Cheryl Wheeler, Patty Larkin. * 1989: Pete Seeger, Emmylou Harris, Odetta, B.B. King, Ry Cooder, Leon Redbone, The Clancy Brothers, John Lee Hooker, Theodore Bikel,

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

, John Hiatt, Buckwheat Zydeco, Laura Nyro, Shawn Colvin, Cheryl Wheeler,

Chris Smither William Christopher Smither (born November 11, 1944) is an American folk/blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, and modern poets and philosophers. Early life, influences and educat ...

. * 1990: Joan Baez, Indigo Girls, Richard Thompson, The Roches,

with Tower of Power, Ry Cooder and David Lindley,

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of '' isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Graceland'', and have won ...

, Robert Earl Keen, Luka Bloom, Flaco Jiménez, The Wild Magnolias with Rebirth Brass Band, Chris Smither, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Christine Lavin. * 1991: John Prine,

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...

, Indigo Girls, Richard Thompson, Nanci Griffith,

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered th ...

, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, The Staple Singers, John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin. * 1992: Four Voices in Harmony (Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Indigo Girls), Loudon Wainwright III, The Band,

Bruce Cockburn Bruce Douglas Cockburn ( ; born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. His song styles range from folk to jazz-influenced rock and his lyrics cover a broad range of topics including human rights, environmental issues, p ...

, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Suzanne Vega, Iris DeMent, Shawn Colvin, Patty Larkin, David Wilcox. * 1993: The Band, Peter, Paul & Mary, Mary Chapin Carpenter, John Prine, Indigo Girls, Joan Baez, Alison Krauss & Union Station,

Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan OC OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is '' Surfacing'', for which she won two Grammy Awards (ou ...

, Nanci Griffith,

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willi ...

, Sweet Honey in the Rock. * 1994: Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls, Richard Thompson,

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started ...

, Randy Newman, Arlo Guthrie,

Dar Williams Dorothy Snowden "Dar" Williams (born April 19, 1967) is an American pop folk singer-songwriter from Mount Kisco, New York. Hendrik Hertzberg of ''The New Yorker'' has described Williams as "one of America's very best singer-songwriters." She ...

, Michelle Shocked, Iris DeMent. * 1995: Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Indigo Girls,

Bill Morrissey Bill Morrissey (November 25, 1951 – July 23, 2011) was a Grammy-nominated American folk singer-songwriter based in New Hampshire. Early life Morrissey was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Growing up in Connecticut and Massachusetts, he star ...

, Keb' Mo', John Hiatt, The Jayhawks, Ani DiFranco, Victoria Williams,

Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently d ...

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, ...

and Rob Wasserman, Mary Black, Patty Larkin, Cheryl Wheeler, Luka Bloom. * 1996: Indigo Girls, Bruce Cockburn, Lisa Loeb, Ani DiFranco,

Joan Armatrading Joan Anita Barbara Armatrading, (, born 9 December 1950) is a Kittitian-English singer-songwriter and guitarist. A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Armatrading has also been nominated twice for BRIT Awards as Best Female Artist. She receive ...

, John Hiatt, Michelle Shocked, Suzanne Vega, John Gorka, Patty Larkin, Cheryl Wheeler, Peter Rowan,

Jerry Douglas Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. Career In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he h ...

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (April 18, 1924 – September 10, 2005) was an American singer and multi-instrumentalist from Louisiana. He won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1983 for his album, ''Alright Again!''. Early life B ...

Cordelia's Dad Cordelia's Dad is a band from Northampton, Massachusetts that combines folk and punk rock influences and was instrumental in the creation of the genre later to be dubbed " No Depression". The band formed in 1987 and was active until 1998, when the ...

, David Wilcox, Maura O'Connell. * 1997: James Taylor, Little Feat, Joan Baez, John Hiatt, Janis Ian,

Violent Femmes Violent Femmes are an American folk punk band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band consists of founding members Gordon Gano (guitar, lead vocals) and Brian Ritchie (bass, backing vocals), joined by multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza (joined 2 ...

, Rosanne Cash, Dar Williams,

Richard Shindell Richard Shindell (born August 3, 1960) is an American folk singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. Shindell grew up in Port Washington, New York, and now lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his wife, Lila Caimari, a university professo ...

, Mary Black, Moxy Früvous, Jonatha Brooke. * 1998:

Lyle Lovett Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957)Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and releas ...

, Joan Baez, Violent Femmes, Lucinda Williams, Loudon Wainwright III, Marc Cohn,

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

, Trina Hamlin,

Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album ''Diamonds & Dirt''. ...

, David Bromberg. ** 1998 Travelling Festival: The acts above plus The Staple Singers, Wilco, Rickie Lee Jones, John Hiatt, Nanci Griffith. * 1999: Joan Armatrading, Wilco, Indigo Girls, Suzanne Vega, Steve Earle, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Beth Orton, Susan Tedeschi, Robert Earl Keen, Cry Cry Cry, Patty Griffin, Lori McKenna, Mary Black, Stacey Earle, Ray Wylie Hubbard. * 2000:

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Natalie Merchant, Shawn Colvin, Guy Clark, The String Cheese Incident, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Richard Shindell, Dar Williams, Lucy Kaplansky, Cheryl Wheeler, John Gorka, Stacey Earle, Peter Rowan. * 2001: Emmylou Harris, Indigo Girls,

and Gillian Welch, Joan Osborne, Mike Doughty, Michelle Shocked,

Kelly Willis Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadi ...

, Mary Lou Lord, Patty Larkin, David Johansen, Victoria Williams and Mark Olson, North Mississippi Allstars with Robert Randolph and John Medeski, The Flatlanders, Jonatha Brooke,

Susan McKeown Susan McKeown (born February 6, 1967) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, arranger and producer. Early years Susan McKeown was born on February 6, 1967 in Terenure, Dublin, Ireland. She briefly attended the Municipal College of Music, Chatha ...

. * 2002: Bob Dylan, Shawn Colvin, Arlo Guthrie, Dar Williams, Bruce Cockburn, Richard Shindell, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, John Gorka, Maura O'Connell, The Waifs. * 2003: Lyle Lovett,

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

, John Hiatt, Ani DiFranco, John Prine, Joan Armatrading, Keb' Mo', Angélique Kidjo, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, Guy Clark and Joe Ely, Ellis Paul. * 2004:

Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth mem ...

, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, Wilco,

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and se ...

with Kate McGarrigle, Joan Osborne, Doc Watson,

Old Crow Medicine Show Old Crow Medicine Show is an Americana string band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been recording since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. Their ninth album, '' Remedy'', released in 2014, won the ...

, The Dixie Hummingbirds, Garth Hudson and Levon Helm, Lori McKenna, Ron Sexsmith, Mindy Smith, Corey Harris,

Laura Cantrell Laura Cantrell (born July 16, 1967) is a country singer-songwriter and DJ from Nashville, Tennessee. Biography Cantrell moved to New York City from her native Nashville to study English at Columbia University. She briefly recorded songs with ...

. * 2005: Pixies, Elvis Costello and The Imposters, Emmylou Harris, Bright Eyes, Richard Thompson, Odetta, Arlo Guthrie, M. Ward, Jim James,

Ray LaMontagne Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne (; born June 18, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. LaMontagne has released eight studio albums: ''Trouble'', ''Till the Sun Turns Black'', '' Gossip in the Grain'', ''God Willin' & the Creek Don' ...

, Patty Griffin, Del McCoury, Teddy Thompson, Old Crow Medicine Show, Béla Fleck, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion, Jane Siberry, Kaki King, Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale. * 2006: David Gray, Indigo Girls, Odetta, Rosanne Cash, David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Chris Smither, Bettye LaVette, The Meters, Rosalie Sorrels, Sonny Landreth, Keller Williams, The Wood Brothers, Patty Larkin, Ronan Tynan, Cherish the Ladies. * 2007:

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guit ...

, Linda Rondstadt, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Ralph Stanley, John Butler Trio, Martha Wainwright, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Alejandro Escovedo, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Cheryl Wheeler, The Nightwatchman, Amos Lee, Elvis Perkins. * 2008:

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...

The Black Crowes The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer G ...

, Levon Helm, The Avett Brothers, Cat Power, Jim James, She & Him, Brandi Carlile, Trey Anastasio, Jakob Dylan, Steve Earle and Allison Moorer,

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

and Damian Marley, Richie Havens, Gillian Welch, Calexico, Jesca Hoop, Kaki King, Son Volt, Young@Heart Chorus, Cowboy Junkies. * 2009: Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Gillian Welch, Billy Bragg,

Iron & Wine Samuel "Sam" Ervin Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a l ...

, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Neko Case,

, The Nightwatchman, The Low Anthem, Ben Kweller, Deer Tick, Del McCoury, Langhorne Slim, Elvis Perkins, Brett Dennen,

Josh Ritter Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author who performs and records with the Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of ...

. * 2010: Steve Martin and the

Steep Canyon Rangers Steep Canyon Rangers is an American bluegrass band based in Asheville and Brevard, North Carolina. Though formed in 2000, the band has become widely known since 2009 for collaborating with actor/banjoist Steve Martin. In 2013, the Steep Canyo ...

, John Prine, Jim James, Andrew Bird, Brandi Carlile, The Swell Season, Levon Helm, Richie Havens, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Punch Brothers, Sarah Jarosz, Calexico, The Low Anthem,

Blitzen Trapper Blitzen Trapper is a Portland, Oregon-based experimental country/folk/rock band associated with Sub Pop Records, Vagrant Records and Lojinx. Formed in 2000, the band currently operates as a quintet, with Eric Earley (guitar/harmonica/vocals/keybo ...

Justin Townes Earle Justin Townes Earle (January 4, 1982August 20, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. After his debut, EP ''Yuma'' (2007), he released eight full-length albums. He was recognized with an Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist o ...

, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Doc Watson and David Holt, Preservation Hall Jazz Band,

O'Death O’Death (stylized as o'death) is an American gothic country band from Brooklyn, New York. They combine elements of folk, bluegrass, punk, metal, gothic and Americana music. History All the members of O'Death met between the years of ...

, Pokey LaFarge.

Third, non-profit incarnation (2011-present)

* 2011: The Decemberists, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Gillian Welch, Tegan and Sara, Mavis Staples, Earl Scruggs, M. Ward, Gogol Bordello, Ramblin' Jack Elliott,

Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, ...

, The Civil Wars, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Head and the Heart, Delta Spirit, Pokey LaFarge, Justin Townes Earle,

Trampled by Turtles Trampled by Turtles is an American bluegrass-influenced folk band from Duluth, Minnesota. They have released ten full albums, three of which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard bluegrass chart. Their fifth release, ''Palomino'', stayed in t ...

, PS22 Chorus, Amos Lee, The Secret Sisters,

Freelance Whales Freelance Whales was an American indie rock band which formed in Queens, New York, United States, in 2008. The band consists of frontman Judah Dadone and bandmates Chuck Criss, Jacob Hyman and Kevin Read. History 2008–2011: Formation and de ...

, The Felice Brothers, The Devil Makes Three, Dar Williams, John Gorka,

Brown Bird Brown Bird was an American folk music group, originally formed in 2003 in Seattle, Washington as a solo project by David Lamb. Adding and changing its membership over time, the band's final incarnation was the duo of Lamb and his wife MorganEve S ...

David Wax Museum David Wax Museum is a folk and roots rock band blending traditional Mexican son music with Americana in what they call "Mexo-Americana". Husband and wife, David Wax and Suz Slezak, are its core members. Most of the band's albums have been self-rel ...

, Middle Brother. * 2012: My Morning Jacket, Jackson Browne, Conor Oberst, Iron & Wine, Patty Griffin, Arlo Guthrie, Alabama Shakes, The Head and the Heart, Deer Tick, Charles Bradley, Tune-Yards,

Of Monsters and Men Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic indie folk/ rock band formed in Reykjavík in 2010. The members are lead singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, singer and guitarist Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson, lead guitarist Brynjar Leifss ...

, Sharon Van Etten, Dawes, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Gary Clark Jr., Punch Brothers, City and Colour, Spirit Family Reunion, The Tallest Man on Earth, Sara Watkins,

First Aid Kit A first aid kit or medical kit is a collection of supplies and equipment used to give immediate medical treatment, primarily to treat injuries and other mild or moderate medical conditions. There is a wide variation in the contents of first aid ...

, Tom Morello, Brown Bird,

Elizabeth Mitchell Elizabeth Mitchell (born Elizabeth Joanna Robertson) is an American actress known for her lead role as Juliet Burke on the ABC drama mystery series '' Lost'' (2006–2010). Mitchell also had lead roles on the television series '' V'' (2009– ...

, Trampled by Turtles. * 2013: Beck, The Avett Brothers, Feist, Jim James, Colin Meloy, Andrew Bird, The Mountain Goats, The Lumineers, Father John Misty,

Bonnie "Prince" Billy Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...

and Dawn McCarthy, Jason Isbell, Amanda Palmer, Old Crow Medicine Show, Justin Townes Earle, The Felice Brothers, Beth Orton, Frank Turner, Langhorne Slim, The Low Anthem, Lord Huron, Trombone Shorty, Iris DeMent, Sarah Jarosz, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Shovels & Rope, Phosphorescent, Elizabeth Mitchell,

JD McPherson Jonathan David "JD" McPherson (born April 14, 1977), is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He is known for a retro sound rooted in the rock and roll, rockabilly, and rhythm and blues music of the 1950s. Amon ...

, The Milk Carton Kids, Black Prairie,

Houndmouth Houndmouth is an American alternative blues and rock band from New Albany, Indiana, formed in 2011, consisting of Matt Myers (guitar, vocals), Caleb Hickman (keyboard, vocals), Zak Appleby (bass, vocals), and Shane Cody (drums, vocals). Starting ...

. * 2014: Jack White, Ryan Adams,

Band of Horses Band of Horses is an American rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle, Washington. Led by singer-songwriter Ben Bridwell, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes, the band's current line-up also incl ...

, Jimmy Cliff, Mavis Staples, Jeff Tweedy, Jenny Lewis, Sun Kil Moon, Nickel Creek, Kurt Vile, Conor Oberst, Rodrigo y Gabriela,

Robert Hunter Robert Hunter may refer to: Arts * Robert Hunter (painter) (died 1780), Irish portrait painter * Robert Hunter (encyclopædist) (1823–1897), British editor of the ''Encyclopædic Dictionary'' *Robert Hunter (author) (1874–1942), American sociol ...

, The Devil Makes Three, Lake Street Dive, Deer Tick, Shovels & Rope, Dawes, Anaïs Mitchell, Lucius,

J Roddy Walston and the Business J. Roddy Walston and the Business was an American rock band based in Richmond, Virginia, United States. The band was formed in 2002 in Cleveland, Tennessee by J. Roddy Walston (vocals/piano/guitar). The Business consisted of Billy Gordon (lead ...

, Hurray for the Riff Raff, John C. Reilly,

, Shakey Graves, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down,

Lucero Lucero may refer to: * Lucero (given name) a Spanish given name * Lucero (surname) a Spanish surname * Lucero (entertainer) (born 1969), Mexican singer and actress ** ''Lucero'' (album), eponymous album released in 1993 * Lucero (band), an America ...

Valerie June Valerie June Hockett (born January 10, 1982),Hubbell, John (2009),, ''The Commercial Appeal'', May 28, 2009.(aged 27 in May 2009). known as Valerie June, is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Memphis, Tennessee, United ...

Reignwolf Reignwolf is an American indie and blues rock trio from Seattle, Washington. It consists of vocalist and guitarist Jordan Cook, bassist Stacey James Kardash, and drummer Joseph Braley. They are known for their hit 2013 single "Are You Satisfied ...

, Benjamin Booker, Pegi Young, Pokey LaFarge, Aoife O'Donovan, Houndmouth,

The Haden Triplets The Haden Triplets, Petra, Tanya, and Rachel (born October 11, 1971 in New York City), are musicians who have performed individually in bands and together. They are the daughters of jazz double-bassist Charlie Haden. The triplets, separately and ...

. * 2015:

, James Taylor, The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, Leon Bridges, Hozier, Sturgill Simpson,

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...

, Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Courtney Barnett,

Laura Marling Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990) is a British folk singer-songwriter. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards and was nominated for the same award at the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 Brit ...

, Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats,

J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. ( ; born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo art ...

Jon Batiste Jonathan Michael Batiste (born November 11, 1986) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and television personality. He has recorded and performed with artists in various genres of music (Stevie Wonder, Prince, Willie Nelson, ...

, Langhorne Slim, Robyn Hitchcock, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Lord Huron, First Aid Kit, Calexico, Brian Fallon, Angel Olsen,

Tommy Stinson Thomas Eugene Stinson (born October 6, 1966) is an American rock musician. He came to prominence in the 1980s as the bass guitarist for The Replacements, one of the definitive American alternative rock groups. After their breakup in 1991, Stins ...

, Hiss Golden Messenger, Shakey Graves, José González, The Lone Bellow, The Felice Brothers,

Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear are an American mother-and-son folk duo from Independence, Missouri, consisting of singer-songwriter and guitarist Madisen Ward and his mother Ruth Ward, who plays guitar and sings with him. The band released thei ...

, Spirit Family Reunion, The Tallest Man on Earth,

Joe Pug Joe Pug (born Joseph Pugliese, April 20, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter from Greenbelt, Maryland. He has released two Extended play, EPs, as well as the albums ''Messenger (Joe Pug Album), Messenger'', ''The Great Despiser'', ''Windfall ...

. * 2016:

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

, Elvis Costello,

Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the ...

, Alabama Shakes, Ryan Adams, Flight of the Conchords, Graham Nash, Father John Misty, case/lang/veirs, Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Violent Femmes, Ray LaMontagne, Frightened Rabbit,

Rayland Baxter Rayland Baxter (stylized as rayLand baxter) is an American alternative country musician from Nashville, Tennessee. He is currently signed to ATO Records. Baxter is the son of musician Bucky Baxter. He is 6-feet 5-inches tall. Early life Ba ...

, Glen Hansard, Del McCoury and David Grisman, The Texas Gentlemen with Joe Ely and Kris Kristofferson, The Arcs, The Strumbellas,

John Moreland John Robert Moreland (born June 22, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Early life Moreland was born in Longview, Texas, the son of Robert Lloyd Moreland, an engineer, and Connie May Moreland (née Brandon), a schoo ...

, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Aoife O'Donovan, Julien Baker, Brian Fallon, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Basia Bulat, Brett Dennen, Fruit Bats,

Raury Raury Deshawn Tullis (born June 10, 1996) is an American singer-songwriter and rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He is known for his eclectic sound mixing soul, hip hop and folk. He was born and raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He was also a member ...

Ruby Amanfu A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

River Whyless River Whyless is an American folk rock rock band from Asheville, North Carolina. History Daniel Shearin, Ryan O'Keefe, Halli Anderson, and Alex McWalters met as students at Appalachian State University. They all moved to Asheville after gradu ...

, Songhoy Blues, Lady Lamb, Middle Brother. * 2017: Wilco, Fleet Foxes,

Regina Spektor Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in ...

, John Prine with Roger Waters and Lucius, Jim James,

Drive-By Truckers Drive-By Truckers are an American rock band based in Athens, Georgia. Two of five current members ( Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley) are originally from The Shoals region of northern Alabama and met as roommates at the University of North Alab ...

, Ben Gibbard, The Avett Brothers, Offa Rex (The Decemberists with Olivia Chaney), Billy Bragg and Joe Henry, Rhiannon Giddens, Suzanne Vega, Grandma's Hands Band ( Justin Vernon with Natalie Prass, Patterson Hood, and Hiss Golden Messenger), Angel Olsen, Dr. Dog, Hurray For the Riff Raff, Chicano Batman, Margaret Glaspy, Shovels & Rope, Pinegrove, Whitney, I'm With Her, John Paul White, Big Thief, Mandolin Orange, Michael Kiwanuka, Julia Jacklin. * 2018:

, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit with

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

, Jon Batiste and The Dap-Kings, St. Vincent, Margo Price, Cheech & Chong, Courtney Barnett, Ben Harper and

Charlie Musselwhite Charles Douglas Musselwhite (born January 31, 1944) is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the white bluesmen who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal ...

, Brandi Carlile, Jenny Lewis, Glen Hansard, Gary Clark Jr.,

Passenger A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...

, Lucius, Langhorne Slim, Nels Cline, Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam, Phoebe Bridgers,

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, sometimes referred to as POTR, is an American country rock group based in California. The band consists of Lukas Nelson (lead vocals, guitar), Anthony LoGerfo (drums, percussion), Corey McCormick (bass guitar ...

, Toots and the Maytals, Nicole Atkins, Fantastic Negrito, Low Cut Connie, Valerie June, The Lone Bellow, Preservation Hall Jazz Band,

Amanda Shires Amanda Rose Shires (born March 5, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and fiddle player. Shires has released seven solo albums starting in 2005, her most recent being '' Take It Like a Man'' in 2022. In 2019, she founded a country music super ...

, Hiss Golden Messenger, JD McPherson, Shakey Graves, Moses Sumney, Tank and the Bangas, Jen Cloher, Tuck & Patti, This Is the Kit, Curtis Harding. * 2019:

, Kacey Musgraves, Trey Anastasio,

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three ...

Portugal. The Man Portugal. The Man is an American rock band from Wasilla, Alaska, currently based in Portland, Oregon. The group consists of John Baldwin Gourley, Zach Carothers, Kyle O'Quin, Jason Sechrist, Eric Howk and Zoe Manville. Gourley and Carothers met a ...

Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably '' Sesame Street'' and '' The Muppet Show'', as ...

with Jim James and

Janet Weiss Janet Lee Weiss (born September 24, 1965) is an American rock drummer, best known as a former member of Sleater-Kinney and a current member of Quasi. She was the drummer for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, leaving after the album ''Mirror Traff ...

, Phil Lesh, Jeff Tweedy, Amy Ray, Hozier, Judy Collins, Maggie Rogers,

Stephen Marley Stephen Robert Nesta Marley (born April 20, 1972) is a Jamaican-American musician. The son of Bob Marley, Marley is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, three times as a solo artist, twice as a producer of his younger paternal half-brother Dam ...

, Lucy Dacus, Dawes, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real,

Haley Heynderickx Haley Hannah Heynderickx (born May 28, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon. In 2016, she released her debut EP, ''Fish Eyes''. Her first full-length album, '' I Need to Start a Garden'', was released in March 2018 on Mam ...

, Lake Street Dive, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Noname, Ramblin' Jack Elliott,

Benmont Tench Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early years Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin M ...

, Cedric Burnside, I'm with Her, Todd Snider, Courtney Marie Andrews, Warren Haynes, Gregory Alan Isakov, The Highwomen, Bonny Light Horseman (Anaïs Mitchell,

Eric D. Johnson Eric Donald Johnson (born June 7, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the leader and sole permanent member of the influential folk-rock band Fruit Bats, and for his tenure as a member o ...

, and Josh Kaufman), Our Native Daughters (Rhiannon Giddens, Allison Russell,

Leyla McCalla Leyla Sarah McCalla Heart of Gold Work ID No. 886049205 Leyla Sarah McCalla IPI No. 715028763 (born October 3, 1985) is an American classical and folk musician. She was a cellist with the Grammy-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops but ...

, and Amythyst Kiah), The Infamous Stringdusters, The Milk Carton Kids,

Parker Millsap Parker Millsap is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Purcell, Oklahoma, playing a blend of blues, country, rock, Americana, and folk music. Named one of Americana Music Association's 2014 Emerging Artists of the Year aft ...

Liz Cooper & The Stampede Liz Cooper & The Stampede is a three-piece American rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. NPR described their music as "a seamless balance of muted rhythmic sounds and propulsive drive that feels so good". Overview Liz Cooper spent the majority ...

Kevin Morby Kevin Robert Morby (born April 2, 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. A former member of Woods and the Babies, Morby has released seven solo studio albums: '' Harlem River'' (2013), ''Still Life'' (2014), '' Singing Saw'' (20 ...

, Mountain Man, John Cohen, Phosphorescent, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, Adia Victoria, Jade Bird,

Susto Susto (, ) is a cultural illness primarily among Latin American cultures. It is described as a condition of "chronic somatic suffering stemming from emotional trauma or from witnessing traumatic experiences lived by others". Symptoms Among the ...

, Alice Gerrard, Jupiter & Okwess, Charley Crockett, Yola, Rayland Baxter, J.S. Ondara, Nilüfer Yanya,

The Down Hill Strugglers The Down Hill Strugglers, previously known as the Dust Busters, is an American old-time string band trio from Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 2008, the band has been influenced by the music of rural America, including Appalachian traditions, mus ...

, Ari Hest, Angie McMahon, Erin Rae. * 2020 Event canceled due to the

. ** Lineup prior to cancelation included The National, Randy Newman, Drive-By Truckers, Big Thief, Son Volt, Brittany Howard, Waxahatchee, Nathaniel Rateliff, Phoebe Bridgers, Andrew Bird, Sharon Van Etten, Grace Potter, Ed O'Brien, Mandy Moore with Taylor Goldsmith and Mike Viola, Sylvan Esso, Black Pumas, The Secret Sisters, Watkins Family Hour, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sampa the Great, Yola, Alexi Murdoch, Delta Spirit,

Rainbow Kitten Surprise Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an alternative rock indie band, featuring lead vocalist Ela Melo, Darrick "Bozzy" Keller (guitar, backup vocals), Ethan Goodpaster (electric guitar), Jess Haney (drums), and Charlie Holt (bass). The band formed in Boone ...

Daughter of Swords Daughter of Swords is the folk music side-project of the American musician Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, best known as a member of the band Mountain Man. Sauser-Monnig released her solo album as Daughter of Swords, entitled ''Dawnbreaker'', in 2019. B ...

, Puss n Boots, Vagabon, Mandolin Orange, The Marcus King Band, Lee Fields,

Caamp Caamp (stylized as CAAMP) is an American folk band from Upper Arlington, Ohio. History The band began as a project between childhood friends Taylor Meier and Evan Westfall, who met at a summer camp while they were middle school students. Mei ...

Ian Noe Ian Noe (born May 9, 1990) is a singer-songwriter from Beattyville, Kentucky US. Noe's debut album ''Between The Country'' was produced by Dave Cobb who plays guitar on the album, while Adam Gardner plays bass and organ piano. In 2007 Ian N ...

, Steve Gunn and William Tyler,

Early James Fredrick James Mullis Jr. (born June 2, 1993), known professionally as Early James, is an American singer-songwriter. He is signed onto studio-label Easy Eye Sound, the studio-label of Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach. Early life James was ...

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...

, Sunny War. * 2021: Beck, Randy Newman, Waxahatchee, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, Allison Russell with Chaka Khan and Amythyst Kiah, Margo Price, Lucy Dacus, Brothers of a Feather (

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...

and Rich Robinson) Ben Gibbard, Bleachers, Grace Potter, Deer Tick, Lake Street Dive, Sharon Van Etten, Dimmer Twins ( Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood), Yola with Brandi Carlile, Julien Baker, Fred Armisen, Chris Thile, Shakey Graves, Langhorne Slim, Courtney Marie Andrews, Bonny Light Horseman,

Watchhouse Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) is an Americana/folk duo based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group was formed in 2009 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and consists of songwriter Andrew Marlin (vocals, mandolin, guitar, banjo) and Emily ...

, Joy Oladokun, Middle Brother, Erin Rae with Haley Heynderickx and

MC Taylor Hiss Golden Messenger is an American folk music band, originating from Durham, North Carolina, led by MC Taylor (born September 9, 1975). History The band was formed by Mike (MC) Taylor and Scott Hirsch in 2007. The band's early recordings were ...

, Vagabon, Hiss Golden Messenger, Billy Strings, Andrew Bird and Jimbo Mathus, Kevin Morby, The Marcus King Band, Devon Gilfillian, Fruit Bats, Aoife O'Donovan, Natalie Hemby, Black Joe Lewis, Steve Gunn,

Emma Swift Emma Swift (born 15 December 1981) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Before becoming a musician, she was a radio broadcaster, hosting Americana music show ''In the Pines'' on FBi Radio and ''Revelator'' on Double J at Australian Broadcasting ...

, Jonathan Russell,

Katie Pruitt Katherine Nicole Pruitt (born March 4, 1994) is an American singer-songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her debut album, ''Expectations'', was released in 2020 by Rounder Records. Early life and education Pruitt grew up in the suburbs o ...

, S.G. Goodman,

Yasmin Williams Yasmin Williams is an American composer and solo performing finger-style guitarist. She plays several instruments like the kalimba, harp-guitar, and guitar with the strings facing up while on her lap. Early life and education Williams grew up i ...

, Celisse, Ida Mae, Sunny War, Tré Burt, Resistance Revival Chorus. * 2022: Brandi Carlile with Joni Mitchell, The National,

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimm ...

, Japanese Breakfast, Maren Morris, Lucy Dacus, Dinosaur Jr., Béla Fleck with

Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952) is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Reviva ...

and Jerry Douglas, Bleachers, Courtney Barnett, Anaïs Mitchell, Lucius, Valerie June, Clairo, American Tune Review (Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats with Paul Simon, Natalie Merchant, Adia Victoria, Lee Fields, The Silk Road Ensemble,

Lukas Nelson Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, sometimes referred to as POTR, is an American country rock group based in California. The band consists of Lukas Nelson (lead vocals, guitar), Anthony LoGerfo (drums, percussion), Corey McCormick (bass guitar ...

, Marcus Mumford, Lucius, Midlake, and Courtney Marie Andrews) Sylvan Esso, Taj Mahal, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Midlake, Taylor Goldsmith, The Felice Brothers, John Moreland,

Arooj Aftab Arooj Aftab (; born March 11, 1985) is a Pakistani singer, composer, and producer based in the United States. She works in various musical styles and idioms, including jazz, minimalism, and neo-Sufi. Aftab was nominated for the Grammy Award fo ...

, Joy Oladokun, The Silk Road Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens, Langhorne Slim, Cassandra Jenkins, Black Opry Revue,

Goose A goose (plural, : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family (biology), family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser (bird), Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some o ...

, The Linda Lindas, Lee Fields, Adia Victoria,

Blake Mills Blake Mills (born September 21, 1986) is an American songwriter, guitarist, producer, and composer based in California. Biography Blake Mills was born in Santa Monica, California, United States, and grew up in Malibu, where he attended Malib ...

, Phil Cook's Love Will Go All the Way: A Spiritual Helpline Gospel Revue, Carm, Hannah Georgas,

DakhaBrakha DakhaBrakha is a Ukrainian folk music quartet which combines the musical styles of several ethnic groups. It was a winner of the in 2009 and the Shevchenko National Prize in 2020. DakhaBrakha is a project of the Dakh Contemporary Arts Center, ...

,, John Craigie, Madi Diaz,

Skullcrusher Skullcrusher is the stage name of the American indie folk musician, Helen Ballentine. History Ballentine was born and raised in Westchester County, New York, Ballentine attended the Hackley School, graduating in 2013. Ballantine moved to Lo ...

, Sierra Ferrell, Faye Webster, Hermanos Gutiérrez, Neal Francis, The Dead Tongues, The Ballroom Thieves, Árný Margrét, The Backseat Lovers, Bendigo Fletcher, The A's ( Amelia Meath and

Alexandra Sauser-Monnig Daughter of Swords is the folk music side-project of the American musician Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, best known as a member of the band Mountain Man. Sauser-Monnig released her solo album as Daughter of Swords, entitled ''Dawnbreaker'', in 2019. B ...

), Buffalo Nichols, Leith Ross.

References

External links

*
Festival Network

* ttp://www.wirz.de/music/newport.htm Newport Folk Festival discography
Newport Folk Festival webcasts at NPR Music

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110724130530/http://wellroundedradio.net/georgewein Well-Rounded Radio's 2010 audio interview with Founder + Producer George Wein {{Authority control Music festivals in Rhode Island Folk festivals in the United States Folk Festival Music festivals established in 1959 Performing arts in Rhode Island 1959 establishments in Rhode Island