Folk Music in History - On This Day
Publish date: 2024-09-11
Events in Music
Music History
1961-11-04 American folk singer-songwriter Bob Dylan makes his Carnegie Hall (NYC) debut; tickets priced at $2.00 [1]
Music History
1965-04-29 Canadian folk singer-songwriter Joni Anderson (soon to be known as Joni Mitchell) meets American folk singer and future husband Chuck Mitchell at a gig in Toronto, Ontario
- 1966-03-07 Leon Gluckman and Jeremy Taylor's folk music revue "Wait A Minim!" opens at John Golden Theater, NYC; runs for 457 performances
- 1967-04-15 Leon Gluckman and Jeremy Taylor's folk music revue "Wait A Minim!" closes at John Golden Theater, NYC, after 457 performances
- 1970-03-26 Folk singer Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary) pleads guilty to "taking immoral liberties" with a 14-year-old girl and serves 3 months in prison; granted a presidential pardon in 1981
- 1992-09-01 American comic and folk singer Tommy Smothers undergoes arthroscopic surgery
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
2006-04-25 Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen's 14th studio album "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions", a tribute to folk music pioneer Pete Seeger
Birthdays in Music
Birthdays 1 - 100 of 160
- 1859-11-22 Cecil Sharp, British collector of English folk music and dance, born in London, England (d. 1924)
- 1899-05-14 Stelios Perpiniadis, Greek folk singer, songwriter and guitarist, born in Tinos, Greece (d. 1977)
- 1900-08-23 Malvina Reynolds, American folk singer and songwriter (Morningtown Ride), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1978)
- 1901-07-03 Ruth Crawford Seeger, American modernist classical and folk music composer (String Quartet, 1931; Rissolty, Rossolty), born in East Liverpool, Ohio (d. 1953)
- 1908-01-31 Atahualpa Yupanqui, Argentine folk musician, born in Pergamino, Argentina (d. 1992)
- 1909-06-14 Burl Ives, American folk singer ("A Little Bitty Tear"; "Silver And Gold"), actor (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof), and snowman (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), born in Hunt City, Illinois (d. 1995)
- 1910-07-02 Earl Robinson, American composer (Ballad for Americans; Preamble to Peace), and folk music singer-songwriter ("Joe Hill"'; "Black and White"), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 1991)
- 1911-05-23 Boris Kremenliev, Bulgarian-American composer (The Tell-Tale Heart), educator (UCLA, 1947-78), and ethnomusicologist (Bulgarian-Macedonian Folk Music), born in Razlog, Bulgaria (d. 1988)
- 1911-08-01 Kenneth Loveless, British priest, concertina player, and folk dancer, born in England (d. 1995)
- 1914-03-14 Lee Hays, American folk singer (The Weavers), songwriter ("Wasn't That a Time?"; "If I Had a Hammer"; "Kisses Sweeter than Wine"), and civil rights activist, born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 1981)
- 1914-09-02 Tom Glazer, American folk singer and songwriter (Because All Men Are Brothers; A Dollar Ain't A Dollar Anymore), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2003)
- 1915-01-25 Ewan MacColl [James Miller], Scottish folk singer-songwriter ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"), born in Broughton, England (d. 1989) [1]
- 1915-11-30 (Walter) "Brownie" McGhee, American folk music and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, born in Knoxville, Tennessee (d. 1996)
- 1916-03-10 Manuel "Manny" Greenhill, American folk music record producer (Folklore Productions). promoter, and artist manager (Joan Baez; Rev. Gary Davis), born in New York City (d. 1996)
- 1919-10-23 Katie Lee, American folk singer, environmentalist and author (Colorado River Songs), born in Aledo, Illinois (d. 2017)
- 1922-01-07 Robert De Cormier, American conductor and musical director (The Belafonte Folk Singers), born on Long Island, New York (d. 2017)
- 1922-03-07 Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Irish folk singer, harmonic player, and songwriter (The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem - "Carrickfergus"), born in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, Ireland (d. 1998)
- 1922-12-08 Jean Ritchie, American folk singer, born in Viper, Kentucky (d. 2015)
- 1924-05-02 Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American stage and screen singer and actor (The Sound of Music; Fiddler On The Roof; The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming; 200 Motels), folk singer (co-founder Newport Folk Festival), and political activist, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2015)
- 1924-08-03 (Elizabeth) "Connie" Converse, American folk singer-songwriter, born in Laconia, New Hampshire (disappeared 1974) [1]
- 1924-08-06 Ella Jenkins, American folk singer-songwriter, and ukulele player (Multicultural Children's Songs), born in St. Louis, Missouri
- 1925-01-09 Ofelya Hambardzumyan, Armenian folk singer, born in Yerevan, Armenia SSR (d. 2016)
- 1926-09-07 Ronnie Gilbert, American folk singer (The Weavers), born in New York City (d. 2015)
- 1927-07-27 Guy Carawan, American folk singer and folklorist (popularized "We Shall Overcome"), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2015)
- 1928-03-19 (Allan Thomas) "Tom" Paley, American folk musician (New Lost City Ramblers), born in New York City (d. 2017)
- 1928-04-09 Tom Lehrer, American musician ("The Elements"), satirist (That Was The Week That Was), and mathematician, born in New York City
- 1930-01-12 Glenn Yarborough, American folk singer and guitarist (Limeliters-Honey & Wine, Jubilee), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 2016)
- 1930-12-31 Odetta [Holmes], American folk singer (Sanctuary), actress and civil rights activist, born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2008)
- 1931-08-01 "Ramblin' Jack" Elliott [Elliot Adnopoz], American Grammy Award-winning folk singer-songwriter, and guitarist, born in Brooklyn, New York City
- 1931-11-16 Bob Gibson, American folk musician, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1996)
- 1932-07-11 Alex Hassilev, Russian-American folk singer, guitarist, banjo player (The Limeliters), actor, and record producer, born in Paris, France (d. 2024)
- 1932-09-28 Víctor Jara, Chilean folk singer and political activist, born in Chillán Viejo, Chile (d. 1973)
- 1932-11-04 Tommy Makem, Irish folk singer, born in Keady, County Armagh, Northern Ireland (d. 2007)
- 1933-03-06 (Dorothy) "Dolly" Collins, English folk musician, arranger, pianist, and composer, born in Hastings, Sussex, England (d. 1995)
- 1933-06-24 Rosalie Sorrels, American traditional folk singer-songwriter ("Up Is A Nice Place To Be"; "Nevada Moon"), born in Boise, Idaho (d. 2017)
- 1933-07-27 Nick Reynolds, American folk singer, tenor guitarist, and bongo player (The Kingston Trio, 1957-67 - "Tom Dooley"; "M.T.A."), born in San Diego, California (d. 2008)
- 1933-07-29 Randy Sparks, American folk singer-songwriter and impresario (New Christy Minstrels), born in Leavenworth, Kansas (d. 2024)
- 1933-09-25 Erik Darling, American folk musician (Rooftop Singers), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2008)
- 1933-09-25 Ian Tyson, Canadian folk singer-songwriter (Ian & Sylvia), born in Victoria, British Columbia (d. 2022) [1]
- 1934-10-19 Dave Guard, American folk singer, songwriter and arranger (Kingston Trio - "Tom Dooley"), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1991)
- 1935-03-04 Nancy Whiskey [Anne Wilson], Scottish folk singer and guitarist ("Freight Train"), born in Dalmarnock, Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2003)
- 1935-05-15 (Bruce) "Utah" Phillips, American folk singer-songwriter ("Green Rolling Hills"; "The Goodnight-Loving Trail") storyteller, poet, and labor organizer, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2008)
- 1935-05-27 Len Chandler, American folk music singer-songwriter ("Beans in Ears"), and civil rights activist, born in Summit County, Ohio (d. 2023)
- 1936-02-09 "Stompin' Tom" Connors, Canadian country and folk singer-songwriter ("The Hockey Song"), born in St. John, New Brunswick, (d. 2013)
- 1936-02-26 Cyrus Faryar, Iranian-American folk musician, songwriter, and record producer (Modern Folk Quartet), born in Tehran, Persia
- 1936-03-16 Fred Neil [Morlock], American songwriter, folk singer, guitarist (Everybody's Talkin'; Candy Man), and conservationist (Dolphin Project), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2001)
- 1936-06-30 Dave Van Ronk, American folk singer and songwriter ("Garden State Stomp"), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2002)
- 1936-07-07 Nikos Xilouris, Greek folk singer-songwriter, born in Anogeia, Crete, Greece (d. 1980)
- 1936-12-20 Judy Henske, American folk singer (High Flying Bird), born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (d. 2022)
- 1937-02-02 Tommy Smothers, American comedian and folk singer (The Smothers Brothers Show; Serial), born on Governors Island, NYC, New York (d. 2023) [1]
- 1937-03-08 Richard Fariña, American folk singer-songwriter ("Birmingham Sunday"), and novelist ("Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me"), born in New York City (d. 1966)
- 1937-07-19 Karen Dalton (née Cariker); American country blues and folk singer, guitarist, and banjo player (In My Own Time), born in Bonham, Texas (d. 1993)
- 1937-09-19 Paul Siebel, American folk singer and songwriter (Louise; Spanish Johnny), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2022)
- 1937-10-30 Tony Cucchiara, Italian folk singer and songwriter (Cain and Abel), born in Agrigento, Sicily, Italy (d. 2018)
- 1937-10-31 Tom Paxton, American folk singer and songwriter ("Bottle of Wine': "The Marvelous Toy"), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1937-11-24 Jeremy Taylor, British teacher, folk singer, songwriter ("Ag Pleez Deddy"; "Piece of Ground"), born in Newbury, England
- 1938-05-31 Peter Yarrow, American folk singer-songwriter (Peter, Paul & Mary - "Puff (The Magic Dragon)"), born in New York City
- 1938-06-30 Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek folk singer (first Greek artist to record or re-record the authentic, "prohibited" rebetika songs in the early 1970s with their original lyrics), born in Drama, Greece (d. 1999)
- 1938-08-31 John Koerner, American blues and folk singer, songwriter (Koerner, Ray & Glover), born in Rochester, New York (d. 2024)
- 1939-01-31 Claude Gauthier, Canadian folk singer-songwriter, and actor, born in Lac-Saguay, Quebec
- 1939-02-28 John Fahey, American folk singer and guitarist (Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2001)
- 1939-08-15 Norma Waterson, British folk music revivalist, and singer-songwriter, born in Hull, East Yorkshire, England (d. 2022)
- 1939-11-20 Dick Smothers, American comedian and folk singer (The Smothers Brothers Show), born on Governors Island, NYC, New York
- 1940-02-10 Hamish Imlach, Scottish folk-comic singer-songwriter ("Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice"), born in Calcutta, British India (d. 1996)
- 1940-05-05 Lucy Simon, American folk singer-songwriter (Simon Sisters), Grammy Award-winning record producer (In Harmony) and theater composer (The Secret Garden; Doctor Zhivago), born in New York City (d. 2022) [1]
- 1940-06-30 Mark Spoelstra, American folk singer and songwriter, born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 2007)
- 1940-10-02 Patrick Sky [Lynch], American musician, folk singer, songwriter, record producer, and uilleann bagpiper (Songs That Made America Famous), born in College Park, Georgia (d. 2021)
- 1940-10-27 Anthea Joseph, British folk music promoter, and record company publicist, born in London, England (d. 1997)
- 1940-11-17 Luke Kelly, Irish folk music singer and banjo player, born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1984)
- 1940-12-19 Phil Ochs, American anti-war folk singer (Joe Hill; The War is Over; I Ain't Marchin' Anymore), born in El Paso, Texas (d. 1976)
- 1941-01-21 Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter, and guitarist who opened the Woodstock Festival ("Freedom"; "Here Comes the Sun"), born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York (d. 2013)
- 1941-02-18 David Blue [Cohen], American folk musician (Cupid's Arrow), born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 1982)
- 1941-02-20 Buffy Sainte-Marie, American folk singer (Now That the Buffalo Are Gone), and songwriter ("Up Where We Belong"), born in Stoneham, Massachusetts
- 1941-02-20 Gayle Caldwell, American songwriter ("Cycles"), and folk singer (New Christy Minstrels; Jackie & Gayle), born in Eugene, Oregon (d. 2009)
- 1941-05-21 Martin Carthy, English folk musician, born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire
- 1941-07-16 Mišo Kovač, Croatian country-pop-folk singer (Mojoj vjernoj publici), born in Sebenico, Governorate of Dalmatia, Kingdom of Italy
- 1941-12-10 Peter Sarstedt, British pop-folk singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Where Do You Go To (My Lovely?"; "I Am A Cathedral"), born in New Delhi, British India (d. 2017)
- 1941-12-20 Michael Hurley, American folk singer-songwriter ("The Tea Song"), born in Bucks Country, Pennsylvania [1]
- 1942-01-27 Kate Wolf [Allen], American folk singer-songwriter ("Love Still Remains"; "Across the Great Divide"), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1986)
- 1942-04-10 Hayedeh [Ma'soumeh Dadehbala], Persian classical, pop, and folk singer, born in Tehran, Iran (d. 1990)
- 1942-07-17 Gale Garnett, New Zealand-Canadian folk singer-songwriter ("We'll Sing in the Sunshine"), and actress, born in Auckland, New Zealand
- 1942-11-20 Norman Greenbaum, American folk singer (Spirit in the Sky), born in Malden, Massachusetts
- 1942-11-23 Steve Gillette, American folk singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Darcy Farrow";"Bed of Roses"), born in Pensacola, Florida
- 1943-01-20 Farhad [Mehrad], Iranian pop, rock and folk singer-songwriter ("Jomeh"), born in Tehran, Iran (d. 2002)
- 1943-09-09 Larry Hosford, American folk singer-songwriter (The King Takes The Queen), born in Salinas, California (d. 2016)
- 1943-11-03 Bert Jansch, Scottish folk musician (Pentangle), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2011)
- 1943-12-25 Trevor Lucas, Australian folk singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Fairport Convention), born in Bungaree, Victoria (d. 1989)
- 1944-04-12 Karel Kryl, Czechoslovak folk singer, born in Kroměříž, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (d. 1994)
- 1944-05-20 Boudewijn de Groot, Dutch folk singer ("Sleep Well, Mr. President"), born in a Japanese concentration camp, near Batavia, occupied Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia)
- 1944-08-08 John Renbourn, British jazz and folk guitarist and songwriter (Pentangle), born in Marleylebone, London (d. 2015)
- 1944-09-08 Peter Bellamy, English folk singer, born in Bournemouth, England (d. 1991)
- 1944-12-04 Anna McGarrigle, Canadian folk music singer-songwriter, born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1945-02-20 Alan Hull, British folk singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Lindisfarne - "Lady Eleanor"), born in Benwell, Newcastle upon Tyne, England (d. 1995)
- 1945-04-19 Michael Stewart, American folk music producer, arranger, banjo player and guitarist (We Five - "You Were On My Mind"), born in Riverside County, California (d. 2002)
- 1945-05-07 Christy Moore, Irish folk singer and songwriter, born in Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland
Weddings in Music
Joni Mitchell
1965-06-19 Canadian folk singer-songwriter Joni Anderson (henceforth known as Joni Mitchell) weds American folk singer Chuck Mitchell in Port Huron, Michigan; divorce in 1967
Joan Baez
1968-03-26 American folk singer and activist Joan Baez (27) weds American journalist and peace activist David Harris (22) in New York City; divorce in 1973
- 1991-07-06 American "Peter, Paul & Mary" folk singer Mary Travers (54) weds 4th husband, American restaurateur Ethan Robbins, until her death in 2009
- 2009-09-18 Grammy-winning rock-folk singer Lucinda Williams (56) weds manager Tom Overby at First Avenue in Minneapolis
Deaths in Music
- 1924-06-23 Cecil Sharp, British collector of English folk music and dance, dies at 64
- 1946-01-05 (Catherine) "Kitty" Cheatham, American folk singer and children's music singer-songwriter, dies at 81
- 1953-11-18 Ruth Crawford Seeger, American modernist classical and folk music composer (String Quartet, 1931; Rissolty, Rossolty), dies at 52
- 1961-04-29 (Gilbert) "Cisco" Houston, American folk singer, and guitarist, dies of stomach cancer at 42
- 1966-04-30 Richard Fariña, American folk singer-songwriter ("Birmingham Sunday"), and novelist ("Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me"), dies in a motorcycle crash on his 29th birthday
- 1973-09-15 Victor Jara, Chilean folk singer-songwriter, and political activist, killed by Augusto Pinochet's military interrogators at 40
- 1976-04-09 Phil Ochs, American anti-war folk singer ("I Ain't Marching Anymore"; "Draft Dodger Rag"), commits suicide at 35
- 1976-10-10 Silvana Armenulic, Yugoslavian folk singer (b. 1939)
- 1977-09-04 Stelios Perpiniadis, Greek folk singer, songwriter and guitarist, dies at 78
- 1980-02-08 Nikos Xilouris, Greek folk singer-songwriter, dies of lung and brain cancer at 43
- 1981-08-26 Lee Hays, American folk singer (The Weavers), songwriter ("Wasn't That a Time?"; "If I Had a Hammer"; "Kisses Sweeter than Wine"), and civil rights activist, dies at 67dies of a heart attack at 67
- 1982-12-02 David Blue [Cohen], American folk musician, dies of a heart attack while jogging in Greenwich Village at 41
- 1984-01-30 Luke Kelly, Irish folk music singer and banjo player (The Dubliners), dies at 43
- 1984-09-20 Steve Goodman, American folk singer and songwriter ("City O f New Orleans"; "Chicken Cordon Blues"), dies of leukemia at 36
- 1986-12-10 Kate Wolf [Allen], American folk singer-songwriter ("Love Still Remains"; "Across the Great Divide"), dies of leukemia at 44
- 1988-03-08 Amar Singh Chamkila [Dhanni Ram], Punjabi folk singer "The Elvis of Punjab" killed by unknown gunmen as he arrived for concert at age 26 [1]
- 1988-04-25 Boris Kremenliev, Bulgarian-American composer (The Tell-Tale Heart), educator (UCLA, 1947-78), and ethno-musicologist (Bulgarian-Macedonian Folk Music), dies at 76
- 1989-01-08 Johnny Jordaan [Johannes van Musscher], Dutch pop and levenslied singer, dies at 64
- 1989-02-04 Trevor Lucas, Australian folk singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Fairport Convention), dies of a heart attack at 45
- 1989-10-22 Ewan MacColl [James Miller], Scottish folk singer-songwriter ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"), dies of complications following heart surgery at 74 [1]
- 1990-01-20 Hayedeh [Ma'soumeh Dadehbala], Persian classical, pop, and folk singer, dies of a heart attack at 47
- 1991-03-22 Dave Guard, American singer, songwriter and arranger (Kingston Trio - "Tom Dooley"), dies of cancer at 56
- 1991-07-20 Earl Robinson, American composer (Ballad for Americans; Preamble to Peace), and folk music singer-songwriter ("Joe Hill"; "Black and White"), dies in a car accident at 81
- 1991-09-24 Peter Bellamy, English folk singer, commits suicide at 47
- 1993-03-19 Karen Dalton (née Cariker); American country blues and folk singer, guitarist, and banjo player (In My Own Time). dies of AIDS related complications at 55
- 1994-03-03 Karel Kryl, Czechoslovak folk singer, dies at 49
- 1994-11-26 Nimrod Workman, American folk singer, dies at 99
- 1995-02-03 Turner Fodrell, American blues and folk singer, and guitarist, dies at 66
- 1995-03-19 Kenneth Loveless, British priest, concertina player, and folk dancer, dies at 83
- 1995-04-14 Burl Ives, American folk singer ("A Little Bitty Tear"; "Silver And Gold"), actor (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof), and snowman (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), dies from complications of mouth cancer at 85
- 1995-05-15 Perry Lederman, American folk and blues singer and guitarist, dies at 52
- 1995-09-22 (Dorothy) "Dolly" Collins, British folk songwriter, arranger, piano player, and composer, dies at 62
- 1995-11-17 Alan Hull, British folk singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Lindisfarne - "Lady Eleanor"), dies of a heart attack at 50
- 1996-01-01 Hamish Imlach, Scottish folk-comic singer-songwriter ("Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice"), dies at 55
- 1996-02-16 (Walter) "Brownie" McGhee, American folk music and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, dies at 80
- 1996-04-14 Manuel "Manny" Greenhill, American folk music record producer (Folklore Productions). promoter, and artist manager (Joan Baez; Rev. Gary Davis), dies of leukemia at 80
- 1996-06-09 Walter Pardon, British folk singer and carpenter, dies at 81
- 1996-09-28 Bob Gibson, American folk musician, dies at 64
- 1998-11-11 Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, Irish folk singer, harmonic player, and songwriter (The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem - "Carrickfergus"), dies of lung ccancer at 76
- 2001-02-22 John Farley, American folk singer and guitarist (Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death), dies at 61
- 2001-07-07 Fred Neil [Morlock], American songwriter, folk singer, guitarist (Everybody's Talkin'; Candy Man), and conservationist (Dolphin Project), dies from skin cancer at 65
- 2002-02-10 Dave Van Ronk, American folk singer and songwriter, dies at 65
- 2003-02-01 Nancy Whiskey [Anne Wilson], Scottish folk singer and guitarist ("Freight Train"), dies at 67
- 2003-09-21 Tom Glazer, American folk singer and songwriter (Because All Men Are Brothers; A Dollar Ain't A Dollar Anymore), dies at 88
- 2005-08-24 Kaleth Morales, Colombian vallenato folk music singer and songwriter ("Vivo en el Limbo" - I Live in the Limbo), dies in a vehicle crash at 22
- 2007-02-25 Mark Spoelstra, American folk singer and songwriter, dies at 66
- 2007-08-01 Tommy Makem, Irish folk singer, dies of lung cancer at 74
- 2008-01-19 John Stewart, American pop-folk singer, guitsrist, banjo player (Kingston Trio, 1961-67), and songwriter ("Daydream Believer"), dies of a stroke at 68
- 2008-03-15 Vytautas Kernagis, Lithuanian pop-rock-folk singer-songwriter, and poet, dies of stomach cancer at 56
- 2008-05-23 (Bruce) "Utah" Phillips, American folk singer-songwriter ("Green Rolling Hills"; "The Goodnight-Loving Trail") storyteller, poet, and labor organizer, dies of heart disease at 73
- 2008-08-03 Erik Darling, American folk musician (Rooftop Singers), dies at 74
- 2008-10-01 Nick Reynolds, American folk singer, tenor guitarist, and bongo player (The Kingston Trio, 1957-67 - "Tom Dooley"; "M.T.A."), dies from respiratory disease at 75
- 2008-12-02 Odetta [Odetta Holmes], American folk singer (Sanctuary), actress and civil rights activist, dies of heart disease at 77
- 2009-04-14 Gayle Caldwell, American songwriter ("Cycles"), and folk singer (New Christy Minstrels; Jackie & Gayle), dies at 68
- 2009-08-07 Mike Seeger, American folk musician (b. 1933)
- 2010-01-18 Kate McGarrigle, Canadian folk music singer-songwriter (Kate & Anna McGarrigle - "Heartbeats Accelerating"), dies of clear-cell sarcoma at 63
- 2010-03-04 Fred Wedlock, British folk musician (b. 1942)
- 2011-10-05 Bert Jansch, Scottish folk musician (Pentangle), dies of lung cancer at 67
- 2015-05-02 Guy Carawan, American folk singer and folklorist (We Shall Overcome), dies at 87
- 2015-06-01 Jean Ritchie, American folk singer, dies at 92
- 2015-06-06 Ronnie Gilbert, American folk singer (The Weavers - "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine"), dies at 88
- 2015-07-21 Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American stage and screen singer and actor (The Sound of Music; Fiddler On The Roof; The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming; 200 Motels), folk singer (co-founder Newport Folk Festival), and political activist, dies at 91
- 2016-06-13 Ofelya Hambardzumyan, Armenian folk singer, dies at 91
- 2016-11-23 Larry Hosford, American folk singer-songwriter (The King Takes The Queen), dies at 73
- 2017-01-08 Peter Sarstedt, British pop-folk singer-songwriter and guitarist ("Where Do You Go To (My Lovely?"; "I Am A Cathedral"), dies at 75
- 2017-06-11 Rosalie Sorrels, American traditional folk singer-songwriter ("Up Is A Nice Place To Be"; "Nevada Moon"), dies at 83
- 2017-09-30 Alam Thomas "Tom" Paley, American folk musician (New Lost City Ramblers), dies at 89
- 2017-11-01 Katie Lee, American folk singer, environmentalist and author (Colorado River Songs), dies at 98
- 2017-11-07 Robert De Cormier, American conductor and musical director (The Belafonte Folk Singers), dies at 95
- 2018-05-02 Tony Cucchiara, Italian folk singer and songwriter ("Cain and Abel"), dies at 80
- 2020-04-07 John Prine, American country folk singer-songwriter ("Hello In There"; "Angel From Montgomery"; "Paradise"), dies of COVID-19 complications at 73
- 2020-07-12 Judy Dyble, British folk singer-songwriter (Fairport Convention), dies of lung cancer at 71
- 2021-05-26 Patrick Sky [Lynch], American musician, folk singer, songwriter, record producer, and uilleann bagpiper (Songs That Made America Famous), dies of cancer at 80
- 2022-01-30 Norma Waterson, British folk music revivalist, and singer-songwriter, dies at 82
- 2022-04-05 Paul Siebel, American folk singer and songwriter (Louise; Spanish Johnny), dies from complications of pulmonary fibrosis at 84
- 2022-04-27 Judy Henske, American folk singer (High Flying Bird), dies at 85
- 2022-10-02 Mary McCaslin, American contemporary folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and banjo player ("Prairie In The Sky"), dies from complications of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) at 75
- 2022-10-20 Lucy Simon, American folk singer-songwriter (Simon Sisters), Grammy Award-winning record producer (In Harmony) and theater composer (The Secret Garden; Doctor Zhivago), dies of breast cancer at 82 [1]
- 2022-12-29 Ian Tyson, Canadian folk singer-songwriter (Ian & Sylvia), dies at 89 [1]
- 2023-08-28 Len Chandler, American folk music singer-songwriter ("Beans in Ears"), and civil rights activist, dies at 88
- 2023-12-26 Tommy Smothers, American comedian and folk singer (The Smothers Brothers Show; Serial), dies of lung cancer at 86 [1]
- 2024-02-11 Randy Sparks, American folk singer-songwriter and impresario (New Christy Minstrels), dies at 90
- 2024-04-21 Alex Hassilev, Russian-American folk singer, guitarist, banjo player (The Limeliters), actor, and record producer, dis of cancer at 91
- 2024-05-18 John Koerner, American blues and folk singer, songwriter (Koerner, Ray & Glover), dies at 85
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