Folk Alley's 100 Most Essential Folk songs

[lightning]

#7 is Suzanne, #78 is Hallelujah. I'm not sure these are folk songs unless you agree that all songs are folk songs.

The 100 Essential Folk Songs
1. "This Land Is Your Land" - Woody Guthrie
2. "Blowin' in the Wind" - Bob Dylan
3. "City of New Orleans" - Steve Goodman
4. "If I Had a Hammer" - Pete Seeger
5. "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" - The Kingston Trio
6. "Early Morning Rain" - Gordon Lightfoot
7. "Suzanne" - Leonard Cohen
8. "We Shall Overcome" - Pete Seeger
9. "Four Strong Winds" - Ian and Sylvia
10. "Last Thing on My Mind" - Tom Paxton
11. "The Circle Game" - Joni Mitchell
12. "Tom Dooley" - The Kingston Trio (Trad)
13. "Both Sides Now" - Joni Mitchell
14. "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" - Sandy Denny
15. "Goodnight Irene" - The Weavers (Trad)
16. "Universal Soldier" - Buffy Sainte-Marie
17. "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" - Bob Dylan
18. "Diamonds and Rust" - Joan Baez
19. "Sounds of Silence" - Simon & Garfunkel
20. "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" - Gordon Lightfoot
21. "Alice's Restaurant" - Arlo Guthrie
22. "Turn, Turn, Turn!" - The Byrds (Pete Seeger)
23. "Puff the Magic Dragon" - Peter, Paul and Mary
24. "Thirsty Boots" - Eric Anderson
25. "There But for Fortune" - Phil Ochs
26. "Across the Great Divide" - Kate Wolf
27. "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - The Band (Robbie Robertson)
28. "The Dutchman" - Steve Goodman
29. "Matty Groves" - Fairport Convention (Trad)
30. "Pastures of Plenty" - Woody Guthrie
31. "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" - Gordon Lightfoot
32. "Ramblin' Boy" - Tom Paxton
33. "Hello in There" - John Prine
34. "The Mary Ellen Carter" - Stan Rogers
35. "Scarborough Fair" - Martin Carthy (Trad)
36. "Freight Train" - Elizabeth Cotton
37. "Like a Rolling Stone" - Bob Dylan
38. "Paradise" - John Prine
39. "Northwest Passage" - Stan Rogers
40. "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" - Eric Bogel
41. "Changes" - Phil Ochs
42. "Streets of London" - Ralph McTell
43. "Gentle on My Mind" - John Hartford
44. "Barbara Allen" - Shirley Collins (Trad)
45. "Little Boxes" - Malvina Reynolds
46. "The Water Is Wide" - Traditional
47. "Blue Moon of Kentucky" - Bill Monroe
48. "No Regrets" - Tom Rush
49. "Amazing Grace" - Odetta (Trad)
50. "Catch the Wind" - Donovan
51. "If I Were a Carpenter" - Tim Hardin
52. "Big Yellow Taxi" - Joni Mitchell
53. "House of the Rising Sun" - Doc & Richard Watson (Trad)
54. "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" - The Weavers
55. "Tangled Up in Blue" - Bob Dylan
56. "The Boxer" - Simon and Garfunkel
57. "Someday Soon" - Ian and Sylvia
58. "Miles" - Peter, Paul and Mary
59. "Masters of War" - Bob Dylan
60. "Wildwood Flower" - Carter Family
61. "Can the Circle Be Unbroken" - Carter Family
62. "Can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound" - Tom Paxton
63. "Teach Your Children" - Crosby, Stills Nash & Young
64. "Deportee" - Woody Guthrie
65. "Tecumseh Valley" - Townes Van Zandt
66. "Mr. Bojangles" - Jerry Jeff Walker
67. "Cold Missouri Waters" - James Keeleghan
68. "The Crucifixion" - Phil Ochs
69. "Angel from Montgomery" - John Prine
70. "Christmas in the Trenches" - John McCutcheon
71. "John Henry" - Traditional
72. "Pack Up Your Sorrows" - Richard and Mimi Farina
73. "Dirty Old Town" - Ewan MacColl
74. "Caledonia" - Dougie MacLean
75. "Gentle Arms of Eden" - Dave Carter
76. "My Back Pages" - Bob Dylan
77. "Arrow" - Cheryl Wheeler
78. "Hallelujah" - Leonard Cohen
79. "Eve of Destruction" - Barry McGuire
80. "Man of Constant Sorrow" - Ralph Stanley (Trad)
81. "Shady Grove" - Traditional
82. "Pancho and Lefty" - Townes Van Zandt
83. "Old Man" - Neil Young
84. "Mr. Tambourine Man" - Bob Dylan
85. "American Tune" - Paul Simon
86. "At Seventeen" - Janis Ian
87. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel
88. "Road" - Nick Drake
89. "Tam Lin" - Fairport Convention (Trad)
90. "Ashokan Farewell" - Jay Ungar and Molly Mason
91. "Desolation Row" - Bob Dylan
92. "Love Is Our Cross to Bear" - John Gorka
93. "Hobo's Lullaby" - Woody Guthrie
94. "Urge for Going" - Tom Rush
95. "Return of the Grievous Angel" - Gram Parsons
96. "Chilly Winds" - The Kingston Trio
97. "Fountain of Sorrow" - Jackson Browne
98. "The Times They Are A-Changin'" - Bob Dylan
99. "Our Town" - Iris Dement
100. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" - John Denver










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[John Etherington]

Hi lightning,

Thanks for posting this list, which could more accurately be described as folk + contemporary acoustic & country. It's interesting that in "Songs From a Life", Leonard says that the music he found in New York in 1966 was not really folk, even though they were calling it that. It's certainly stretching things to call "Hallelujah" folk, let alone "Like a Rolling Stone"! Some of Bruce Springsteen's acoustic stuff would be more appropriate.

Clearly this list is largely American, but a few artists are conspicuous by their absence, such as Judy Collins, P.F. Sloan, Tim Buckley, Tim Rose & Bob Lind. Ironically, John Prine (who's more country) is well-favoured, while I'd personally like to see moreTim Hardin ("Lady Came From Baltimore" & "Reason to Believe"). I'm pleased to see Eric Andersen's "Thirsty Boots" included and Iris Dement's "Our Town" (Felicity Buirski does a fine version of this).

UK artists that I would have like to have seen included are: (early) Incredible String Band, John Martyn and Michael Chapman, plus Julie Felix, Bridget St John,Shelagh McDonald, Sandy Denny, Keith Christmas, Vashti Bunyan, Dr Strangely Strange, Forest, Amazing Blondel, never mind the newer ones that I don't know so well, such as Show of Hands. Overall it's a great collection of songs, though.

All good things, John E

[vanalli]

Only number 88 for Nick Drake. And not one of my favourites either. Sorry, I'm just bit of a Nick Drake fan.

[lightning]

Hi John Etheridge,
Sandy Denny herself isn't on the list, but representing British Folk is Fairport Convention which Sandy fronted as vocalist, singing Matty Groves and Tam Lin. Not much representation, but better than nothing.

[Mollydog]

It's good to see so many Canadian artists included. Leonard (of course), Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Band, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Ian and Sylvia, Stan Rogers.

[yaniv297]

1# Famous Blue Raincoat
2# Fruit Tree by Nick Drake

That's how it should have been

[Squidgy]

Boy, that was a trip down memory lane ! Not sure I'd call all the selections "folk" but every single one of those songs are among my faves. Good to see Richard & Mimi Farina and John Hartford on the list, too. Thanks for posting this.