Little Blue Egg by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer was reportedly the most-played album on folk radio during 2012, according to charts compiled by Richard Gillmann from radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in all folk-based music on the radio. Little Blue Egg also features the year’s most-played song, “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key.”
The Top Folk Albums chart for 2012 is based on 156,671 airplays from 194 different DJs. The number of reported spins (airplays) is shown in parentheses, preceded by the album’s label (if any) and release date in brackets.
1: “Little Blue Egg,” Dave Carter And Tracy Grammer [Red House, 2/12] (442)
2: “This Land: Woody Guthrie’s America,” John McCutcheon
[Appalsongs, 11/11] (340)
3: “Light In The Sky,” Red Molly [redmolly.com, 10/11] (331)
4: “Silver Lining,” The Honey Dewdrops [thehoneydewdrops.com, 6/12] (316)
5: “Lay Down, Lay Low,” The Steel Wheels [thesteelwheels.com, 1/12] (283)
6: “The Stray Birds,” The Stray Birds [thestraybirds.com, 9/12] (263)
7: “Reunion,” Lucy Kaplansky [Red House, 9/12] (252)
8: “New Siberia,” Antje Duvekot [antjeduvekot.com, 4/12] (248)
9: “Promised Land,” Gina Forsyth [Waterbug, 2/12] (233)
9: “Some Bright Morning,” Rani Arbo And Daisy Mayhem [Signature, 4/12] (233)
11: “Voice Of Ages,” The Chieftains [Hear, 2/12] (217)
12: “Three,” The Refugees [Wabuho, 1/12] (209)
13: “Tilt-A-Whirl,” Drew Nelson [Red House, 2/12] (208)
14: “The Plum Tree And The Rose,” Sarah McQuaid [Waterbug, 3/12] (194)
14: “These Old Dark Hills,” Robin And Linda Williams [Red House, 8/12] (194)
16: “Prior Convictions,” Grant Peeples [Gatorbone, 5/12] (193)
17: “Leaving Eden,” Carolina Chocolate Drops [Nonesuch, 2/12] (192)
18: “In Good Company,” Bill Evans [Native And Fine, 5/12] (190)
19: “Red Apples And Gold,” Gathering Time [gatheringtimetrio.com, 5/12] (189)
20: “Hickory,” Mariel Vandersteel [marielvandersteel.com, 3/12] (188)
21: “Ashes And Roses,” Mary Chapin Carpenter [Zoe, 6/12] (186)
22: “American Hornpipe,” Dana And Susan Robinson [Threshold, 6/12] (182)
22: “Wilderness Songs And Bad Man Ballads,” Tim Grimm [Vault, 8/11] (182)
24: “The Promise Of Friday Night,” Twangtown Paramours [Inside Edge,
7/12] (180)
25: “This One’s For Him: A Tribute To Guy Clark,” Various Artists
[Icehouse, 11/11] (179)
26: “Sunday Never Comes,” Jackstraw [jackstraw.net, 12/11] (175)
27: “Brother Sun,” Brother Sun [World Wide, 2/11] (174)
27: “Hundred Dollar Valentine,” Chris Smither [Signature, 6/12] (174)
29: “Our Lady Of The Tall Trees,” Cahalen Morrison And Eli West
[cahalenandeli.com, 9/12] (173)
30: “Pete Remembers Woody,” Pete Seeger And Friends [Appleseed, 9/12] (171)
30: “Red Ducks,” Pesky J. Nixon [peskyjnixon.com, 5/12] (171)
32: “The Harrow And The Harvest,” Gillian Welch [Acony, 6/11] (170)
33: “Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan,” Various Artists
[Fontana, 2011] (169)
33: “Long Ride Home,” Darrell Scott [Full Light, 1/12] (169)
35: “Home By Dark,” Steve Gillette And Cindy Mangsen [Compass Rose, 1/12] (168)
35: “An Island Out Of Time,” Molasses Creek [Soundside, 2/12] (168)
37: “1000 Pound Machine,” Kate Campbell [Large River, 4/12] (167)
37: “Woody At 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection,” Woody
Guthrie [Smithsonian/Folkways, 7/12] (167)
39: “Heroes,” Willie Nelson [Legacy, 5/12] (165)
39: “Intersection,” Nanci Griffith [Hell No, 4/12] (165)
39: “Mercy For The Dispossessed,” Geoff Bartley [Magic Crow, 7/12] (165)
42: “When We Get To Shore,” Coty Hogue [Perpetual Hoedown, 8/12] (162)
43: “Borderland,” The Stray Birds [reverbnation.com/thestraybirds, 3/12] (161)
44: “The End Of The Beginning,” John Flynn [johnflynn.net, 1/12] (160)
44: “Sing The Delta,” Iris DeMent [Flariella, 10/12] (160)
46: “Camilla,” Caroline Herring [Signature, 8/12] (159)
47: “Walls That Talk,” Roy Schneider [Shiny Gnu, 9/12] (158)
48: “Depending On The Distance,” Jimmy LaFave [Music Road, 9/12] (154)
49: “Outshine The Sun,” The Foghorn String Band
[foghornstringband.com, 9/12] (151)
50: “The Tiny Life,” Honor Finnegan [honorfinnegan.com, 1/12] (150)
51: “The Good Stuff,” Peter Mulvey [Signature, 3/12] (147)
52: “Waves,” Milkdrive [milkdrive.com, 6/12] (146)
52: “What We Lost,” Ben Bedford [Waterbug, 9/12] (146)
54: “Release Your Shrouds,” Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys [Earthwork,
6/12] (144)
54: “Rockin’ The Uke,” Cathy Fink And Marcy Marxer [Community, 11/11] (144)
56: “In The Time Of Gods,” Dar Williams [Razor & Tie, 4/12] (142)
57: “Row Upon Row Of The People They Know,” The Once [Borealis, 10/11] (140)
58: “Brambles And Thorns,” John Wort Hannam [Borealis, 10/12] (135)
59: “Perfect Storm,” Dan Crary & Thunderation [Blue Night, 7/11] (134)
60: “Heart Of The Country,” Chris Brashear [Dog Boy, 9/12] (133)
61: “Nobody Knows You,” Steep Canyon Rangers [Rounder, 4/12] (132)
61: “A Passing Glimpse,” Pharis And Jason Romero [Lula, 7/11] (132)
63: “Trouble I Wrought,” Bobtown [bobtownmusic.com, 8/12] (131)
64: “Dark So Gold,” The Pines [Red House, 1/12] (130)
64: “Mud And Stone,” Loretta Hagen [Bearfort, 2/12] (130)
64: “Safe Crossing,” West Of Eden [West Of, 4/12] (130)
64: “The Same Way Down,” Annalivia [annaliviamusic.bandcamp.com, 9/12] (130)
64: “We Have Made A Spark,” Rose Cousins [Old Farm Pony, 2/12] (130)
69: “Monticello,” The Hard Road Trio [Desert Night, 6/12] (127)
69: “Revolutions Per Minute,” Emma’s Revolution [Moving Forward, 11/11] (127)
71: “Darkling & The Bluebird Jubilee,” Joe Crookston [Milagrito, 3/11] (125)
72: “Steamboat In A Cornfield,” Truckstop Honeymoon
[truckstophoneymoon.com, 12/11] (124)
73: “Big Big Love,” Katya Chorover [katyachorover.com, 10/11] (122)
74: “Tromper Le Temps,” Le Vent Du Nord [Borealis, 5/12] (120)
75: “Between The Breaks…Live!,” Stan Rogers [Fogarty’s Cove, 1979] (119)
75: “Carry Me Back,” Old Crow Medicine Show [ATO, 7/12] (119)
77: “Folk Remedies,” Steve Spurgin [Blue Night, 7/12] (118)
77: “Grandma’s Rules For Drinking,” Annie Lou [annielou.ca, 6/12] (118)
77: “A Hundred Years From Now,” Neal And Leandra [Uncle Gus, 2/12] (118)
77: “Paper Airplane,” Alison Krauss And Union Station [Rounder, 4/11] (118)
81: “Past Perfect,” Steve Spurgin [Blue Night, 4/11] (117)
82: “Now Take Flight,” Coyote Grace [Mile After Mile, 11/11] (116)
83: “Delta Time,” Hans Theessink & Terry Evans [Blue Groove, 9/12] (115)
83: “Vicksburg Blues,” Butch Thompson And Pat Donohue [Red House, 8/12] (115)
85: “I Carry All I Own,” Caroline Doctorow [Narrow Lane, 3/12] (114)
85: “Pink Umbrella,” Cary Cooper [ethereal girl, 10/11] (114)
87: “America Come Home,” Joel Rafael [Inside, 7/12] (113)
87: “New Kind Of Lonely,” I See Hawks In L. A. [Western Seeds, 2/12] (113)
89: “Two At A Time,” The Two Man Gentlemen Band [Hearth, 3/12] (112)
90: “Everything Is Everywhere,” Carrie Newcomer [Available Light, 11/11] (111)
90: “Evie Ladin Band,” Evie Ladin Band [Evil Diane, 4/12] (111)
92: “Calling Me Home,” Kathy Mattea [Sugar Hill, 9/12] (110)
92: “Move,” Sultans Of String [Canada, 9/11] (110)
94: “End Of The World,” David Greenberg And Harpeth Rising [Grimm
Rising, 7/12] (109)
94: “Love Remembered, Love Forgot,” Buskin And Batteau [Nouveau
Retro, 8/12] (109)
96: “Beneath Some Lucky Star,” Bill Staines [Red House, 10/12] (108)
97: “Thirteen Songs You May Or May Not Have Heard Before,” Richard
Shindell [richardshindell.com, 1/12] (106)
98: “The Hills Of Ithaca,” The Burns Sisters [Sisters, 7/12] (105)
98: “Little Pilgrim,” Jory Nash [Thin Man, 11/12] (105)
100: “Caravan,” Burns And Kristy [Trespass, 6/12] (104)
100: “The Horse King,” Cosy Sheridan [Waterbug, 10/11] (104)
100: “Lady On The Green,” Rafe And Clelia Stefanini [Old Willow Tree,
4/12] (104)
103: “Rise,” Annabelle Chvostek Ensemble [Borealis, 9/12] (103)
104: “Mesabi,” Tom Russell [Shout Factory, 9/11] (101)
104: “Rough Edges & Ragged Hearts,” Linda McRae [42rpm, 5/12] (101)
106: “Delicate Cages,” Jon Brooks [jonbrooks.ca, 9/11] (100)
106: “Ends Of The Earth,” Emily Pinkerton [Green Jeans, 3/12] (100)
106: “Mercury,” Pieta Brown [Red House, 9/11] (100)
109: “Skippin’ And Flyin’,” Laurie Lewis [Spruce And Maple, 10/11] (99)
110: “Live At Sundilla,” Dave Potts [Looking Up, 1/12] (98)
110: “Reincarnation,” O’Brien Party Of 7 [Howdy Skies, 5/12] (98)
112: “Who’s Feeling Young Now?,” Punch Brothers [Nonesuch, 2/12] (97)
113: “Fogarty’s Cove,” Stan Rogers [Fogarty’s Cove, 1976] (96)
113: “the good in goodbye,” Madison Violet [True North, 9/11] (96)
113: “Turnaround,” Stan Rogers [Fogarty’s Cove, 1978] (96)
116: “Broadsides,” Atomic Duo [theconnextion.com/atomicduo/, 3/12] (95)
116: “Cause & Effect,” Aztec Two-Step [Red Engine, 1/12] (95)
116: “Stories From The Steeples,” Mary Black [Blix Street, 2/12] (95)
119: “Bright Morning Stars,” The Wailin’ Jennys [Red House, 2/11] (94)
119: “Roses At The End Of Time,” Eliza Gilkyson [Red House, 5/11] (94)
119: “Tender Is The Night,” Old Man Luedecke [True North, 11/12] (94)
122: “Two Nights In Texas,” Kate Campbell [Large River, 9/11] (93)
122: “Rhubarb Trees,” Anne Hills And David Roth [Wind River, 11/11] (93)
122: “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” Nitty Gritty Dirt Band And Friends
[Capitol, 1972] (93)
125: “Follow Me Down,” Sarah Jarosz [Sugar Hill, 5/11] (92)
125: “Seeds,” Dennis Warner [Main Trail, 2/12] (92)
125: “Somewhere Along The Road,” Runa [runamusic.com, 7/12] (92)
125: “What You Keep,” Barbara Kessler [barbarakessler.com, 1/12] (92)
129: “Bend In The River,” Claudia Schmidt [Red House, 4/12] (91)
129: “Friends Of Fall,” Crooked Still [Signature, 10/11] (91)
129: “Live At The Red Shack,” Eric Taylor And Friends [Blue Ruby, 1/12] (91)
129: “Old Gold,” Zoe Muth And The Lost High Rollers [Signature, 7/12] (91)
129: “Release Me,” Lyle Lovett [Lost Highway, 2/12] (91)
134: “A More Perfect Union,” Pete Seeger And Lorre Wyatt [Appleseed, 9/12] (90)
134: “Patience In These Times,” George Mann [Running Scared, 3/12] (90)
134: “You’re Getting Sleepy,” Roy Zimmerman [Metaphor, 10/11] (90)
137: “Rare Bird Alert,” Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers
[Rounder, 3/11] (89)
137: “Traveler,” Jerry Douglas [Entertainment One, 6/12] (89)
139: “Mark Twain: Words And Music,” Various Artists [Mark Twain
Museum, 9/11] (88)
139: “Old Ideas,” Leonard Cohen [Columbia, 1/12] (88)
139: “The Road Is Dark,” Michael Jerome Browne [Borealis, 11/11] (88)
139: “Tempest,” Bob Dylan [Columbia, 9/12] (88)
143: “The Poison Glen,” Altan [Compass, 2/12] (87)
143: “Shadow And Light,” John Doyle [Compass, 9/11] (87)
145: “We’re Usually A Lot Better Than This,” Tim O’Brien & Darrell
Scott [Full Light, 10/12] (86)
146: “Get Your Phil,” Disappear Fear [disappearfear.com, 7/11] (85)
146: “Hello Cruel World,” Gretchen Peters [Scarlet Letter, 1/12] (85)
146: “King Fisher King,” Sons Of The Never Wrong [Waterbug, 11/12] (85)
146: “Let It Burn,” Ruthie Foster [Blue Corn, 1/12] (85)
146: “New Multitudes,” Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, Yim
Yames [Rounder, 2/12] (85)
146: “Older Than My Old Man Now,” Loudon Wainwright III [2nd Story
Sound, 4/12] (85)
146: “A Parlor Guitar Christmas,” Joel Mabus [Fossil, 9/12] (85)
146: “Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down,” Ry Cooder [Nonesuch, 8/11] (85)
146: “The Things I Notice Now: Anne Hills Sings the Songs of Tom
Paxton,” Anne Hills [Appleseed, 11/12] (85)
155: “Late Edition,” David Francey [Laker, 5/11] (84)
155: “Red Curtain,” Still On The Hill [Termite Tracs, 2/12] (84)
155: “Stories To Keep,” Donna Adler [donnaadler.com, 1/12] (84)
158: “Live At McCabe’s,” Ernest Troost [Travelin’ Shoes, 7/11] (83)
158: “Satellite,” Anna Dagmar [annadagmar.com, 6/12] (83)
158: “Take The Air,” Jenn Rawling And Basho Parks [Waterbug, 5/12] (83)
158: “Troubadours On The Rhine,” Loreena McKennitt [Quinlan Road, 2/12] (83)
158: “Vintage & Unique,” John Reischman & The Jaybirds [Corvus, 6/11] (83)
163: “All The Way Home,” Cathy Jordan [Blix Street, 3/12] (82)
163: “Enthralled,” Oliver Schroer & Nuala Kennedy [Borealis, 5/11] (82)
165: “Circus Heart,” Rebecca Loebe [Black Wolf, 9/12] (81)
165: “Colors of the Sun: the early songs of Jackson Browne,” Penny
Nichols [Pensongs, 5/12] (81)
165: “You Don’t Know Me,” Erin Thomas [Sound Artist, 4/12] (81)
168: “Beat The Devil And Carry A Rail,” Noam Pikelny [Compass, 10/11] (80)
168: “Dirt Farmer,” Levon Helm [Vanguard, 2007] (80)
168: “Letters From The Road,” Neptune’s Car [neptunescar.com, 7/12] (80)
168: “Scrimshaw,” Nels Andrews [nelsandrews.com, 4/12] (80)
172: “Election Special,” Ry Cooder [Nonesuch, 8/12] (79)
172: “Out Of My Hands,” Natasha Borzilova [Hadley, 5/12] (79)
172: “Red Horse,” Red Horse [Red House, 2010] (79)
172: “Sangamon Songs,” Tom Irwin [Clyded, 2/12] (79)
176: “Andrew And Noah Band,” Andrew And Noah Band [Great Bear, 5/12] (78)
177: “Gravity,” Moors & McCumber [moorsandmccumber.com, 5/12] (77)
177: “Heartstrings,” Suzie Brown [suziebrownsongs.com, 5/11] (77)
179: “All Fall Down,” Shawn Colvin [Nonesuch, 6/12] (76)
179: “Best Day,” Dala [Compass, 5/12] (76)
179: “Of Love And Whiskey,” Bethel Steele [bethelsteele.com, 6/12] (76)
179: “So Dark You See,” John Gorka [Red House, 2009] (76)
183: “Lounge,” Hardin Burns [Ithaca, 6/12] (75)
183: “Ribbon Of Highway Endless Skyway,” Various Artists [Music Road, 2008] (75)
183: “Roadside Attractions,” Chris Lavancher
[chrislavancher.bandcamp.com, 5/12] (75)
186: “American Folk Songbook,” Suzy Bogguss [Loyal Dutchess, 8/11] (74)
186: “Appellation D’origine Controlee,” La Bottine Souriante
[Borealis, 11/11] (74)
186: “Graceland,” Paul Simon [Legacy, 1986] (74)
186: “O Brother, Where Art Thou? Soundtrack,” Various Artists
[Mercury, 2000] (74)
190: “The Ghost Of Woody Guthrie,” Bucky Halker And Andy Dee
[Revolting, 6/12] (73)
190: “Tangerine,” Louise Taylor [Blue Coyote, 5/12] (73)
192: “Live,” Peggy Seeger [Appleseed, 4/12] (72)
192: “That’s How We Run,” April Verch [Slab Town, 6/11] (72)
194: “Four Wise Monkeys,” Lara Herscovitch [Larama, 3/12] (71)
194: “Among Friends,” Debra Cowan [Muzzzy House, 8/12] (71)
194: “Footwork,” The Barefoot Movement [Lonesome, 6/11] (71)
194: “Memories,” The Spinney Brothers [Mountain Fever, 3/12] (71)
194: “My Love Will Keep,” Jonathan Edwards [Appleseed, 6/11] (71)
194: “A Nod To Bob 2: An Artists’ Tribute To Bob Dylan On His 70th
Birthday,” Various Artists [Red House, 5/11] (71)
194: “The Once,” The Once [Borealis, 2010] (71)
201: “Cricket’s Lullaby,” James Bryan & Carl Jones [Dittyville, 12/11] (70)
201: “Deeper In The Well,” Eric Bibb [Stony Plain, 3/12] (70)
201: “Hope,” Abbie Gardner [abbiegardner.com, 4/11] (70)
201: “Like A Man,” Adam Cohen [Decca, 4/12] (70)
205: “The Beloved Country,” Kevin Brown [Turkey King, 6/12] (69)
205: “Heaven Below,” Peter Mayer [Blue Boat, 2010] (69)
205: “Help My Brother,” The Gibson Brothers [Compass, 2/11] (69)
205: “Stem The Tide,” The Paul McKenna Band [Greentrax, 4/11] (69)
205: “Young Man In America,” Anais Mitchell [Wilderland, 2/12] (69)
210: “Bad Man’s Blood,” Ray Bonneville [Red House, 8/11] (68)
210: “Dear Calamity Jane,” Dear Calamity Jane [South Hand, 1/12] (68)
210: “Find The One,” The Coal Porters [Prima, 9/12] (68)
213: “American Anonymous,” Joel Mabus [Fossil, 7/11] (67)
213: “The Boy From Beaumont,” Cris Cuddy [criscuddy.com, 6/12] (67)
213: “Prelude,” Ronstadt Generations [ronstadtgenerations.com, 10/12] (67)
216: “A Better Place,” Detour [Bluegrass Ahead, 5/12] (66)
217: “Courage,” Si Kahn [Strictly Country, 2010] (65)
217: “Hangtown Fry,” John Malcolm Penn [Blue Night, 2/12] (65)
217: “Midwinter,” Peter Mayer [Blue Boat, 2005] (65)
217: “Scratch Gravel Road,” Special Consensus [Compass, 3/12] (65)
217: “Slipstream,” Bonnie Raitt [Redwing, 4/12] (65)
217: “Spark And Whisper,” Spark And Whisper [Self, 4/11] (65)
223: “Jubilee,” Marley’s Ghost [Sage Arts, 6/12] (64)
223: “New Amsterdam,” Spuyten Duyvil [spuytenduyvilmusic.com, 4/11] (64)
223: “Queen Of The Minor Key,” Eilen Jewell [Signature, 6/11] (64)
226: “Barton Hollow,” The Civil Wars [Sensibility, 2/11] (63)
226: “Dead Man’s Hand,” Harpeth Rising [Grimm Rising, 7/11] (63)
226: “Intrepid,” Jim Hurst [Nn Guido, 2/12] (63)
226: “Ronny, Rad And Karen,” Ronny Cox [Groove House, 5/12] (63)
226: “Voices From The Other Side,” Sandy Cash [sandycash.com, 8/12] (63)
231: “American Story,” Bearfoot [Compass, 9/11] (62)
231: “The Fence,” Brian Kalinec [Berkalin, 5/12] (62)
231: “Hunter’s Moon,” Otter Creek [ottercreekduo.com, 2010] (62)
231: “The NYC EP,” Mike And Ruthy [Humble Abode, 4/12] (62)
231: “This Unknown Science,” Joy Kills Sorrow [Signature, 9/11] (62)
231: “The Vanguard Years,” Doc Watson [Vanguard, 1995] (62)
237: “Americana,” Neil Young And Crazy Horse [Reprise, 6/12] (61)
237: “Faces Do Not Change,” Kath Buckell [Vmm, 8/11] (61)
237: “Gold Rush Goddess,” Melody Walker [Self, 12/11] (61)
237: “Live at Teatro della Corte: The First 10 Years,” Beppe Gambetta
[Gadfly, 11/11] (61)
237: “Man Of Many Moons,” Danny Schmidt [Red House, 2/11] (61)
237: “Sleep With One Eye Open,” Chris Thile And Michael Daves
[Nonesuch, 5/11] (61)
237: “Small Braveries,” Carey Creed [Azalea City, 9/12] (61)
237: “You Gotta Roll EP,” Woody Pines [woodypines.com, 5/12] (61)
245: “For The Good Times,” The Little Willies [Milking Bull, 1/12] (60)
245: “Silver Sky,” The Infamous Stringdusters [High Country, 3/12] (60)
247: “Cackalack,” Jonathan Byrd [Waterbug, 1/11] (59)
247: “Electric Dirt,” Levon Helm [Vanguard, 2009] (59)
247: “Midwest,” Adam James Sorensen [Self, 2/12] (59)
247: “Monongah,” Kyle Carey [kyleannecarey.com, 6/11] (59)
247: “My Dusty Road,” Woody Guthrie [Rounder, 2009] (59)
247: “Otter Creek,” Ken Kolodner And Brad Kolodner [Fenchurch, 1/11] (59)
247: “Shiver Into Spark,” Otter Creek [ottercreekduo.com, 9/12] (59)
247: “This Land Is Your Land: The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1,” Woody
Guthrie [Smithsonian/Folkways, 1997] (59)
247: “Wrecking Ball,” Bruce Springsteen [Columbia, 3/12] (59)
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