Southern Indiana-based singer-songwriter Tim Grimm had both the most-played album (A Stranger In This Time) and song (“Gonna Be Great”) on folk radio during 2017, 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. John McCutcheon, one of America’s most revered folksinger-songwriters, was the year’s most-played artist.

Tim Grimm had the most-played album and song on folk radio during 2017.

Tim Grimm had the most-played album and song on folk radio during 2017.

Tim Grimm and the Family Band’s A Stranger In This Time – featuring his wife Jan and sons Connor and Jackson — was the most-played album for two consecutive months (March and April) last year, while “Gonna Be Great” was the top song in March. Dubbed “the poet laureate of the rural Midwest” by Michigan Folk Live, Grimm has recorded a number of albums and songs that have reached the top of the Folk DJ and EuroAmericana charts. “Woody’s Landlord” was the most-played song on folk radio in 2016, while “King of the Folksingers,” a tribute to his friend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, was the #1 song in 2014. Besides having released 11 albums since 2000, Grimm keynoted the Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) conference in 2014, has taught songwriting classes, has worked as an actor in film and television, and has hosted an Americana concert series in Columbus, Indiana.

Here’s a link to listen to Tim Grimm’s song, “Gonna Be Great”: http://timgrimm.com/listen/s/gonna_be_great

John McCutcheon’s 2017 release, Trolling for Dreams, topped the folk DJ albums chart last January and featured that month’s most-played song, ‘Y’all Means All,” which was #3 for the year. McCutcheon, who has been performing and recording since the mid-1970s, is a multi-instrumentalist who plays a dozen different traditional instruments. A longtime labor and social activist, he is a founder and former president of Local 1000, the traveling acoustic musicians local of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). McCutcheon has keynoted conferences for two regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International in recent years. His classic “Christmas in the Trenches” tied for the most-played song on folk radio in December 2015 and was among the most-played songs last month.

The 2017 year-end FOLKDJ-L charts are based on 165,520 airplays from 176 different DJs. The number of reported spins (airplays) is shown in parentheses, while label and release dates appear in brackets. Like the monthly Top Albums and Songs charts, these are posted on AcousticMusicScene.com with permission.

Editor’s Note: These are the last annual charts to be compiled by Richard Gillmann. A former folk DJ who has been voluntarily assembling these and monthly charts for some 20 years, he is retiring from doing so. However, the charts shall continue to be compiled and posted.

Top Albums of 2017

A Stranger In This Time album cover 1: A Stranger In This Time, Tim Grimm And The Family Band [Vault, 3/17] (414)
2: Trolling For Dreams, John McCutcheon [Appalsongs, 1/17] (388)
3: Poets, Philosophers, Workers And Wanderers, Joe Jencks [Turtle Bear, 5/17] (387)
4: Small Brown Birds, Zoe Mulford [Azalea City, 1/17] (342)
5: Freedom Highway, Rhiannon Giddens [Nonesuch, 2/17] (327)
6: Where The River Meets The Road, Tim O’Brien [Howdy Skies, 3/17] (300)
7: Before I Go, Ordinary Elephant [Berkalin, 1/17] (250)
8: The Long-Awaited Album, Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers [Rounder, 9/17] (242)
9: Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg, Gillian Welch [Acony,11/16] (232)
9: Play One More: The Songs Of Ian And Sylvia, Tom Russell [True North, 5/17] (232)
11: Further Down The Line, Scott Cook [scottcook.net, 3/17] (224)
11: Singin’, Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio [Vessel, 6/17] (224)
13: Against All Tides, Harpeth Rising [harpethrising.com, 5/17] (223)
14: Letters Never Read, Dori Freeman [Free Dirt, 10/17] (220)
15: Bidin’ My Time, Chris Hillman [Rounder, 9/17] (217)
16: Fifteen, The Wailin’ Jennys [Red House, 10/17] (215)
17: Poor David’s Almanack, Dave Rawlings [Acony, 8/17] (212)
18: Happy Little Trees, KC Groves [thebluegrassgirl.com, 9/17] (211)
19: Wild As We Came Here, The Steel Wheels [Big Ring, 3/17] (210)
20: Boat In The Water, Tom Paxton [Pax, 2/17] (209)
20: Tunes From David Holt’s State Of Music 2, Various Artists [High
Windy, 4/17] (209)
22: Echo In The Valley, Bela Fleck And Abigail Washburn [Rounder, 10/17] (207)
23: For Better, Or Worse, John Prine [Oh Boy, 9/16] (206)
24: Revolution Now, Emma’s Revolution [Moving Forward, 5/17] (204)
25: Chase The Sun, The Early Mays [Bird On The Wing, 8/17] (202)
25: Workin’s Too Hard, Rayna Gellert [StorySound, 1/17] (202)
27: Jayme Stone’s Folklife, Jayme Stone [Borealis, 4/17] (201)
28: God’s Problem Child, Willie Nelson [Legacy, 4/17] (200)
29: Get Up And Do Right, Cathy Fink And Marcy Marxer [Community, 2/17] (199)
29: On That Other Green Shore, John Reischman And The Jaybirds [Corvus, 6/17] (199)
31: God Bless The Grass, The Malvinas [Soona, 4/17] (198)
32: Shame, Rachel Baiman [Free Dirt, 6/17] (196)
33: The Swift House, Ken And Brad Kolodner [Fenchurch, 1/17] (195)
34: Brooks’ Blues, Brooks Williams [Red Guitar Blue, 2016] (191)
34: Turn Your Face To The Sun, I Draw Slow [Compass, 4/17] (191)
36: Laws Of Gravity, The Infamous Stringdusters [Compass, 1/17] (190)
37: Waves, Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra [Sunsign, 1/17] (189)
38: Tennessee Moon, Ray Cardwell [Pinecastle, 1/17] (187)
39: From Where I Started, Sera Cahoone [Lady Muleskinner, 3/17] (183)
39: This Is Absolutely Real, Pat Wictor [RiskyDisc, 3/17] (183)
41: Chasing The Ghost, Lydia Sylvia Martin [Dryad, 2014] (182)
41: Divining Rod, Wyatt Easterling [Phoenix Rising, 3/17] (182)
43: Turmoil And Tinfoil, Billy Strings [Apostol , 9/17] (178)
44: When The Bloom Falls From The Rose, Sarah Jane Scouten [Light Organ, 6/17] (175)
44: Windy City, Alison Krauss [Capitol, 2/17] (175)
46: Far Away, Long Ago, Jack Williams [Wind River, 12/16] (173)
47: Fading Mystery, Taarka [taarka.com, 1/17] (172)
47: Mount Royal, Julian Lage And Chris Eldridge [Free Dirt, 2/17] (172)
49: Smoke Behind The Clouds, The Bucking Mules [Free Dirt, 4/17] (169)
50: Eyes Brand New, Zoe And Cloyd [zoeandcloyd.com, 4/17] (168)
51: The April Verch Anthology, April Verch [Slab Town, 2/17] (167)
52: Sixty, Julie Gold [juliegold.com, 11/16] (163)
52: This Much Is True, Byrd And Street [byrdandstreet.com, 2/17] (163)
54: Rise, Molly Tuttle [mollytuttlemusic.com, 6/17] (162)
55: The Hammer And The Heart, Susan Cattaneo [Jersey Girl, 6/17] (160)
56: One Light Many Windows, Merlin Snider [Barking Dog, 10/16] (159)
56: Folksinger, Vol. 2, Willie Watson [Acony, 9/17] (159)
56: What If, The Jerry Douglas Band [Rounder, 8/17] (159)
59: Ironbark, The Waifs [Compass, 3/17] (157)
60: Coming Down The Mountain, Mipso [mipsomusic.com, 4/17] (156)
61: Reach For The Stars, Elaine Mahon [Gatorbone, 2/17] (154)
61: You’ve Been Away So Long (EP), Alice Howe [alicehowe.com, 2/17] (154)
63: Universal Favorite, Noam Pikelny [Rounder, 3/17] (153)
64: No Rain, No Rose, John Craigie [johncraigiemusic.com, 1/17] (151)
65: Different Hymnals, Joel Mabus [Fossil, 8/17] (150)
66: The Fairest Flower Of Womankind, Lindsay Straw
[lindsaystraw.bandcamp.com, 4/17] (149)
66: Sonny And Brownie’s Last Train, Guy Davis And Fabrizio Poggi [M. C.,
3/17] (149)
68: Short Stories, Beppe Gambetta [Borealis, 10/17] (148)
69: The Willow Collection, Cassie And Maggie [cassieandmaggie.com,
11/16] (147)
70: Alastair Moock, Alastair Moock [moock.com, 6/17] (144)
70: The Nashville Sound, Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit [Southeastern,
6/17] (144)
70: Spaghettification, Christine Lavin [christinelavin.com, 8/17] (144)
73: Undercurrent, Sarah Jarosz [Sugar Hill, 6/16] (140)
74: TajMo, Taj Mahal And Keb’ Mo’ [Concord, 5/17] (138)
74: While We’re Here, Catie Curtis [Magenta, 2/17] (138)
76: Blink, Rebecca Loebe [Black Wolf, 2/17] (135)
76: Folk Hotel, Tom Russell [Frontera, 9/17] (135)
78: Shake Me Now, Quiles And Cloud [Compass, 3/17] (134)
79: Fragments, Chris Ronald [Borealis, 5/17] (131)
80: Night Tree, Night Tree [nighttreemusic.com, 9/17] (130)
81: Close Ties, Rodney Crowell [New West, 3/17] (129)
81: Natural Conclusion, Rose Cousins [Old Farm Pony, 2/17] (129)
83: Down Hearted Blues, Eilen Jewell [Signature, 9/17] (126)
84: Horizon Lines, Matthew Byrne [matthewbyrne.net, 8/17] (125)
84: The Ultimate Guide To English Folk, Various Artists [ARC Music,
10/16] (125)
86: Americana, Ray Davies [Legacy, 4/17] (124)
87: In The Ground, The Gibson Brothers [Rounder, 2/17] (122)
87: Penny’s Farm, Jim Kweskin And Geoff Muldaur [Kingswood, 9/16] (122)
87: Trip To Walden Pond, Hanneke Cassel [hannekecassel.com, 4/17] (122)
90: Small Believer, Anna Tivel [Fluff And Gravy, 9/17] (121)
90: Treasure Of The Broken Land: The Songs Of Mark Heard, Various
Artists [Storm Weathered, 6/17] (121)
92: A Black And Tan Ball, Ben Hunter, Phil Wiggins, Joe Seamons
[Tantamount, 7/17] (120)
92: Leadbelly, Baby!, Dan Zanes And Friends [Smithsonian/Folkways, 9/17] (120)
92: Hudson Harding Sampler, Vol. 12: Happy Holidays, Various Artists
[Hudson Harding, 12/17] (120)
95: Bone On Bone, Bruce Cockburn [True North, 9/17] (119)
95: Ghost On The Car Radio, Slaid Cleaves [Candy House Media, 7/17] (119)
97: Peel Back Another Layer, Laura Oden [lauraoden.com, 1/17] (117)
98: Lines Of Longitude, Chris And Meredith Thompson [Alkali, 5/17] (116)
98: One Song At A Time, Barbara Jo Kammer [barbarajokammer.com, 9/17] (116)
98: Savage On The Downhill, Amber Cross [ambercrossmusic.com, 7/17] (116)
98: So Many Stars, Friction Farm [frictionfarm.com, 7/17] (116)
102: Undone, Sean McConnell [Rounder, 9/17] (115)
103: Everything, Darden Smith [Compass, 4/17] (111)
103: Other Love Songs, Front Country [Organic, 4/17] (111)
103: Rabbit Hole, Billy Crockett [Blue Rock, 10/16] (111)
103: Southern Blood, Gregg Allman [Rounder, 9/17] (111)
107: Big Things And Little Things, Truckstop Honeymoon [Squirrel, 1/17] (109)
107: Say Yes, Laura Zucker [laurazucker.bandcamp.com, 6/17] (109)
109: National Parks Centennial Songs (EP), Gigi Love [gigilove.com,
12/16] (108)
109: Resistance, Beth DeSombre [bethdesombre.com, 5/17] (108)
109: Solidarity, Bill And Joel Plaskett [Pheromone, 2/17] (108)
112: Worth, Emily Mure [emilymure.com, 9/17] (107)
113: Almost Anyone, Montgomery Delaney [montgomerydelaney.com, 4/17] (106)
113: Manic Revelations, Pokey LaFarge [Rounder, 5/17] (106)
113: Stitch Of The World, Tift Merritt [Yep Roc, 1/17] (106)
113: Time To Turn The Tide, Millpond Moon [Tikopia, 2015] (106)
117: The Richmond Sessions, The Sherman Holmes Project [M.C., 7/17] (105)
118: A Calm Sun, Lesley Kernochan [Maple Syrup, 12/16] (104)
118: Forest Fire, Shawna Caspi [shawnacaspi.com, 9/17] (104)
118: O’Connor Band Live!, O’Connor Band [Omac, 6/17] (104)
118: This Highway, Zephaniah Ohora With The 18 Wheelers [
zephaniahohora.com, 6/17] (104)
122: Brighter In The Dark, Mouths Of Babes [Wild Awake, 3/17] (103)
123: The Penny Collector, Carrie Elkin [Self, 3/17] (102)
124: Facets Of Folk (preview), Mara Levine [Mara’s Creations, 12/17] (101)
124: Hands In The Dirt, The Resonant Rogues [theresonantrogues.com, 5/17] (101)

Top Songs of 2017

1. “Gonna Be Great” (90)
by Tim Grimm And The Family Band
from A Stranger In This Time
2. “Let Me Sing You A Song” (75)
by Joe Jencks
from Poets, Philosophers, Workers And Wanderers
3. “Y’all Means All” (70)
by John McCutcheon
from Trolling For Dreams
4. “These Rollin’ Hills” (69)
by Tim Grimm And The Family Band
from A Stranger In This Time
5. “President Sang Amazing Grace” (68)
by Zoe Mulford
from Small Brown Birds
6. “Shake Sugaree” (61)
by Rhiannon Giddens, Dirk Powell, Jason Sypher
from Tunes From David Holt’s State Of Music 2
7. “Homeland Blues” (58)
by Alice Howe
from You’ve Been Away So Long (EP)
8. “Midnight Train” (57)
by Dave Rawlings
from Poor David’s Almanack
8. “Zillionaire” (57)
by Zoe Mulford
from Small Brown Birds
10. “Work Hard Love Harder” (56)
by Susan Cattaneo
from The Hammer And The Heart
11. “Best Of You” (55)
by Ordinary Elephant
from Before I Go
11. “Further Down The Line” (55)
by Scott Cook
from Further Down The Line
11. “Gentle On My Mind” (55)
by Alison Krauss
from Windy City
11. “Wildflowers” (55)
by The Wailin’ Jennys
from Fifteen
15. “13 Years” (54)
by Tim Grimm And The Family Band
from A Stranger In This Time
16. “Workin’s Too Hard” (51)
by Rayna Gellert
from Workin’s Too Hard
16. “You Reap What You Sow” (51)
by Mara Levine
from Facets Of Folk (preview)
18. “Wildflowers” (50)
by Chris Hillman
from Bidin’ My Time
19. “By My Silence” (48)
by Mara Levine
from Facets Of Folk (preview)
19. “Gone” (48)
by John McCutcheon
from Trolling For Dreams
19. “Where The River Meets The Road” (48)
by Tim O’Brien
from Where The River Meets The Road
22. “3 Chords And The Truth” (47)
by John McCutcheon
from Trolling For Dreams
22. “At The Purchaser’s Option” (47)
by Rhiannon Giddens
from Freedom Highway
22. “Birmingham Sunday” (47)
by Rhiannon Giddens
from Freedom Highway
25. “Sing Me Like A Folk Song” (46)
by The Steel Wheels
from Wild As We Came Here
25. “Sing People Sing” (46)
by Emma’s Revolution
from Revolution Now
27. “Singin” (45)
by Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio
from Singin’
27. “Still Not Dead” (45)
by Willie Nelson
from God’s Problem Child
27. “Tanglewood Tree” (45)
by Gathering Time
from “Tanglewood Tree” (single)
30. “Scrape Me Off The Ceiling” (44)
by The Steel Wheels
from Wild As We Came Here
30. “We Could Fly” (44)
by Rhiannon Giddens
from Freedom Highway
32. “Dark As A Dungeon” (43)
by Heather Pierson Acoustic Trio
from Singin’
32. “Get Up And Do Right” (43)
by Cathy Fink And Marcy Marxer
from Get Up And Do Right
32. “Sharecropper’s Son” (43)
by John McCutcheon
from Trolling For Dreams
32. “There But For Fortune” (43)
by Pat Wictor
from This Is Absolutely Real
36. “Always Turn Around” (42)
by Sera Cahoone
from From Where I Started
36. “Broken” (42)
by John Craigie
from No Rain, No Rose
38. “America” (41)
by Julie Gold
from Sixty
38. “Cumberland Gap” (41)
by Dave Rawlings
from Poor David’s Almanack
38. “Good Enough” (41)
by Molly Tuttle
from Rise
38. “Strike The Bells” (41)
by Rayna Gellert
from Workin’s Too Hard
42. “Boat In The Water” (40)
by Tom Paxton
from Boat In The Water
42. “Hard Life Makes A Good Song” (40)
by The Infamous Stringdusters
from Laws Of Gravity
42. “Knock On The Door” (40)
by Pat Wictor
from This Is Absolutely Real
42. “Little Rain” (40)
by KC Groves
from Happy Little Trees
42. “Steel Rail Blues” (40)
by Ken And Brad Kolodner
from The Swift House
47. “Come On Over My House” (39)
by Dave Rawlings
from Poor David’s Almanack
47. “If I Could Make You My Own” (39)
by Dori Freeman
from Letters Never Read
47. “Julie” (39)
by Rhiannon Giddens
from Freedom Highway
47. “Make It Great” (39)
by Alastair Moock
from Alastair Moock
47. “Never Tire Of The Road” (39)
by Rachel Baiman
from Shame
47. “Peaceful Easy Feeling” (39)
by Jack Tempchin
from Peaceful Easy Feeling
53. “Bells Of Rhymney” (38)
by Chris Hillman
from Bidin My Time
53. “Freedom Highway” (38)
by Rhiannon Giddens
from Freedom Highway
53. “Hey Joe” (38)
by The Jerry Douglas Band
from What If
53. “Orphan Girl” (38)
by Gillian Welch
from Boots No. 1: The Official Revival Bootleg
57. “Railroad Man” (37)
by Ordinary Elephant
from Before I Go
57. “Solidarity Forever” (37)
by Joe Jencks
from Poets, Philosophers, Workers And Wanderers
59. “535” (36)
by Harpeth Rising
from Against All Tides
59. “Diving Duck Blues” (36)
by Taj Mahal And Keb’ Mo’
from TajMo
59. “Grey Bird” (36)
by Rayna Gellert
from Workin’s Too Hard
59. “House Of Mercy” (36)
by Sarah Jarosz
from Undercurrent
59. “When The Mist Clears Away” (36)
by Tim O’Brien
from Where The River Meets The Road
64. “American Dream” (35)
by Wyatt Easterling
from Divining Rod
64. “My Portion” (35)
by I Draw Slow
from Turn Your Face To The Sun
64. “Say-O” (35)
by The Early Mays
from Chase The Sun
67. “Black Sky Lightning” (34)
by Quiles And Cloud
from Shake Me Now
67. “Blackbird” (34)
by Zoe Mulford
from Small Brown Birds
67. “Boatsman” (34)
by Jayme Stone
from Jayme Stone’s Folklife
67. “Coming Down The Mountain” (34)
by Mipso
from Coming Down The Mountain
67. “Early Morning Light” (34)
by Sarah Jarosz
from Undercurrent
67. “Going Home” (34)
by Joe Jencks
from Poets, Philosophers, Workers And Wanderers
67. “To The Wild” (34)
by The Steel Wheels
from Wild As We Came Here
74. “Ain’t I A Woman” (33)
by Jack Williams
from Far Away Long Ago
74. “Answer The Knock At The Door” (33)
by Zoe Mulford
from Small Brown Birds
74. “Bluebird” (33)
by KC Groves
from Happy Little Trees
74. “Caroline” (33)
by Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers
from The Long-Awaited Album
74. “It Ain’t Over Yet” (33)
by Rodney Crowell
from Close Ties
74. “Last Hobo” (33)
by Tom Paxton
from Boat In The Water
74. “Tennessee Moon” (33)
by Ray Cardwell
from Tennessee Moon
74. “Waltz ’round The Kitchen” (33)
by John McCutcheon
from Trolling For Dreams
74. “While We’re Here” (33)
by Catie Curtis
from While We’re Here
83. “C And O Train” (32)
by Lydia Sylvia Martin
from Chasing The Ghost
83. “Forever Young” (32)
by Millpond Moon
from Time To Turn The Tide
83. “God’s Problem Child” (32)
by Willie Nelson
from God’s Problem Child
83. “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” (32)
by Dori Freeman
from Letters Never Read
83. “I’ve Endured” (32)
by Ken And Brad Kolodner
from The Swift House
83. “If We Were Vampires” (32)
by Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit
from The Nashville Sound
83. “John Henry” (32)
by Jack Williams
from Far Away Long Ago
83. “Stumbling Towards The Light” (32)
by Wyatt Easterling
from Divining Rod
83. “Too Far To Turn Back Now” (32)
by Gathering Time with Mara Levine
from “Too Far To Turn Back Now” (single)
83. “Virgin Guitar” (32)
by John Craigie
from No Rain No Rose
83. “Waiting On The World To Change” (32)
by Taj Mahal And Keb’ Mo’
from TajMo
83. “When It All Goes Wrong We’ll Turn This Ship Around” (32)
by Christine Lavin
from “When It All Goes Wrong We’ll Turn This Ship Around” (single)
95. “2 Of Us” (31)
by John Reischman And The Jaybirds
from On That Other Green Shore
95. “Finding Home” (31)
by Tim Grimm And The Family Band
from A Stranger In This Time
95. “Guardian Angel” (31)
by Tim O’Brien
from Where The River Meets The Road
95. “Hands” (31)
by Joe Jencks
from Poets, Philosophers, Workers And Wanderers
95. “High Flying Bird” (31)
by Tim O’Brien
from Where The River Meets The Bend
95. “Highwayman” (31)
by Harpeth Rising
from Against All Tides
95. “Maria” (31)
by I Draw Slow
from Turn Your Face To The Sun
95. “Night The Chinese Restaurant Burned Down” (31)
by Tom Russell
from Play One More: The Songs Of Ian And Sylvia
95. “Wild Geese” (31)
by Tom Russell
from Play One More: The Songs Of Ian And Sylvia
104. “Dance Across The Sky” (30)
by Kipyn Martin
from Dance Across The Sky (EP)
104. “Every Song I Sing” (30)
by Sarah Jane Scouten
from When The Bloom Falls
104. “Fly Away Sail Away” (30)
by Merlin Snider
from One Light Many Windows
104. “Getting Ready To Start” (30)
by Rachel Baiman
from Shame
104. “God Bless The Grass” (30)
by The Malvinas
from God Bless The Grass
104. “God Don’t Like It – I Don’t Either” (30)
by Joel Mabus
from Different Hymnals
104. “Loves Me Like A Rock” (30)
by The Wailin’ Jennys
from Fifteen
104. “Running On Empty” (30)
by Zoe And Cloyd
from Eyes Brand New
104. “Samson And Delilah” (30)
by Willie Watson
from Folksinger, Vol. 2
104. “Shine A Light On Washington” (30)
by Mike Laureanno
from Tightrope
104. “Wagon Wheel” (30)
by Old Crow Medicine Show
from Best Of Old Crow Medicine Show
104. “Walk That Lonesome Valley” (30)
by Scott Cook
from Further Down The Line
104. “Your Move” (30)
by Laura Oden
from Peel Back Another Layer
117. “Black Snake” (29)
by Tim Grimm And The Family Band
from A Stranger In This Time
117. “Boulder To Birmingham” (29)
by The Wailin’ Jennys
from Fifteen
117. “Darlin’ Cory” (29)
by Tim Grimm And The Family Band
from A Stranger In This Time
117. “Dream” (29)
by Alastair Moock
from Alastair Moock
117. “Friend And A Friend” (29)
by Molly Tuttle
from Rise
117. “Lincoln Park” (29)
by Pat Wictor
from This Is Absolutely Real
117. “Northern Lights” (29)
by KC Groves
from Happy Little Trees
117. “Only One” (29)
by Sera Cahoone
from From Where I Started
117. “Shame” (29)
by Rachel Baiman
from Shame
117. “Things In Life” (29)
by Julian Lage And Chris Eldridge
from Mount Royal
117. “Trouble In Mind” (29)
by Brooks Williams
from Brook’s Blues
117. “Turn This Ship Around” (29)
by Christine Lavin
from Spaghettification
117. “The Warmth Of Other Suns (29)
by Spuyten Duyvil
from The Warmth Of Other Suns
117. “Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall” (29)
by Tom Russell
from The Wounded Heart Of America

Top Artists of 2017

John McCutcheon was the most-played artist on folk radio during 2017, while Trolling for Dreams was among the year's top albums. (Photo:Irene Young)

John McCutcheon was the most-played artist on folk radio during 2017, while Trolling for Dreams was among the year’s top albums. (Photo:Irene Young)

1. John McCutcheon
2. Tom Russell
3. Tim Grimm
4. Rhiannon Giddens
5. Tom Paxton
6. Pete Seeger
7. Tim O’Brien
8. Bob Dylan
9. John Prine
10. Joe Jencks
11. Gillian Welch
12. Zoe Mulford
13. The Wailin’ Jennys
14. Willie Nelson
15. Alison Krauss
16. Joel Mabus
17. Steve Martin And The Steep Canyon Rangers
18. John Gorka
19. Joan Baez
20. Emma’s Revolution
20. The Steel Wheels
22. The Infamous Stringdusters
23. Bela Fleck And Abigail Washburn
24. Christine Lavin
25. Dori Freeman
26. Heather Pierson
27. Harpeth Rising
28. Brooks Williams
28. Jimmy Lafave
30. Johnny Cash
31. Cathy Fink And Marcy Marxer
32. Mara Levine
33. Ordinary Elephant
34. Emmylou Harris
35. Carrie Newcomer
36. Scott Cook
37. Jayme Stone
38. Catie Curtis
39. John Reischman And The Jaybirds
40. Rayna Gellert
41. The Early Mays
42. Bruce Cockburn
43. Slaid Cleaves
44. April Verch
44. Chris Hillman
44. Steve Earle
47. Brother Sun
48. Kc Groves
49. I Draw Slow
50. Gathering Time
51. Jack Williams
51. Old Crow Medicine Show
53. Sarah Jarosz
54. Dave Rawlings
55. The Gibson Brothers
56. Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra
56. Pat Wictor
58. Greg Brown
59. Joni Mitchell
60. Ken And Brad Kolodner
61. Rodney Crowell
62. Taarka
63. Doc Watson
64. The Malvinas
64. Wyatt Easterling
66. Nanci Griffith
67. Richard Thompson
68. Billy Strings
68. Mipso
70. Guy Clark
70. Rachel Baiman
72. Ray Cardwell
73. Phil Ochs
74. Sera Cahoone
75. Beppe Gambetta
76. Lydia Sylvia Martin
76. Sarah Jane Scouten
78. Richard Shindell
78. Stan Rogers
78. The Waifs
81. Bill Monroe
81. Byrd And Street
81. Si Kahn
84. Julian Lage And Chris Eldridge
85. Peter, Paul And Mary
86. Willie Watson
87. Eliza Gilkyson
87. Glen Campbell
89. Norman Blake
90. John Hartford
90. Mary Chapin Carpenter
92. The Bucking Mules
92. David Grisman
92. Julie Gold
92. Rosalie Sorrels
96. Woody Guthrie
97. Noam Pikelny
98. Cassie And Maggie
98. Zoe And Cloyd
100. Alice Howe
100. Peter Mulvey
100. Susan Cattaneo
103. Guy Davis And Fabrizio Poggi
103. O’Connor Band
103. Seldom Scene
106. Joe Crookston
106. Judy Collins
108. Arlo Guthrie
108. Susan Werner
110. Chuck Brodsky
110. Del McCoury
112. Alastair Moock
112. Eilen Jewell
112. The Stray Birds
115. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit
115. Merlin Snider
115. Molly Tuttle
118. The Jerry Douglas Band
118. John Craigie
120. Claire Lynch
121. David Mallett
122. Battlefield Band
122. Elaine Mahon
124. Lindsay Straw
125. Rose Cousins
126. Cheryl Wheeler
126. Matthew Byrne
128. Dave Carter And Tracy Grammer
128. Quiles And Cloud
130. Gordon Lightfoot
130. Kate Wolf
132. Front Country
132. Laurie Lewis And The Right Hands
134. Kate Rusby
134. Rachael Sage
136. Bill Staines
136. Montgomery Delaney
138. Lester Flatt And Earl Scruggs
138. Magpie
140. Hanneke Cassel
140. Kate Campbell
140. Lucinda Williams
140. Rebecca Loebe
144. Beatles
145. Gregg Allman
145. Robert Earl Keen
147. Sean McConnell
148. Anna Tivel
148. Beth Desombre
150. Dar Williams
151. Robin And Linda Williams
151. Sam Baker
153. David Francey
153. Jim Kweskin And Geoff Muldaur
153. Lee Murdock
156. Jack Tempchin
156. The Jeremiahs
156. Ray Davies
156. Ruthie Foster
156. Sam Bush
156. Taj Mahal And Keb’ Mo’
162. Leonard Cohen
162. Runa
162. Ryanhood
165. Kim And Reggie Harris
165. Tom Chapin
167. Anne Hills
167. Balsam Range
167. Doyle Lawson
167. Truckstop Honeymoon
171. Chris Ronald
171. Friction Farm
173. Night Tree
174. Laura Oden
175. Solas
176. Buffy Sainte-Marie
176. Chris Jones
178. Mandolin Orange
179. Bruce Springsteen
179. Tom Rush
181. Billy Crockett
181. Chris And Meredith Thompson
183. Bumper Jacksons
183. Iris DeMent
183. Lucy Kaplansky
186. Calan
186. Cosy Sheridan
186. Jim Page
186. Neil Young
190. Ben Hunter, Phil Wiggins, Joe Seamons
190. Crowes Pasture
190. Ellis Paul
190. John Flynn
190. Millpond Moon
190. Sierra Hull
196. Shawna Caspi
197. Hank Williams
197. Jim Lauderdale
197. Merle Haggard
197. Steve Goodman
197. Tift Merritt
202. Blackie And The Rodeo Kings
202. Dan Zanes And Friends
202. Emily Mure
202. Fairport Convention
202. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
202. Red Tail Ring
208. Carrie Elkin
208. Pokey Lafarge
208. Rhonda Vincent
208. Skinner And T’witch
212. Amber Cross
212. Barbara Jo Kammer
212. Dale Ann Bradley
212. Gigi Love
212. Robin Greenstein
217. Darden Smith
218. Red Molly
219. Eric Andersen
219. Greg Trooper
221. Charlie Parr
221. Laura Zucker
221. Lyle Lovett
221. Robbie Fulks
221. Sultans Of String
226. Noel Paul Stookey
227. The Earls Of Leicester
227. Fred Eaglesmith
227. Matt Patershuk
227. Zephaniah Ohora
231. Chieftains
231. Chris Smither
231. Chuck Berry
231. Dave Van Ronk
231. Sherman Holmes
236. Bill And Joel Plaskett
236. Jeffrey Martin
236. Pete’s Posse
236. Sweet Honey In The Rock
236. Tony Furtado
241. Davey O
241. Justin Townes Earle
243. Old Salt Union
244. Ani Difranco
244. David Bromberg
244. Loudon Wainwright III
247. Danny Barnes
247. Fred Gillen Jr.
247. Lesley Kernochan
247. The Lonely Heartstring Band
247. Lonesome River Band