FAI Folk Radio Charts – March 2021

Inspired by the times in which we are living, Gone is an eight-track album that reflects on dreams past and present, and on personal and community loss. As on past recordings, Grimm is joined by members of his family on Gone – including wife Jan on harmony vocals and harmonica, son Connor on bass, and son Jackson on banjo, guitar and mandolin. “Dreaming of King Lear,” which closes out the album, was the month’s top song, with “25 Trees” and “Carry Us Away” close behind.

The album’s title track was released as a digital single last fall and was the most-played song on folk radio last year and tied for #11 last month with “Cadillac Hearse,” another Grimm song. Indeed, seven of the album’s eight tracks made March 2021’s top songs chart.

Gone is just one of a number of albums and songs by Grimm that have reached the top of the Folk DJ (now FAI Folk) and EuroAmericana charts. He had both the most-played album (A Stranger In This Time) and song (“Gonna Be Great”) on folk radio during 2017, while his 2019 release, Heart Land Again, was the top alum on the Folk DJ Chart that summer. “Woody’s Landlord,” Grimm’s song about Donald Trump’s father, was the most-played song on folk radio in 2016, while “King Of the Folksingers,” a tribute to his friend and musical icon Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, was the #1 song on the Folk DJ songs chart in 2014. Besides having released a dozen albums over the past 20 years, Grimm has worked as an actor in film, theater and television.

Here’s a link to listen to “Dreaming of King Lear”, in which Grimm reflects on a few singer-songwriters who we lost in the past year, Michael Smith, Eric Taylor and David Olney: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Umzjq_ntTwI.

The March 2021 Top Albums, Songs and Artists charts are based on 14,709 airplays reported on 487 playlists submitted by 121 different folk DJs. The number of reported spins is shown below in parentheses.

Folk Alliance International (https://folk.org) is a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion.

Top Albums of March 2021

1. Gone by Tim Grimm (139)
2. Changemakers by Crys Matthews (79)
2. Still Woman Enough by Loretta Lynn (79)
4. Jellyfish on the Moon by Lisa Jeanette (69)
5. Just Over the Ridge by Lizzy Plotkin and Natalie Spears (66)
5. Normal Isn’t Normal Anymore by Rod Abernethy (66)
7. Joyful Banner Blazing by Maria Dunn (55)
7. Ellis Paul’s Traveling Medicine Show Vol. 1 by Ellis Paul (55)
9. Poets by Liz Simmons (47)
9. Mississippi River Suite by Michael J. Miles (47)
11. Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno by Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno (45)
11. Deadstock: Uncollected Recordings 2005 =E2=80=93 2020 by Jeffrey Foucault (45)
11. Boulevard by Rod Macdonald (45)
14. Tapered Point of Stone by Eli West (44)
15. Desert Ghosts by Jaspar Lepak (43)
15. Distance and Time by Becky Buller (43)
17. Calla Lily by The Brother Brothers (41)
18. Salvation by Megan Lacy (38)
19. Woman in Color by Raye Zaragoza (37)
20. We Go On: Si Kahn’s Songs of Hope in Hard Times by Katie Oates (36)
21. Solace in the Wild by Erin Ivey (35)
21. + 1 by Mike Barnett (35)
23. Lost Songs by Terry Kitchen (34)
23. Ecstatic Bird in the Morning by Luke Concannon (34)
25. Stone by Stone by Tret Fure (33)
25. Lamentations by Rupert Wates (33)
27. Still Time by Karen Matheson (32)
27. I’ll Be Back Soon by Tiffany Williams (32)
29. The Midnight Broadcast by Peter Case (29)
30. The Painter by Michael Johnathon (27)
30. Songs of 69 by Reid Jamieson (27)
30. Karen Bella by Karen Bella (27)
33. Roots by Liam Purcell and Cane Mill Road (26)
33. The River Flows by John Hurlbut and Jorma Kaukonen (26)
33. The Darkness and the Light by Mike Ward (26)
36. Waterlines by Zoe Fitzgerald Carter (25)
36. World on the Ground by Sarah Jarosz (25)
36. Hold the Line by Hardened and Tempered (25)
39. Daddy’s Country Gold by Melissa Carper (24)
39. These 13 by Jimbo Mathus and Andrew Bird (24)
41. On the Loose by The Squirrel Hillbillies (22)
42. Songs Doc Didn’t Sing by Doc and Merle Watson (21)
43. Shall We Hope by Tony Trischka (20)
43. Come on Over: The Honky Tonk Duets by Domenic Cicala (20)
43. In Our Voices by Moira Smiley and Voco (20)
46. The Burnt Pines by The Burnt Pines (19)
47. The Fray by John Smith (18)
47. That’s Life by Willie Nelson (18)
49. The Mando Chronicles by Peter Ostroushko (17)
49. The Path of Stones by John Doyle (17)
49. Revolutionary Love by Ani Difranco (17)
49. Red Maple Tree by Sloan Wainwright (17)
49. Songs of Our Native Daughters by Our Native Daughters (17)
49. Learning to Listen by Susan Ellenton (17)
55. They’re Calling Me Home by Rhiannon Giddens (16)
55. All the Good Times Are Past and Gone by Gillian Welch and David
Rawlings (16)
55. The Great Irish Songbook by Dervish (16)
55. We’re Only Family if You Say So by The Rough and Tumble (16)
55. Illuminations by Sean Della Croce (16)
55. Home by Billy Strings (16)
61. When I Wait for You by Dirk Powell (15)
61. Evidence of Hope by Friction Farm (15)
61. How Many Times by Esther Rose (15)
64. Tangle of Souls by Scott Cook (14)
64. I Have Known Women: Songs by Si Kahn Celebrating Women’s Lives and Struggles by Saro Lynch-Thomason and Sam Gleaves (14)
64. Pushing Forward by Wes Weddell and Ailisa Newhall (14)
64. All About the Timing by Roland Roberts (14)
64. American Silence by Chris Pierce (14)
69. Fiddler’s Pastime by Bronwyn Keith-Hynes (13)
69. String of Pearls by Annabelle Chvostek (13)
69. Covers by Mo Kenney (13)
69. Fall Like Rain by Justin Moses (13)
69. Things She Couldn’t Get Over by Dale Ann Bradley (13)
69. Everything Changes by Sara Thomsen (13)

Top Songs of March 2021

1. “Dreaming of King Lear” by Tim Grimm (28)
2. “25 Trees” by Tim Grimm (26)
3. “Call Them In” by Crys Matthews (24)
4. “Carry Us Away” by Tim Grimm (20)
5. “A Woman’s Place” by Sara Thomsen (19)
6. “I Am of Ireland” by Cathy Jordan and Seamie O’Dowd (18)
7. “Will You” by Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno (17)
7. “Which Side Are You on – Enough” by Michael J. Miles (17)
9. “Ever Gonna Fly” by Jaspar Lepak (16)
9. “Seasons Change” by Lizzy Plotkin and Natalie Spears (16)
11. “Gone” by Tim Grimm (15)
11. “Cadillac Hearse” by Tim Grimm (15)
13. “Don’t Blame Me (Jolene’s Reply)” by Lisa Jeanette (14)
13. “Born to Be With You” by Mike Barnett (14)
13. “Joseph Cross” by Tim Grimm (14)
13. “A Case of You” by Alice Howe (14)
13. “Exactly Where You Are” by Crys Matthews (14)
18. “Still Woman Enough” by Loretta Lynn (13)
18. “Carry Me With You” by Lizzy Plotkin and Natalie Spears (13)
18. “In Times Like These” by Sloan Wainwright (13)
21. “Joyful Banner Blazing” by Maria Dunn (12)
21. “Yukon Women” by Susan Ellenton (12)
21. “We Are the Girls” by Lyn Koonce (12)
21. “A Dream” by Tim Grimm (12)
21. “Transatlantic” by Aoife O’Donovan (12)
21. “Blind Love Blues” by Lizzy Plotkin and Natalie Spears (12)

Top Artists of March 2021

1. Tim Grimm (153)
2. Peter Ostroushko (107)
3. Loretta Lynn (89)
4. Crys Matthews (82)
5. Ellis Paul (73)
6. Lisa Jeanette (72)
7. Rod Abernethy (66)
7. Lizzy Plotkin and Natalie Spears (66)
9. Maria Dunn (61)
10. Bob Dylan (50)
11. Jeffrey Foucault (48)
12. Michael J. Miles (47)
12. Rod Macdonald (47)
12. Liz Simmons (47)
15. Eli West (46)
15. Tiffany Williams (46)
15. Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno (46)
18. Mike Barnett (45)
19. Becky Buller (43)
19. Jaspar Lepak (43)
19. The Brother Brothers (43)
22. John McCutcheon (41)
23. Raye Zaragoza (39)
24. Rhiannon Giddens (38)
24. Tret Fure (38)
24. Megan Lacy (38)
27. Karen Matheson (36)
27. John Prine (36)
27. Terry Kitchen (36)
27. Katie Oates (36)
31. Erin Ivey (35)
32. Jack Hardy (34)
32. Luke Concannon (34)
32. Sarah Jarosz (34)
35. Rupert Wates (33)
36. Gillian Welch (32)
37. Tim O’Brien (30)
37. Joni Mitchell (30)
37. Peter Case (30)
40. Michael Johnathon (29)