Diana Jones, an American singer-songwriter, had the top album (Song to a Refugee) and was the most-played artist on folk radio during July 2021, while Canadian singer-songwriter Murray McLaughlin’s “Pandemic Blues” was the month’s most-played song. So say charts compiled by Folk Alliance International based on radio playlists submitted to FOLKDJ-L, an electronic discussion group for DJs and others interested in folk-based music on the radio.

Diana Jones Song to a Refugee On her six sixth solo album, a collection of songs reflecting empathy for the plight of refugees, Diana Jones gives voice to the dispossessed and to the stories of asylum seekers worldwide. As its title suggests, Song to a Refugee speaks for those frequently without a voice. Long committed to raising awareness of social justice issues, the folk-Americana singer-songwriter has said: “I believe we all want to get involved and give each other hope. How can any of us look away?” Song to a Refugee also features guest artists Steve Earle, Peggy Seeger and Richard Thompson (with whom she has previously toured), along with harmony vocals by the Chapin Sisters.

Jones began performing professionally and recording albums in the mid-late 1990s, while her breakthrough release, My Remembrance of You, came out in 2006 and made a number of music critics’ year-end ‘best of’ lists. She was also named a winner in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition that year. Although she is a contemporary singer-songwriter, Jones’music is rooted in and reflects her love of the old-timey Appalachian traditions of her birth family (particularly her grandfather) with whom she was reunited while in her 20s.

Murray McLaughlin is a Canadian musical treasure. A recipient of 11 Juno Awards and a 2016 inductee into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, his career spans nearly half a century. He has released some 20 albums; “Pandemic Blues” is featured on his most recent – Hourglass, which was the second most-played album on folk radio in July, according to the charts.

McLaughlin, who was born in Scotland and emigrated to Canada with his family at age 5, began playing coffeehouses in Toronto as a teenager. In his 1998 memoir, Getting Out of Here Alive: The Ballad of Murray McLaughlin, he reflects on the Toronto music scene. A member of the Order of Canada since 1993 and a recipient of the National Achievement Award from SOCAN, a Canadian songwriters and publishers collective, McLaughlin also received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 2018. Other artists — including Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, John McDermott, Tom Rush, and The Ennis Sisters — have covered his songs.

The July 2021 Top Albums, Songs and Artists charts are based on 12,467 airplays reported on 443 playlists submitted by 119 different folk DJs. The number of reported spins is shown below in parentheses.

Folk Alliance International (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 July 2021

1. Song to a Refugee by Diana Jones (124)
2. Hourglass by Murray McLauchlan (97)
3. Grit and Polish by Mark Schatz & Bryan McDowell (85)
4. Cold Rain and Snow by Jared Rabin (74)
5. Never Found a Way to Tame the Blues by Jon Shain & FJ Ventre (70)
6. Streamliner by Jesse Brock (65)
7. Downhill From Everywhere by Jackson Browne (62)
8. Don’t You Marry No Railroad Man by J. P. Harris (59)
9. He Walked On by Tim O’Brien (55)
10. A Better Day A-Coming by Robin and Linda Williams (54)
11. New Century Suite by Michael J. Miles (50)
12. Jake Eddy by Jake Eddy (46)
12. We Can Hear Each Other by Erin Ash Sullivan (46)
14. Be Ready When I Call You by Guy Davis (45)
15. Light and Dark by Chris Ronald (43)
16. Our Better Angels by Jesse Palidofsky (38)
17. Borrowed Time by Joe Troop (37)
18. Time Out Session 1 – EP by The Accidentals (36)
19. Ballad of a Bad Girl by Kate McDonnell (35)
20. Wild Beat the Wings by John Flynn (32)
20. All This Time Running by Craig Cardiff (32)
22. There Used to Be Horses Here by Amy Speace (31)
23. Outside Child by Allison Russell (29)
24. Treasure of Love by The Flatlanders (28)
25. Let’s Get Away by Kalinec and Kj (27)
25. Undertaker’s Songbook by Sons of the Never Wrong (27)
27. Red Maple Tree by Sloan Wainwright (26)
28. Sometimes I Feel Too Much by Cosy Sheridan (25)
29. Adeline by Chris Coole, Sam Allison, Adrian Gross, Mark Kilianski &
John Showman (24)
30. Blue by Joni Mitchell (23)
30. Madison Archives by Frank Evans and Ben Plotnick (23)
32. They’re Calling Me Home by Rhiannon Giddens (21)
32. At the Bottom of a Canyon in the Branches of a Tree by Steve Dawson
(21)
32. Changemakers by Crys Matthews (21)
32. We Shall Stay Here by Paul Kaplan (21)
32. Migrants by Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra (21)
37. Where and When by Kelly’s Lot (20)
37. Knew Things by Cliff Eberhardt (20)
39. Annamania by Anna Elizabeth Laube (19)
39. Fiddle and a Song by Byron Berline (19)
39. I Am of Ireland: Yeats in Song by Various Artists (19)
39. Bang at the Door by Donna Herula (19)
39. Uppity by Laura Love (19)
44. On Solid Ground by Reggie Harris (18)
45. Distance and Time by Becky Buller (17)
45. Gone by Tim Grimm (17)
45. Drum Hat Buddha by Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer (17)
45. Vincent Neil Emerson by Vincent Neil Emerson (17)
49. Let’s Get Happy Together by Maria Muldaur (16)
49. Backyard Birds by Lisa Bastoni (16)
49. Grenadine and Kerosene by Carolyn Shulman (16)
49. Only Human by Luke Leblanc (16)
49. Animal Communicator by Robin Bienemann (16)
49. Together Alone: Songs From the Pandemic by Charlie Mosbrook (16)
49. Echo Land by Bumarang (16)
56. Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno by Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno (15)
56. Cycles by Rachel Baiman (15)
58. The Fray by John Smith (14)
58. Survival by Moors and McCumber (14)
58. Triage by Rodney Crowell (14)
58. Oh Everything by Annie Gallup (14)
58. Alligator Records: 50 Years of Genuine Houserockin’ Music by Various
Artists (14)
58. Live in Germany: To Benefit Bread and Roses by Mimi Farina (14)
64. The Storytellers Suitcase by Ellis Paul (13)
64. The Triumph of Assimilation by Mark Rubin – Jew of Oklahoma (13)
64. Wary + Strange by Amythyst Kiah (13)
67. Pearls by Dave Fry (12)
67. Able Baker Charlie and Dog by Joe Crookston (12)
67. Desert Ghosts by Jaspar Lepak (12)
67. When We Wander by Jesse Terry (12)
67. Bet on Love by Pharis and Jason Romero (12)

Top Songs of July 2021

1. “Pandemic Blues” by Murray McLauchlan (28)
2. “We Believe You” by Diana Jones (25)
2. “Woody Guthrie Watch Over Me” by Cosy Sheridan (25)
4. “Song to a Refugee” by Diana Jones (20)
5. “Heart of Nat Turner” by Laura Love (19)
6. “America” by Murray McLauchlan (18)
6. “Vinegar Pie” by Hannah Shira Naiman (18)
8. “Cold Rain and Snow” by Jared Rabin (17)
9. “Song to Woody” by Crowes Pasture (16)
9. “This Land Is Your Land” by John Smith (16)
9. “A Better Day A-Coming” by Robin and Linda Williams (16)
12. “Keep Your Head Above the Water” by Jon Shain & FJ Ventre (15)
12. “El Chaparral” by Diana Jones (15)
14. “Out Past Yesterday” by Ina May Wool (14)
14. “July” by Dave Fry (14)
14. “I Wait for You” by Diana Jones (14)
17. “Man on the Levee” by Michael McNevin (13)
17. “Black Rock City” by Jesse Brock (13)
17. “Vincent Black Lightning” by Michael J. Miles (13)
17. “My East Tennessee Home” by Mark Schatz & Bryan McDowell (13)
17. “The Dreamer” by Jackson Browne (13)
17. “Kensington Station” by Mark Schatz & Bryan McDowell (13)
17. “Hey, Spikedriver” by Jesse Brock (13)
17. “Black Mountain Rag” by Jake Eddy (13)
25. “One Too Many Mornings” by Mark Schatz & Bryan McDowell (12)
25. “Circle of Love” by John Flynn (12)
25. “So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Yuh” by Alastair Moock (12)
25. “Wild Mountain Stream” by Irene Kelley (12)
25. “Brooklyn in July” by Joe Crookston (12)

Top Artists of July 2021

1. Diana Jones (126)
2. Murray McLauchlan (112)
3. Mark Schatz & Bryan McDowell (85)
4. Jared Rabin (74)
5. Tim O’Brien (72)
6. Jon Shain & FJ Ventre (70)
6. Woody Guthrie (70)
8. Jackson Browne (68)
9. Jesse Brock (65)
10. J. P. Harris (61)
11. Robin and Linda Williams (56)
12. Michael J. Miles (54)
13. Guy Davis (48)
14. Erin Ash Sullivan (46)
14. Jake Eddy (46)
16. Chris Ronald (44)
17. Joni Mitchell (43)
18. John McCutcheon (41)
18. John Prine (41)
20. Bob Dylan (39)
21. Jesse Palidofsky (38)
21. John Flynn (38)
21. John Smith (38)
21. Nanci Griffith (38)
25. Joe Troop (37)
26. Amy Speace (36)
26. The Accidentals (36)
28. Kate McDonnell (35)
28. Byron Berline (35)
28. Rhiannon Giddens (35)
31. Cosy Sheridan (34)
32. Craig Cardiff (33)
33. Sons of the Never Wrong (32)
33. Ellen McIlwaine (32)
35. Allison Russell (31)
35. Tim Grimm (31)
37. Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer (30)
38. The Flatlanders (29)
39. Ellis Paul (28)
39. Sloan Wainwright (28)