John Edward Prine was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humorous lyrics about love, life, and current events, as well as serious songs about melancholy tales from his life. His songs would often have elements of social commentary and satire. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death.
"Blowin' in the Wind" is a song written by Bob Dylan in 1962. It was released as a single and included on his album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in 1963. It has been described as a protest song and poses a series of rhetorical questions about peace, war, and freedom. The refrain "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" has been described as "impenetrably ambiguous: either the answer is so obvious it is right in your face, or the answer is as intangible as the wind".
Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer are a musical duo who perform folk, bluegrass and children’s music. They have performed with Pete Seeger, Theodore Bikel, Tom Paxton, Patsy Montana, Riders in the Sky and others. The Washington Area Music Association has recognized the duo with over 60 Wammie Awards for folk, bluegrass, and children’s music.
Anaïs Mitchell is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including Hadestown (2010), Young Man in America (2012), Child Ballads (2013), and Anaïs Mitchell (2022).
Aoife O'Donovan is an American singer and Grammy award-winning songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer for the string band Crooked Still and she also co-founded the Grammy Award-winning female folk trio I'm with Her. She has released three critically acclaimed studio albums: Fossils (2013), In the Magic Hour (2016), and Age of Apathy, as well as multiple noteworthy live recordings and EPs, including Blue Light (2010), Peachstone (2012), Man in a Neon Coat: Live From Cambridge (2016), In the Magic Hour: Solo Sessions (2019), and Bull Frog's Croon (2020). She also spent a decade contributing to the radio variety shows Live from Here and A Prairie Home Companion. Her first professional engagement was singing lead for the folk group The Wayfaring Strangers.
The Grammy Award for Best Folk Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the folk genre. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
Ape in Pink Marble is the ninth studio album by folk rock musician Devendra Banhart, released on September 23, 2016 on Nonesuch Records. The album was written, produced, arranged, and recorded in Los Angeles by the singer/songwriter/guitarist with his longtime collaborators Noah Georgeson and Josiah Steinbrick, both of whom also worked on Banhart's previous album, Mala (2013).
Strange Trails is the second studio album by indie rock band Lord Huron. It was released by PIAS Recordings on April 7, 2015, in the United Kingdom, and by Iamsound the next day in the United States. The album received positive reviews from music critics, and charted in Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.
Finneas Baird O'Connell, also known mononymously as Finneas, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has written and produced music for various artists, most notably his younger sister, Billie Eilish. He has won 10 Grammy Awards among 18 total nominations, including nominations for the Big Four categories. He has made history as the youngest act to win the Producer of the Year, Non-Classical category. For his work with Eilish, he has won Record of the Year twice in a row, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. He was also nominated for Best New Artist for his solo work. Their song "No Time to Die" from the film of the same name earned him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and another Grammy. Two years later, for their song "What Was I Made For?", they won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, along with the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. They became the youngest 2-time Academy Awards winners ever.
Yolanda Claire Quartey, known professionally as Yola or Yola Carter, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Her debut studio album Walk Through Fire (2019) received critical acclaim and earned her four Grammy Award nominations, including Best New Artist. Her follow-up, Stand for Myself (2021), received similar acclaim and earned her two more Grammy nominations. Yola made her acting debut in 2022, portraying "godmother of rock n roll" Sister Rosetta Tharpe in Baz Luhrman’s biopic Elvis.
U.F.O.F. is the third studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through 4AD on May 3, 2019.
Saves the World is the second studio album by American band Muna, released through RCA Records on September 6, 2019. The album was promoted by the singles "Number One Fan", "Who", "Stayaway", and "Taken", receiving positive reviews.
Life Support is the debut studio album by American singer Madison Beer. It was released on February 26, 2021 by Access and Epic Records. Beer herself co-wrote the entire album, and co-produced most of the record, which is a concept album created in the midst of a major depressive episode and Beer's diagnosis with borderline personality disorder. The album lyrically revolves around themes of mental health, grief and heartbreak, as well as Beer's experiences with public scrutiny and building resilience during the making of the record. Musically, Life Support is a pop and R&B record with elements of indie pop.
Silver Landings is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mandy Moore, released on March 6, 2020, via Verve Forecast Records. It is her first studio album in 11 years, following her fifth studio album Amanda Leigh (2009). Moore was due to promote the album with a North American tour, before it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who Are You Now is the second studio album by American singer Madison Cunningham, released on August 16, 2019 by Verve Forecast. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Americana Album.
Madison Cunningham is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Rolling Stone described her music as "a new spin on West Coast folk-rock, with classical tendencies, electric guitars, jazz-school chord changes and alt-rock strut all living under the same roof". Her 2019 album, Who Are You Now, was nominated for the best Americana album in the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. Her 2022 album Revealer won the Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2023.
No Stranger is the tenth studio album by American contemporary Christian music singer Natalie Grant. Curb Records released the album on September 25, 2020.
Salem Ilese Davern is an American singer-songwriter best known for her viral singles "Mad at Disney" and "PS5". She has also co-written songs for artists such as Bella Poarch and Demi Lovato.
Silence Between Songs is the second studio album by American singer Madison Beer. It was released on September 15, 2023 by Epic Records and Sing It Loud, and serves as the follow-up to Beer's debut studio album Life Support (2021). It spawned five singles prior to its release; "Reckless", Dangerous", "Showed Me ", "Home to Another One", and "Spinnin".
Weird Faith is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Madi Diaz, released on February 9, 2024, by Anti-. The album follows her fifth studio album, History of a Feeling, and tours with Angel Olsen, Waxahatchee, and Harry Styles. It was written in Nashville and upstate New York, recorded in upstate New York by Diaz and Sam Cohen, and produced by Diaz, Cohen, and Konrad Snyder.
