Genre
The 50 most-read contemporary folk artists worldwide, by Wikipedia readership in August 2026. Movement compares against July 2026.
Artists
Readers August
New entries
200 artists are ranked in contemporary folk. The biggest move was Francesco Guccini, up 102 places.
| # | Artist | Readers | 30d |
|---|---|---|---|
01 | Marcus MumfordOrange County · United States | 104,751 | 0 |
02 | Leonard CohenWestmount · Canada | 94,385 | 0 |
03 | Gord DownieAmherstview · Canada | 78,836 | +10 |
04 | David CrosbyLos Angeles · United States | 62,730 | +1 |
05 | Cameron WinterBrooklyn · United States | 55,601 | +5 |
06 | Shel SilversteinChicago · United States | 48,765 | -3 |
07 | Pete SeegerManhattan · United States | 43,540 | -3 |
08 | Denny DohertyCanada | 37,652 | -2 |
09 | Peter YarrowManhattan · United States | 28,280 | +6 |
10 | Francesco GucciniModena · Italy | 26,586 | +102 |
11 | Jim HendricksAtkinson · United States | 23,438 | 0 |
12 | MelanieAstoria · United States | 23,429 | -3 |
13 | Judee SillOakland · United States | 21,755 | -5 |
14 | Gillian WelchNew York · United States | 20,684 | +3 |
15 | John SebastianGreenwich Village · United States | 19,390 | +1 |
16 | Mark KozelekOhio · United States | 19,172 | -2 |
17 | Hoyt AxtonDuncan · United States | 17,290 | +2 |
18 | The Smothers BrothersUnited States | 16,342 | +3 |
19 | Graham CoxonRinteln · Germany | 15,379 | -1 |
20 | Country Joe McDonaldWashington, D.C. · United States | 14,235 | +16 |
21 | Sun Kil MoonSan Francisco · United States | 14,190 | -1 |
22 | Patty GriffinOld Town · United States | 12,964 | 0 |
23 | Scott McKenzieJacksonville · United States | 11,922 | +1 |
24 | John MartynNew Malden · United Kingdom | 11,912 | -1 |
25 | Roger WhittakerNairobi · Kenya | 11,600 | +4 |
26 | Shawn ColvinVermillion · United States | 10,669 | +7 |
27 | Dave Van RonkBrooklyn · United States | 10,551 | +11 |
28 | Karen DaltonEnid · United States | 10,521 | +4 |
29 | Maria MuldaurGreenwich Village · United States | 10,364 | -3 |
30 | GuitarricadelafuenteSpain | 9,818 | -5 |
31 | Cowboy JunkiesToronto · Canada | 9,565 | -1 |
32 | Barry McGuireOklahoma City · United States | 9,048 | +3 |
33 | Roky EricksonDallas · United States | 8,893 | -6 |
34 | Yaelokre— | 8,684 | 0 |
35 | Linda PerhacsSanta Monica · United States | 8,074 | -28 |
36 | Zal YanovskyToronto · Canada | 7,724 | +3 |
37 | The New Christy MinstrelsTarzana · United States | 7,221 | +5 |
38 | David RawlingsNorth Smithfield · United States | 7,051 | +2 |
39 | Víctor JaraLonquén · Chile | 6,976 | -11 |
40 | Martha WainwrightMontréal · Canada | 6,893 | -3 |
41 | Ralph McTellFarnborough · United Kingdom | 6,586 | -29 |
42 | Anthony PhillipsLondon · United Kingdom | 6,453 | -1 |
43 | Aoife O’DonovanNewton · United States | 5,774 | +16 |
44 | Jackson C. FrankBuffalo · United States | 5,771 | -1 |
45 | Emma Ruth RundleLos Angeles · United States | 5,369 | -1 |
46 | OdettaBirmingham · United States | 5,241 | -1 |
47 | Leo KottkeAthens · United States | 5,112 | +1 |
48 | The Tallest Man on EarthLeksand · Sweden | 4,663 | +15 |
49 | Richard FariñaBrooklyn · United States | 4,574 | +3 |
50 | Ian TysonVictoria · Canada | 4,264 | +5 |
80 | Nirosta SteelGlasgow · United Kingdom | 1,652 | +135 |
135 | Lillebjørn NilsenOslo · Norway | 495 | +41 |
141 | Alix DobkinNew York · United States | 454 | +26 |
150 | Mike CooperReading · United Kingdom | 374 | +25 |
158 | 양희은Seoul · South Korea | 339 | +23 |
How this is ranked. Artists are matched from the MusicBrainz database by genre and by the area they are based in. An artist appears in a genre when at least 15% of their genre votes are for it. Position is set by readership of their English Wikipedia article in August 2026; movement compares that against July 2026. Readership measures public attention, not streams or sales.