Genre
The 50 most-read contemporary folk artists worldwide, by Wikipedia readership in October 2026. Movement compares against September 2026.
Artists
Readers October
New entries
200 artists are ranked in contemporary folk. The biggest move was Ralph McTell, up 20 places.
| # | Artist | Readers | 30d |
|---|---|---|---|
01 | Cameron WinterBrooklyn · United States | 115,529 | +3 |
02 | Marcus MumfordOrange County · United States | 106,664 | 0 |
03 | Leonard CohenWestmount · Canada | 92,396 | -2 |
04 | GuitarricadelafuenteSpain | 70,810 | +3 |
05 | David CrosbyLos Angeles · United States | 56,608 | -2 |
06 | Shel SilversteinChicago · United States | 39,264 | -1 |
07 | Pete SeegerManhattan · United States | 36,751 | -1 |
08 | Denny DohertyCanada | 29,918 | 0 |
09 | MelanieAstoria · United States | 25,048 | +1 |
10 | Yaelokre— | 20,374 | +13 |
11 | Gord DownieAmherstview · Canada | 18,894 | +3 |
12 | Hoyt AxtonDuncan · United States | 18,756 | +5 |
13 | Gillian WelchNew York · United States | 17,671 | +7 |
14 | Peter YarrowManhattan · United States | 16,651 | -1 |
15 | Mark KozelekOhio · United States | 16,316 | 0 |
16 | Jim HendricksAtkinson · United States | 16,118 | -4 |
17 | Judee SillOakland · United States | 14,052 | -8 |
18 | John SebastianGreenwich Village · United States | 13,589 | 0 |
19 | Roger WhittakerNairobi · Kenya | 13,505 | +5 |
20 | The Smothers BrothersUnited States | 13,431 | -4 |
21 | Sun Kil MoonSan Francisco · United States | 13,289 | -3 |
22 | Graham CoxonRinteln · Germany | 13,113 | -1 |
23 | Patty GriffinOld Town · United States | 11,928 | +5 |
24 | John MartynNew Malden · United Kingdom | 11,574 | -13 |
25 | Ralph McTellFarnborough · United Kingdom | 11,474 | +20 |
26 | Maria MuldaurGreenwich Village · United States | 10,305 | 0 |
27 | Roky EricksonDallas · United States | 9,695 | +6 |
28 | Shawn ColvinVermillion · United States | 9,366 | +3 |
29 | Cowboy JunkiesToronto · Canada | 8,875 | -2 |
30 | Barry McGuireOklahoma City · United States | 8,511 | +5 |
31 | Scott McKenzieJacksonville · United States | 8,431 | +1 |
32 | The Tallest Man on EarthLeksand · Sweden | 7,800 | +2 |
33 | David RawlingsNorth Smithfield · United States | 7,590 | +13 |
34 | Víctor JaraLonquén · Chile | 7,565 | -9 |
35 | Emma Ruth RundleLos Angeles · United States | 7,461 | -6 |
36 | Jackson C. FrankBuffalo · United States | 7,450 | +7 |
37 | Martha WainwrightMontréal · Canada | 6,408 | -7 |
38 | Country Joe McDonaldWashington, D.C. · United States | 6,147 | -2 |
39 | Anthony PhillipsLondon · United Kingdom | 5,968 | +5 |
40 | Karen DaltonEnid · United States | 5,796 | -18 |
41 | Zal YanovskyToronto · Canada | 5,783 | -2 |
42 | Dave Van RonkBrooklyn · United States | 5,725 | -4 |
43 | The New Christy MinstrelsTarzana · United States | 4,924 | -1 |
44 | OdettaBirmingham · United States | 4,692 | +3 |
45 | Leo KottkeAthens · United States | 4,688 | -5 |
46 | Dougie MacLeanDunblane · United Kingdom | 4,362 | +12 |
47 | Linda PerhacsSanta Monica · United States | 4,292 | +4 |
48 | Ian TysonVictoria · Canada | 3,952 | +1 |
49 | 青葉市子Urayasu · Japan | 3,948 | +7 |
50 | Aoife O’DonovanNewton · United States | 3,899 | -2 |
170 | Ștefan Hrușcă— | 239 | +38 |
149 | Nicu AlifantisBrăila · Romania | 323 | +26 |
153 | Ada MileaMureș · Romania | 303 | +25 |
185 | Maarja NuutRakvere · Estonia | 198 | +24 |
87 | Naima BockGlastonbury · United Kingdom | 1,125 | +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 October 2026; movement compares that against September 2026. Readership measures public attention, not streams or sales.