The Groove

The greatest folk artists of all time

83 artists ranked by the Groove — music.nw’s own measure of renown. Not an opinion, a fact computed from the record. Why?

No. 1

Bob Dylan

United States of America · 1941– · folk rock

33.004

Why this number?

The full board · page 3

49 Mumford & Sons

United Kingdom · 2007– · folk rock 0.730

Sinéad O’Connor

Ireland · 1966–2023 · rock 0.729

51 boygenius

United States of America · 2018– · indie rock 0.706

52 Don McLean

United States of America · 1945– · rock 0.700

53 Creed

United States of America · 1995– · alternative rock 0.686

54 David Gray

United Kingdom · 1968– · rock 0.674

55 Moonsorrow

Finland · 1995– · folk metal 0.669

56 Jewel

United States of America · 1974– · rock 0.626

57 Janis Joplin

United States of America · 1943–1970 · blues rock 0.588

Willie Nelson

United States of America · 1933– · country 0.560

Ani DiFranco

United States of America · 1970– · folk rock 0.550

Adele

United Kingdom · 1988– · pop 0.507

61 The Byrds

United States of America · 1964–1973 · rock 0.499

62 The Beta Band

United Kingdom · 1996– · electronic 0.488

Plastic Ono Band

United Kingdom · 1969–2015 · rock 0.486

Tori Amos

United States of America · 1963– · rock 0.446

65 Negură Bunget

Romania · 1995–2017 · black metal 0.425

66 Buena Vista Social Club

Cuba · 1996–2015 · afro-cuban jazz 0.422

Kylie Minogue

Australia · 1968– · pop 0.383

68 Calexico

United States of America · 1996– · folk rock 0.382

69 Angelo De Augustine

United States of America · indie folk 0.378

70 Robert Plant & Alison Krauss country 0.311

71 Kings of Convenience

Norway · 1999– · folk rock 0.307

72 Garth Brooks

United States of America · 1962– · country 0.293