Doc Watson and Gaither Carlton is a new album of old-time music produced from archival recordings by two legendary musicians. These largely unheard tapes were recorded at Doc Watson's two earliest... more

With its moving portraits of miners, senior citizens, lonesome housewives and drug-addicted veterans—and its lovely melodies and biting social commentary—John Prime's debut became a cherished... more

The gentle blend of folk and country on Prine's first two albums gave way to the revved-up country-rockers of this 1973 LP. His sardonic humor grew sharper on this album, and many a fan's favorite... more

Happy Woman Blues - Lucinda Williams, whose musical style defies easy categorization, recorded her first album of original songs in 1980, supported by a six-member band. Her songs are a mix of... more

Vinyl LP pressing. This recording, first released by Folkways founder Moses Asch in 1976 to coincide with the celebration of America's Bicentennial, was originally recorded by Asch in the 1940s. The... more

This acclaimed acoustic duo of Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale were ready to expand their sound, and so we have this: their first album backed by a full band. They were clearly liberated by this... more

Double vinyl LP pressing. 2015 release, the fourth album from the Bluegrass band featuring Chris Thile (mandolin), Gabe Witcher (fiddle/violin), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Chris Eldridge (guitar), and... more

These 28 tracks do, indeed, spotlight "both sides" of this Folk Revival-era icon: the master songwriter and the renowned song interpreter. The title smash and duets with Joan Baez ("Diamonds and... more

Steve Cropper stepped in as producer for Prine's fourth album, helping the still-ascending singer-songwriter reach #66 on the pop album charts. The grooves and sonics shine as Prine paints vivid... more

Double vinyl LP pressing. 2015 debut solo album from the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founding member of Grammy Award winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. Tomorrow Is My Turn was... more

Leyla McCalla's Vari-Colored Songs is a celebration of the complexity of Black culture and identity, and a tribute to the legacy of poet and thinker Langston Hughes. A songwriter and... more

Easy Rider - Leadbelly songs - Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is proud to present 'Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection' - the first in-depth, career-spanning box set of songs, photos,... more

Vinyl LP pressing. 2017 release. Freedom Highway is Grammy Award-winner and 2017 Grammy nominee Rhiannon Giddens' follow-up to her highly praised debut album Tomorrow Is My Turn. The record includes... more

The Grammy Award winning, multi-platinum selling trio Nickel Creek - Chris Thile (mandolin/vocals), Sara Watkins (fiddle/vocals), and Sean Watkins (guitar/vocals) - officially reunites for the first... more

2021 release. Michael Hurley's first new studio record in 12 years features eleven songs recorded in Astoria, Oregon during the brief time of year when the foxgloves bloom. Hurley had been... more

Vinyl LP pressing. Recorded in 1958 and released on the Folkways label in 1959, Bahaman Folk Guitar introduced American listeners to Joseph Spence's unique guitar and vocal styles. These field... more

The singer/activist teamed with up-and-coming quartet the Chambers Brothers in 1966 to record this soul-stirring blend of gospel, folk-rock and blues. The singing is sublime across the board, and the... more

Simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful, this new collection of songs is rooted in the history of slavery in America, and speaks out with passion and determination against the ongoing cycle of... more

On his third and most finely wrought album yet, guitarist, singer, and master interpreter Fussell is joined for the first time by a full band featuring Nathan Bowles (drums), Casey Toll (bass),... more

Dave Van Ronk - Ballads, Blues & a Spiritual - Dubbed "The Mayor of MacDougal Street," Dave Van Ronk (1936-2002) was an iconoclastic folksinger and an influential figure in the American folk music... more

The first-ever reissue of the private-press country-rock rarity by Colorado auto body painter, Marine, and garage band lifer Kenny Knight—he played in the original ’60s Black Flag—Crossroads recalls... more

Vinyl LP pressing. 2021 release. Good Woman was written and recorded in a time of tremendous turmoil and change forthe band, between theending of relationships, thedeath oftheir beloved mother,... more