Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album

The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album was awarded from 1987 to 2011. Until 1993 the award was known as the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording.

Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album
Awarded for	quality traditional folk music albums
Country	United States
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First awarded	1987
Last awarded	2011
Website	grammy.com

An award for Best Contemporary Folk Album was also presented. Prior to 1987 contemporary and traditional folk were combined as the Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording.

The award was discontinued in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. In 2012 this category was merged with Best Contemporary Folk Album to form the new Best Folk Album category.

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.

Winners and nominees

1980s

Year	Winner(s)	Title	Nominees	Ref.
1987	Doc Watson	Riding the Midnight Train	Buckwheat Zydeco for Waitin' for My Ya Ya New Lost City Ramblers with Elizabeth Cotton, Pete Seeger, Highwood String Band for 20th Anniversary Concert Queen Ida for Caught in the Act Rockin' Sidney for Hot Steppin' with Rockin' Sidney	[1]
1988	Ladysmith Black Mambazo	Shaka Zulu	Bantu Glee Singers, Crocodiles, Shooting Stars, Others for Mbube Roots, Zulu Choral Music from South Africa The Chieftains for Celtic Wedding Michael Doucet, BeauSoleil for Belizaire the Cajun various artists for Zulu Men's Singing Competition	[2]
1989	various artists	Folkways: A Vision Shared	Bob Dylan for Pretty Boy Floyd Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir for Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Journey of Dreams Van Morrison, The Chieftains for Irish Heartbeat	[3]

1990s

Year	Winner(s)	Title	Nominees	Ref.
1990	Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir	Le Mystere des Voic Bulgares, Volume II	The Cajun Tradition for Á la Vielle Façon Various American Indian Tribes for American Indian Dance Theatre Norman Blake, Nancy Blake for Blind Dog Masters of Traditional Missouri Fiddling for Now That's a Good Tune	[4]
1991	Doc Watson	On Praying Ground	Toinho de Alagoas, Duda da Passira, Jose Orlando, Heleno Dos Oito Baixos for Brazil Forro: Music for Maids and Taxi Drivers Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Classic Tracks Basin Brothers for Let's Get Cajun The Whitstein Brothers for Old Time Duets Various Artists for Partisans of Vilna: Songs of World War II Jewish Resistance	[5]
1992	Various Artists	The Civil War	Nominees Unknown	-
1993	The Chieftains	An Irish Evening	Norman and Nancy Blake for Just Gimme Somethin' I'm Used to David Holt for Grandfather's Greatest Hits Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares for A Cathedral Concert D.L. Menard, Eddie LeJeune, Ken Smith for Le Trio Cadien	[6]
1994	The Chieftains	The Celtic Harp	Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares for Melody, Rhythm & Harmony Bill Morrissey, Greg Brown for Friend of Mine R. Carlos Nikai, William Eaton, Black Lodge Singers for Ancestral Voices Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys for Trace of Time Jody Stecher, Kate Brislin for Our Town	[7]
1995	Bob Dylan	World Gone Wrong	BeauSoleil for L'Echo Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir for Ritual - Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Liph Iqiniso John Renbourn, Robin Williamson for Wheel of Fortune Mike Seeger for Third Annual Farewell Reunion	[8]
1996	Ramblin' Jack Elliott	South Coast	Norman & Nancy Blake for While Passing Along This Way Ali Akbar Khan for Then and Now Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum for The Oak and the Laurel Dave van Ronk for From... Another Time & Place	[9]
1997	Pete Seeger	Pete	Norman & Nancy Blake for The Hobo's Last Ride John Hartford for Wild Hog in the Red Brush Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for Intoxicated Spirit Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Thuthukani Ngoxolo - Let's Develop in Peace	[10]
1998	BeauSoleil	L'Amour Ou La Folie	Hackberry Ramblers for Deep Water New Lost City Ramblers for There Ain't No Way Out Jo-El Sonnier for Cajun Pride Jody Stecher, Kate Brislin for Heart Songs: The Old Time Country Songs of Utah Phillips	[11]
1999	The Chieftains	Long Journey Home	Norman Blake for Chattanooga Sugar Babe Greg Brown for Slant 6 Mind Ramblin' Jack Elliott for Friends of Mine Mike Seeger for Southern Banjo Sounds	[12]

2000s

Year	Winner(s)	Title	Nominees	Ref.
2000	June Carter Cash	Press On	Ramblin' Jack Elliott for The Long Ride David Grisman, John Hartford, Mike Seeger for Retrograss Bill Morrissey for Songs of Mississippi John Hurt Doc & Richard Watson for Third Generation Blues	[13]
2001	Dave Alvin	Public Domain	Norman Blake for Far Away, Down on a Georgia Farm Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Live at the Royal Albert Hall Natalie MacMaster for My Roots Are Showing Jo-El Sonnier for Cajun Blood	[14]
2002	Various Artists	Down from the Mountain	BeauSoleil for Looking Back Tomorrow: Beausoleil Live! John Hartford for Hamilton Ironworks Roger McGuinn, Various Artists for Treasures from the Folk Den Various Artists for Avalon Blues - A Tribute to the Music of Mississippi John Hurt	[15]
2003	Doc Watson	Legacy	Fiddlers 4 for Fiddlers 4 Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer for Postcards Jorma Kaukonen for Blue Country Heart Peter Rowan, Don Edwards for High Lonesome Cowboy Various Artists for Evangeline Made - A Tribute to Majun Music	[16]
2004	June Carter Cash	Wildwood Flower	Steve Forbert for Any Old Time Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys for Bon Reve Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs for The Three Pickers Pete Seeger & Friends for Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Volume 3	[17]
2005	Various Artists	Beautiful Dreamer	BeauSoleil for Gitane Cajun Norman & Nancy Blake for The Morning Glory Ramblers Rosalie Sorrels & Friends for My Last Go Round Dave Van Ronk for ...And the Tin Pan Bended, and the Story Ended...	[18]
2006	Tim O'Brien	Fiddler's Green	The Chieftains for Live from Dublin - A Tribute to Derek Bell Jimmie Dale Gilmore for Come On Back Tom Paxton for Live In the UK Jo-El Sonnier for Cajun Mardi Gras!	[19]
2007	Bruce Springsteen	We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions	Ramblin' Jack Elliott for I Stand Alone Odetta for Gotta Let It Shine Linda Ronstadt, Ann Savoy for Adieu False Heart Ralph Stanley for A Distant Land to Roam: Songs of the Carter Family	[20]
2008	Levon Helm	Dirt Farmer	David Bromberg for Try Me One More Time Peter Case for Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John Cathy Fink for Banjo Talkin' Charlie Louvin for Charlie Louvin	[21]
2009	Pete Seeger	At 89	Kathy Mattea for Coal Tom Paxton for Comedians & Angels Peggy Seeger for Bring Me Home Rosalie Sorrels for Strangers In Another Country	[22]
2010	Loudon Wainwright III	High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project	David Holt, Josh Goforth for Cutting Loose Maura O'Connell for Naked With Friends Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra for Polka Cola: Music That Refreshes Various Artists for Singing Through the Hard Times: A Tribute to Utah Phillips	[23]
2011	Carolina Chocolate Drops	Genuine Negro Jig	Luther Dickinson & the Sons of Mudboy for Onward and Upward The John Hartford Stringband for Memories of John Maria Muldaur for Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy Ricky Skaggs for Ricky Skaggs Solo: Songs My Dad Loved	[24]

References

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