The Best of 70s Folk Music

A collection of the best folk songs of the 1970s. Featuring artists like Simon and Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: An Introduction

The 1970s was a decade of great change, and folk music was no exception. While the genre had been popular in the past, it underwent a radical transformation in the 1970s, becoming more political and personal. This new generation of folk musicians wasn’t afraid to speak out about the issues they cared about, and their music reflected this change.

Some of the most iconic folk albums of all time were released in the 1970s, and they continue to influence musicians today. If you’re a fan of folk music, or just curious about what it has to offer, here are some of the best albums from the 1970s that you should check out.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The Early Years

The early seventies were a fertile time for folk music. The singer/songwriter movement, which had been brewing in the late 60s, came to fruition in the early 70s. This was the era of James Taylor, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. These artists wrote and performed their own material and injected their personal experiences into their songs. The result was a crop of deeply personal and introspective songs that resonated with the counterculture youth of the time.

While the singer/songwriter movement was the dominant force in early 70s folk music, there were other important subgenres that emerged during this time. Political folk music became popular as a way to protest the Vietnam War and other social issues. The Greenwich Village folk scene produced some of the best-known political folk artists such as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Tom Paxton. Traditional Irish and Scottish folk music also enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the early seventies. Bands like Pentangle and Fairport Convention brought this older style of music to a new audience.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The Early Years features some of the most influential and important songs from this era. These are the songs that defined a generation and continue to inspire musicians today.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The Rise of Folk-Rock

The early seventies saw the rise of Folk-Rock, a genre that blended the course, social protest lyrics of traditional folk with the sound and instrumentation of rock & roll. This new sound was pioneered by artists such as Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Crosby Stills, Nash & Young. Folk-Rock quickly rose to popularity, becoming one of the most popular genres of music in the seventies.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The Singer-Songwriter Movement

The 1970s were a golden era for folk music, with the singer-songwriter movement taking off in a big way. Folk music had always been a genre that stressed personal and emotive expression, but in the 1970s, it became extremely popular, with artists like James Taylor, Carole King, and Joni Mitchell achieving massive mainstream success.

The singer-songwriter movement was also influential in shaping the sound of pop music in general; many of the biggest hits of the 1970s were either written or performed by folk artists. Some of the most iconic songs of the decade, such as “Fire and Rain” and “ You’ve Got a Friend”, come from this genre.

If you’re looking for some great 70s folk music to add to your collection, here are some of the best singer-songwriters of the decade.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The Folk Revival

The advent of the folk revival of the 1970s brought with it a new wave of performer-songwriters who were more interested in commercial success than in protest or politics. These artists expanded on the work of their predecessors, incorporating elements of pop, rock, and country into their music. The result was a sound that was at once fresh and familiar, and which appealed to a wide range of listeners.

Some of the most popular performers of the folk revival era included James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, and The Eagles. These artists dominated the charts throughout the decade, and their music has continued to endure in the decades since. If you’re a fan of folk music, or simply looking for a great collection of songs from the 1970s, this playlist is for you!

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The New Folk Movement

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The New Folk Movement

The 1970s saw the rise of a new type of folk music, sometimes called the “new folk movement.” This music was a reaction against the dominant pop culture of the time, and it often had a political or social message. Some of the most popular artists in this genre were Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Odetta.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The British Folk Revival

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The British Folk Revival

The 1970s saw a significant revival of interest in folk music in Britain. This was partly due to the success of bands like Fairport Convention and Pentangle, who were able to attract a new generation of fans with their innovative and sophisticated take on traditional material. But it was also due to the work of a number of important folk club promoters, who helped raise the profile of the music and ensured that it reached a wider audience.

One of the most important figures in this revival was Ashley Hutchings, who was a founder member of both Fairport Convention and Pentangle. Hutchings was instrumental in bringing traditional music into the mainstream, and his work with both bands helped to spark a renewed interest in folk music among young people. Another important figure was Ralph McTell, who released his debut album ‘Streets of London’ in 1974. McTell’s album was hugely successful, and helped to bring folk music to a wider audience.

The British folk revival of the 1970s was an important movement that helped to keep traditional music alive and ensured that it reached a new generation of audiences. The work of key figures like Ashley Hutchings and Ralph McTell was instrumental in this revival, and their legacy continues to be felt today.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The American Folk Revival

The American Folk Revival of the 1970s was a time when people rediscovered the music of their grandparents and great-grandparents. Folk music had always been passed down orally, from one generation to the next, but in the 1970s, there was a new appreciation for the beauty and simplicity of this music.

The American Folk Revival brought folk music into the mainstream and gave birth to some of the most iconic folk musicians of our time. These are some of the best of 70s folk music.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The Contemporary Folk Scene

While the 1970s is most commonly associated with the likes of disco and rock, the decade also saw the rise of a number of folk artists who helped to shape the sound of contemporary folk music. From Joni Mitchell to Bob Dylan, these artists released a number of classic folk albums that are still revered by fans today. Here are five of the best 70s folk albums, according to critics.

The Best of 70s Folk Music: The Legacy of 70s Folk Music

The 1970s were a golden age for folk music, with a rich variety of sounds and styles to choose from. This decade saw the rise of many iconic folk artists, who would go on to influence the sound of folk music for years to come. In this article, we take a look at some of the best 70s folk albums, as well as the legacy that these albums have left behind.