The Most Influential Folk Music Performer of the 1960’s Was:

The most influential folk music performer of the 1960’s was: Bob Dylan.

Joan Baez

In the early 1960s, Joan Baez was the most visible exponents of the folk music revival going on in the United States. A highly influential performer, she brought many traditional songs to a wider audience and helped spur the interest in both traditional and contemporary folk music. Her performances at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival and at anti-war rallies helped to raise the profile of both folk music and the protest movement.

Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie was an American folk singer and songwriter who was influential in the 1940’s and 1950’s. He is best known for his songs “This Land Is Your Land” and “Roll on Columbia”. Guthrie was a central figure in the American folk music revival of the 1960’s. His songs were adapted by many artists, including Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen.

Lead Belly

Huddie William Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, was the most influential folk music performer of the 1960s. He was born in Shrevesport, Louisiana in 1888 and died in New York City in 1949. His music was a mixture of blues, gospel, and country, and he is best known for his 12-string guitar playing and his distinctive vocal style. Lead Belly’s songs were often about social issues such as racism and poverty, and he is credited with helping to spread the folk music revival of the 1960s.

The Weavers

The Weavers were an influential folk music group that was popular in the 1950s and early 1960s. The group’s members were Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. The Weavers helped to popularize many traditional folk songs, such as “On Top of Old Smokey” and “Danny Boy”, and also wrote some of their own songs, such as “If I Had a Hammer”. They were blacklisted during the McCarthy era for their leftist political beliefs.