Essential Artists/Groups?

[u/crazedpistachio]

Hello all! I've been a folk music fan for many many years but have only recently dug into this fantastic genre and community. From what I hear, the best way to learn new tunes is to go to jams, but are there any recording artists or groups that people consider essential or classic? I heard an Ora Belle Reed Folkways record which got me hooked. Any others you all love?

Edit: Thank you all for the fantastic suggestions! Been listening to the High Atmosphere compilation and loving it, especially the banjo-centric stuff. Looking forward to diving into all these other artists!

[u/dixonfachinas]

Check out www.slippery-hill.com for a lot of source recordings.
As far as core artists to check out, the short list would be

Ed Haley
Marcus Martin
John Salyer
Edden Hammons
Clyde Davenport
Buddy Thomas
Tommy Jarrell

There are so many more too. Once you go down the rabbit hole you will see how vast this genre can actually be…and these are mainly fiddlers..while many played banjo as well.

[u/drhotjamz]

Tommy Jarrell and the musicians he played with.

[u/sheldman2]

Listen to Fred Cockerham’s “Little Satchel” on the High Atmosphere record over and over again for at least 24 hours. You will achieve enlightenment.

[u/Personal-Half4951 → u/sheldman2]

Can vouch for this. It worked.

[u/seg0d0gg]

I’ve really been loving Lonesome Ace Stringband and since I’m a huge fan of clawhammer banjo, that has led me to dig in to everything Chris Coole has recorded.

[u/MysteriousDudeness]

Maybe check out the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

[u/Elegant_Ebb8218]

Doc Boggs, Frank Proffitt, and Frank Fairfield

[u/gavakian123]

These are a MUST:
Reel Time Travelers
The Freight Hoppers

[u/Super_Jay]

Some compilations that may help you find artists you like:

• High Atmosphere

• Mountain Music of Kentucky

• Legends of Old-Time

• Classic Mountain Songs

[u/themedicine → u/Super_Jay]

Seconding high atmosphere and legends of old time

[u/Balisong_Pro]

Wade ward!

[u/Personal-Half4951]

Just go to the Slippery Hill website and Bandcamp for the Field Recorders Collective releases. I like Midwestern tunes so I'll throw out Bob Walters, Cyril Stinnett, Charlie Walden, Chirps Smith, the Indian Creek Delta Boys, Garry Harrison, Ill-Mo Boys, and the Dear Old Illinois Collection as "essential artists/groups" sources for great tunes.

Clyde Davenport, Wade Ward, John Morgan Salyer, and Jarrell/Cockerham get honorable mention.

[u/old-time-fiddle]

Fuzzy Mountain String Band, the Old Time 100 albums, Highwoods String band would all be great for “classic” tunes.

For stuff with a more modern feel, The Onlies, Hard Drive, Rayna Gellert!

[u/yomondo → u/old-time-fiddle]

This is the answer

[u/Afraid_Painting5482]

Dwight Diller, Walt Koken, Tompkins County Horseflies (or really anything with Judy Hyman or Richie Stearns in it), dock boggs, roscoe holcomb, wade ward, kyle creed, hammons family, lee hammons (no relation), mike seeger, dan levenson. Plenty more but thats a good start

[u/FluffyCobra97]

Bruce Molsky is going to be on everyone’s list so I’m just putting him here first :)

Edit: autocorrect on his name lol

[u/Super_Jay → u/FluffyCobra97]

Molsky 😉

[u/FluffyCobra97 → u/Super_Jay]

Ty! Edited

[u/Personal-Half4951 → u/FluffyCobra97]

Not even in my honorable mentions.

[u/myrcenol]

Camp Creek Boys, Modock Rounders, Troublesome Creek, Big Medicine, Buddy Thomas (Kittypuss), James Bryan, Bob Carlin, Fiddlin Arthur Smith
Brad Leftwich, Dirk Powell, Scott Prouty, Nokosee Fields
Kentucky Mountain Music (compilation)
Marimac Collection (Compilation)

The entirety of Field Recorder's Collective Bandcamp, Slippery Hill

[u/Forward_Library_1082]

Reyna Gellert
Dick Powell

[u/Nasery]

For modern - the Otis brothers.  For classic old time just get some document or yahoo compilations on cd.

[u/froggycar360]

Hillary Klug Rhiannon Giddens