Folk Music Radio Airplay Chart
May 2026, Week 1

Compiled by Richard Gillmann
From Playlists Submitted to FOLKDJ-L

TOP ALBUMS of May 2026, Week 1
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2322 plays from 82 playlists from 65 Folk DJs

  1: "Low Country Wedding," Jefferson Ross [Self, 4/2026] (13)
        "Gideon" (4)
        "The Travis Style" (2)
        "Red State Blues" (2)
  2: "Never Done," Annie & Rod Capps [Maynard, 4/2026] (12)
        "Thread" (4)
        "Pardon My Dust" (3)
        "Never Done" (2)
  3: "Dark on a Sunny Day," Maisy Owen [Tompkins Square, 5/2026] (10)
        "My Youth Is All For You" (4)
        "I Can Be Just Like You" (2)
        "Dark On A Sunny Day" (2)
  4: "Broken River," Hank Alrich [Walkinay, 5/2026] (9)
        "One of Your Lovers" (2)
        "Blue Guru" (2)
  4: "Citizen," Crys Matthews [Shamus, 5/2026] (9)
        "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" (5)
        "Citizen feat. Resistance Revival Chorus" (2)
        "Citizen" (2)
  6: "Field Notes," Dave Gunning [Self, 2/2026] (8)
        "World of Make Believe" (3)
  6: "The Great Irish Songbook, Vol. 2: Poets & Storytellers," Dervish [Down The Road, 4/2026] (8)
        "Blue Is the Eye" (2)
        "The Broad Majestic Shannon Featuring Cathy Jordan" (2)
  6: "Overdue for a Revolution," Martin Kerr [Nettwerk, 3/2026] (8)
        "Overdue for a Revolution" (3)
  6: "Sing Me Alive," I'm With Her [Rounder, 5/2026] (8)
        "The Obvious Child" (2)
  6: "We Were Made for These Times," The Klezmatics [Shamus, 5/2026] (8)
        "We Were Made for These Times" (2)
        "Plane Wreck at Los Gatos" (2)
 11: "Joe Hill's Last Will," John McCutcheon [Appalsongs, 2015] (7/8)
        "It's A Long Way To The Soupline" (2)
        "Joe Hill's Last Will" (2)
 11: "If I Had A Hammer," Pete Seeger [Smithsonian/Folkways] (7)
        "Well May the World Go" (1)
 13: "Appalachia," Emily Scott Robinson [Oh Boy, 1/2026] (6)
        "Appalachia" (2)
 13: "Dream Chaser," Willie Nelson [Legacy, 4/2026] (6)
        "I Can't Read Your Mind" (2)
 13: "Earl Jam," Tony Trischka [Down The Road, 2024] (6)
        "Old Cacklin Hen" (1)
 13: "Live at the Rock House," Sky Smeed [Self, 4/2026] (6)
        "Smoke and Spice" (1)
 13: "Mountains on the Moon," Paper Wings [Self, 3/2026] (6)
        "Fumblin'" (4)
 13: "Old No. 1 Revisited," Various Artists [Truly Handmade, 4/2026] (6)
        "A Nickel For The Fiddler," Kelsey Waldon (2)
 13: "Path of Totality," The Montvales [Free Dirt, 3/2026] (6)
        "Overtime" (1)
 13: "Sumatra," Paula Boggs Band [Boggs, 4/2026] (6)
        "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" (2)
        "Route 66" (2)
 13: "Wake Me Up Martha," Andy Revkin [Self] (6)
        "Good News from 2044" (2)
 22: "Business Unusual," Goodnight Moonshine [Self, 2/2026] (5)
        "Get What's Mine" (1)
 22: "Love & Labour," Hannah & Nathan [Self, 4/2026] (5)
        "Blood is Thicker than Water" (2)
 22: "Magic Accident," Della Mae [Compass, 1/2026] (5)
        "Family Tree" (2)
 22: "Rainy Nights & Rearview Windows," Sue Horowitz [Self, 3/2026] (5)
        "Mystic" (2)
        "Burn" (2)
 22: "Twilight Tales," The Heart Collectors [Spins The Gold, 4/2026] (5)
        "One Voice" (3)
 22: "Veranda," Veranda [Big In The Garden, 5/2026] (5)
        "Sans Ardillon" (1)
 22: "When We Stand Together," Magpie [Long Tail, 2017] (5)
        "Workers of the World Awaken" (2)
 22: "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard," Andy Cohen, Eleanor & William Lee Ellis [Riverlark] (5)
        "Memphis Minnie and Me" (1)
 30: "Baggage Flies Free," Ed Snodderly [Majestic, 5/2026] (4)
        "Coming Down This Road" (2)
 30: "Better Times," Matthew Payne [Self, 4/2026] (4)
        "Adilena" (1)
 30: "Black Oak Ridge," Izaak Atlas Schwartz [Self] (4)
        "South" (2)
 30: "Blessing on the Wing," Newberry & Verch [Slab Town, 4/2026] (4)
        "Blessing on the Wing" (2)
 30: "Deportee," Eilen Jewell [Signature Sounds] (4)
        "Deportee" (4)
 30: "Devils & Doves," Sam Bergquist [Self, 3/2026] (4)
        "Louisiana Lightning" (1)
 30: "The Fiddle & the Drum," Renee Fleming [Thirty Tigers, 4/2026] (4)
        "My Epitaph" (3)
 30: "Flight of the Robin," Debi Smith [Self, 2/2026] (4)
        "Flight of the Robin" (2)
 30: "Fortune Teller," Bobby Dove [New Motor] (4)
        "Billie Holiday" (1)
 30: "Keep Going," Ken Whiteley [Pyramid, 2/2026] (4)
        "I'll Just Say I'm Fine" (3)
 30: "Long Long Road," Ringo Starr [UMe, 4/2026] (4)
        "Returning Without Tears" (2)
 30: "Lost Cause Lover Fool," The Milk Carton Kids [Thirty Tigers, 2/2026] (4)
        "I'll Go Home From Here" (1)
 30: "Simple As," Johnsmith [Blue Pine, 5/2026] (4)
        "Blue Rain" (1)
 30: "Stone by Stone," Friction Farm [Self, 9/2025] (4)
        "Everything Will Be All Right" (1)
 30: "Summer's End," Garnet Rogers [Snow Goose, 2014] (4)
        "Shadows on the Water" (1)
 30: "Thread The Light," The McDades [Free Radio] (4)
        "Dance Around the Spinning Wheel" (2)
 30: "Villain Era," India Ramey [Bluelan, 4/2026] (4)
        "Cryin' in My Lingerie" (1)
 30: "When Summer Comes," David Coller [Upstart Yankee, 4/2026] (4)
        "Let Nothing Come Between Us" (2)
 30: "Middle of Nowhere," Kacey Musgraves [Lost Highway, 5/2026] (4)
        "Horses and Divorces" (2)

TOP SONGS of May 2026, Week 1
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2322 plays from 82 playlists from 65 Folk DJs

1. "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" (6)
     from "Citizen" (Crys Matthews)
2. "Deportee" (4)
     from "Deportee" (Eilen Jewell)
2. "Fumblin'" (4)
     from "Mountains on the Moon" (Paper Wings)
2. "Gideon" (4)
     from "Low Country Wedding" (Jefferson Ross)
2. "My Youth Is All For You" (4)
     from "Dark on a Sunny Day" (Maisy Owen)
2. "No Kings! No Kings!" (4)
     from "No Kings! No Kings! - single" (Tom Chapin & John Forster)
2. "Thread" (4)
     from "Never Done" (Annie & Rod Capps)
8. "One Voice" (3)
     from "Twilight Tales" (The Heart Collectors)
8. "Bad Dude" (3)
     from "Bad Dude - single" (Joe H. Henry)
8. "Dance Around The Spinning Wheel" (3)
     from "Thread the Light" (The McDades)
8. "I'll Just Say I'm Fine" (3)
     from "Keep Going" (Ken Whiteley)
8. "My Epitaph" (3)
     from "My Epitaph - single" (Renée Fleming with Béla Fleck)
8. "The Obvious Child" (3)
     from "Sing Me Alive" (I'm With Her)
8. "Overdue for a Revolution" (3)
     from "Overdue for a Revolution" (Martin Kerr)
8. "Pardon My Dust" (3)
     from "Never Done" (Annie & Rod Capps)

TOP ARTISTS of May 2026, Week 1
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2322 plays from 82 playlists from 65 Folk DJs

1. Pete Seeger (55)
        "If I Had A Hammer" (7)
2. Crys Matthews (14)
        "Citizen" (9)
3. Jefferson Ross (13)
        "Low Country Wedding" (13)
3. John McCutcheon (13)
        "Joe Hill's Last Will" (8)
5. Annie & Rod Capps (12)
        "Never Done" (12)
6. Dervish (10)
        "The Great Irish Songbook, Vol. 2: Poets & Storytellers" (8)
6. I'm With Her (10)
        "Sing Me Alive" (8)
6. Maisy Owen (10)
        "Dark on a Sunny Day" (10)
9. Dave Gunning (8)
        "Field Notes" (8)
9. Hank Alrich (8)
        "Broken River" (8)
9. The Klezmatics (8)
        "We Were Made for These Times" (8)
9. Magpie (8)
        "When We Stand Together" (5)
9. Martin Kerr (8)
        "Overdue for a Revolution" (8)
9. Tony Trischka (8)
        "Earl Jam" (6)
9. Willie Nelson (8)
        "Dream Chaser" (6)
16. Andy Revkin (7)
        "Wake Me Up Martha" (6)
16. Joe Jencks (7)
        "Rise As One" (2)
16. Utah Phillips (7)
        "Good Though!" (2)

TOP LABELS of May 2026, Week 1
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2322 plays from 82 playlists from 65 Folk DJs

1. Rounder (40)
1. Smithsonian/Folkways (40)
3. Columbia (23)
4. Red House (21)
5. Compass (19)
6. Shamus (18)
7. Appleseed (15)
8. Thirty Tigers (14)
9. Signature Sounds (13)
10. Down The Road (12)
10. Sugar Hill (12)
12. Appalsongs (11)
12. Legacy (11)
14. Warner (10)
15. Nettwerk (9)
15. Oh Boy (9)
15. Rhino (9)
15. Tompkins Square (9)
15. Walkinay (9)
20. Atlantic (8)
20. Free Dirt (8)
20. Maynard (8)
20. Nonesuch (8)
20. Philo (8)
20. Pinecastle (8)

FOLK DJs - May 2026, Week 1
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2322 plays from 82 playlists from 65 Folk DJs

Allen Larman (KPFK-FM, CA)
Angela Page (WJFF-FM & folkmusicnotebook.com, NY)
Art Menius (WHUP-LP, NC)
Artie Martello (folkmusicnotebook.com, NY)
Bill Revill (WESU-FM, CT)
Bob Weiser (WOMR-FM & WFMR-FM, MA)
Bruce Cameron (2MCE-FM, Australia)
Bruce Swan (WSFM-LP, NC)
Chris Kocher (WHRW-FM, NY)
Colin Fielding (3INR-FM, Australia)
Craig Huegel (WMNF-FM, FL)
Dan Alloway (KTEP-FM, TX)
Daryana Antipova (WFHB-FM)
David John (KAXE/KBXE-FM, MN)
David Sears (WBGU-FM, OH)
Denis McGilvray (KWGS-FM, OK)
Diane Hunt (KBOO-FM, OR)
Dick Hermans (WKZE-FM, NY)
Ed Mellnick (KBOO-FM, OR)
Eureka Mike (WFCF-FM & thesonicplanet.com, FL)
Gerry Goodfriend (CKUT-FM, QC)
Graham Dean & Barbara Dean (WBCR-LP, MA)
Jack Dugan (WIOX-FM, NY)
Jan Vanderhorst (justusfolk.com, ON)
Jean Geiger (mixcloud.com)
Jenny Flux (2BBB-FM, Australia)
Jim Gilliland (WRUW-FM, OH)
Jim Marino (CFMU-FM, ON)
Joe Pszonek (folkmusicnotebook.com, SC)
Johnny Bazzano (KRCB-FM, CA)
Jon Stein (WTBQ-FM, NY)
Justin Helmer (KVSC-FM, MN)
Karen Rakos (KEUL-FM, AK)
Katrina Knight (mixcloud.com & folkmusicnotebook.com)
Ken Batista (WRCT-FM, PA)
Kevin Elliott (WEFT-FM, IL)
Kevin Vance (KALW-FM & KPFA-FM, CA)
Len Holton (KUAR-FM & mixcloud.com, AR)
Lilli Kuzma (WDCB-FM, IL)
Marc Albert (KMUZ-FM & mixcloud.com, OR)
Mark Michaelis (WGDR/WGDH-FM, VT)
Menachem Vinegrad (Radio Upper Galilee & folkmusicnotebook.com, Israel)
Michael Alzo (WSLU-FM, NY)
Michael Park (mixcloud.com, PRX)
Mike Regenstreif (CKCU-FM, ON)
Mitch Park (Radio Hawke's Bay & Radio Kidnappers, New Zealand)
Nick Noble (WICN-FM, MA)
Norm Mast (WVPE-FM, IN)
Paul Hartman (WTMD-FM, MD)
Paul Porzio (Cox Cable, VA)
Pete Thomas (WAER-FM, NY)
Peter Kernast (WTSR-FM, NJ)
Richard Gillmann (KBCS-FM & mixcloud.com, WA)
Richard Gordon (WRCT-FM & mixcloud.com, PA)
Richard Howard (KZMU-FM, UT)
Ron Cooke (KTAL-LP, NM)
Steve Brockway (KRFC-FM, CO)
Steve Edge (CiTR-FM & syndicated, BC)
Stu Weaver (WFCF-FM, FL)
Susan Forbes Hansen (WWUH-FM & WHUS-FM, CT)
Tom Coxworth (CKUA-FM, AB)
Tom Funk (KGLP-FM, NM)
Wally Bowen (KOCF-LP, OR)
Wanda Fischer (WAMC-FM & mixcloud.com, NY)
Zeke Duckworthy & Andy Rogovin (WZBC-FM, MA)