Folk Music Radio Airplay Chart
May 2026, Week 4

Compiled by Richard Gillmann
From Playlists Submitted to FOLKDJ-L

TOP ALBUMS of May 2026, Week 4
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2590 plays from 92 playlists from 73 Folk DJs

  1: "When I Am a Fossil," Benny Bleu [Circus Tent, 5/2026] (20)
        "When I Am a Fossil" (6)
        "I've Endured" (4)
        "Fairy Shrimp" (3)
        "Serenity Song" (3)
  2: "Simple As," Johnsmith [Blue Pine, 5/2026] (17)
        "Simple As" (5)
        "Thick as Thieves" (3)
        "Ready For This" (3)
  3: "Sing Me Alive," I'm With Her [Rounder, 5/2026] (13)
        "Find My Way to You - Atlanta" (3)
        "See You Around" (2)
        "Sisters of the Night Watch" (2)
        "Strawberry Moonrise" (2)
  4: "Don't Think Twice," Abbie Gardner [Self, 5/2026] (11)
        "Masters of War" (9)
        "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" (2)
  5: "Baggage Flies Free," Ed Snodderly [Majestic, 5/2026] (9)
        "When Doc Watson Come to Johnson City" (3)
        "Coming Down This Road" (2)
  5: "Love & Labour," Hannah & Nathan [Self, 4/2026] (9)
        "Maggie" (2)
        "Little Bird" (2)
  5: "Veranda," Veranda [Big In The Garden, 5/2026] (9)
        "Si demain" (2)
  8: "Middle of Nowhere," Kacey Musgraves [Lost Highway, 5/2026] (8)
        "I Believe in Ghosts" (2)
  8: "Over Again," A Different Thread [Same Cloth, 5/2026] (8)
        "Over Again" (3)
        "Sorrow Brings Me Joy" (2)
  8: "Ring Them Bells," The Copper Ponies [Hudson Harding, 2013] (8)
        "Ring Them Bells" (6)
        "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" (2)
  8: "Time," Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band [Thirty Tigers, 5/2026] (8)
        "Talkin' Blues" (2)
        "Sweet Lorene" (2)
 12: "Dream Chaser," Willie Nelson [Legacy, 4/2026] (7)
        "Developing my Pictures" (1)
 12: "The Great Irish Songbook, Vol. 2: Poets & Storytellers," Dervish [Down The Road, 4/2026] (7)
        "Blue is the Eye" (1)
 12: "Raise Your Voice," Various Artists [Kim Eaton] (7)
        "I Don't Want Your Billions, Mister," David Scott Weaver (2)
 12: "These Are the Days That Turn Into Years," Pharis & Jason Romero [Self, 5/2026] (7)
        "Last Call" (3)
        "Big Time World" (2)
 16: "Appalachia," Emily Scott Robinson [Oh Boy, 1/2026] (6)
        "Bless It All" (2)
        "The Time for Flowers" (2)
 16: "Dark on a Sunny Day," Maisy Owen [Tompkins Square, 5/2026] (6)
        "Letters" (2)
 16: "Fortune Teller," Bobby Dove [New Motor, 5/2026] (6)
        "Not Much Of An Outlaw" (2)
 16: "Magic Accident," Della Mae [Compass, 1/2026] (6)
        "Takes All Kinds" (2)
        "Out Run 'Em" (2)
 16: "Never Done," Annie & Rod Capps [Maynard, 4/2026] (6)
        "Never Done" (3)
        "Pardon My Dust" (2)
 16: "A Nod to Bob 2 - An Artists' Tribute to Bob Dylan On His 70th Birthday," Various Artists [Red House] (6)
        "Every Grain of Sand," Lucy Kaplansky (2)
 16: "Other Voices, Other Rooms," Nanci Griffith [Elektra, 1995] (6)
        "Boots of Spanish Leather" (3)
 16: "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits," Bob Dylan [SME] (6)
        "Blowin' in the Wind" (2)
        "Positively 4th Street" (2)
 24: "Thread the Light," The McDades [Free Radio, 5/2026] (5/7)
        "Dance Around the Spinning Wheel" (2)
 24: "Build Our Dreams," Neale Eckstein [Self, 5/2026] (5)
        "Made It Through Bad Times" (2)
 24: "Childish Things," James McMurtry [Compadre, 2005] (5)
        "Memorial Day" (5)
 24: "Citizen," Crys Matthews [Shamus, 5/2026] (5)
        "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" (3)
        "Citizen" (2)
 24: "Great American Jukebox," Various Artists [Right Turn On Red] (5)
        "Madman Across the Water," Michael J Miles with Jill Kaeding (2)
 24: "Keep On Keepin On," Dave Mininberg [Self] (5)
        "Butterfly Song" (1)
 24: "Rifles And Rosary Beads," Mary Gauthier [In The Black, 2018] (5)
        "Rifles and Rosary Beads" (2)
 24: "Seasons Unknown," The Two Tracks [Self] (5)
        "Building Walls" (2)
 24: "Twilight Tales," The Heart Collectors [Spins The Gold, 4/2026] (5)
        "Kite Song" (3)

TOP SONGS of May 2026, Week 4
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2590 plays from 92 playlists from 73 Folk DJs

1. "Masters of War" (9)
     from "Don't Think Twice" (Abbie Gardner)
2. "Ring Them Bells" (6)
     from "Ring Them Bells" (The Copper Ponies)
2. "When I Am a Fossil" (6)
     from "When I Am a Fossil" (Benny Bleu)
4. "Arlington" (5)
     from "A Very Fine Line" (Andy Revkin)
4. "Memorial Day" (5)
     from "Childish Things" (James McMurtry)
4. "Simple As" (5)
     from "Simple As" (Johnsmith)
7. "American Dissident" (4)
     from "American Dissident" (John Flynn)
7. "Dover" (4)
     from "Two Wolves" (John Flynn)
7. "Heaven" (4)
     from "Reunion" (Mama's Broke)
7. "I've Endured" (4)
     from "When I Am a Fossil" (Benny Bleu)
7. "Let Them In" (4)
     from "Home Again" (John Gorka)
7. "Touch a Name on the Wall" (4)
     from "Retold" (Joel Mabus)
13. "Boots of Spanish Leather" (3)
     from "Other Voices, Other Rooms" (Nanci Griffith)
13. "Down the Line" (3)
     from "Waves" (Dirk Powell)

TOP ARTISTS of May 2026, Week 4
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2590 plays from 92 playlists from 73 Folk DJs

1. Bob Dylan (70)
        "The Cutting Edge 1965-1966" (7)
2. Benny Bleu (20)
        "When I Am a Fossil" (20)
3. Johnsmith (18)
        "Simple As" (17)
4. I'm With Her (15)
        "Sing Me Alive" (13)
4. Nanci Griffith (15)
        "Other Voices, Other Rooms" (6)
        "Storms" (3)
6. Abbie Gardner (11)
        "Don't Think Twice" (11)
6. Eliza Gilkyson (11)
        "Land Of Milk And Honey" (3)
6. Joan Baez (11)
        "Ring Them Bells" (2)
6. John Flynn (11)
        "American Dissident" (4)
        "Two Wolves" (4)
6. Mary Gauthier (11)
        "Rifles And Rosary Beads" (5)
11. Dervish (9)
        "The Great Irish Songbook, Vol. 2: Poets & Storytellers" (7)
11. John Gorka (9)
        "The Company You Keep" (2)
11. Pharis & Jason Romero (9)
        "These Are the Days That Turn Into Years" (7)
11. Veranda (9)
        "Veranda" (9)
11. Willie Nelson (9)
        "Dream Chaser" (7)
16. Crys Matthews (8)
        "Citizen" (5)
16. Della Mae (8)
        "Magic Accident" (6)
16. A Different Thread (8)
        "Over Again" (8)
16. Kacey Musgraves (8)
        "Middle of Nowhere" (8)
16. Steep Canyon Rangers (8)
        "Next Act" (3)
16. Tom Paxton (8)
        "The Best of Tom Paxton: I Can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound" (2)
22. Andy Revkin (7)
        "A Very Fine Line" (4)
        "Wake Me Up Martha" (3)
22. Annie & Rod Capps (7)
        "Never Done" (6)
22. Emily Scott Robinson (7)
        "Appalachia" (6)
22. Eric Bogle (7)
        "By Request" (1)
22. John Prine (7)
        "John Prine" (2)
22. Maisy Owen (7)
        "Dark on a Sunny Day" (6)
22. Pete Seeger (7)
        "The Best of Broadside 1962-1998" (1)
22. Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band (7)
        "Time" (7)

TOP LABELS of May 2026, Week 4
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2590 plays from 92 playlists from 73 Folk DJs

1. Rounder (61)
2. Columbia (55)
3. Red House (42)
4. Warner (23)
5. Smithsonian/Folkways (22)
6. Free Dirt (19/21)
6. Sugar Hill (19)
6. Thirty Tigers (19)
9. Compass (18)
9. Elektra (18)
11. Circus Tent (16)
11. SME (16)
13. Blue Pine (15)
13. Signature Sounds (15)
15. Philo (13)
16. Borealis (11)
17. Down The Road (10)
17. Legacy (10)
17. Oh Boy (10)
17. Vanguard (10)

FOLK DJs - May 2026, Week 4
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 2590 plays from 92 playlists from 73 Folk DJs

Al Kniola (WVPE-FM, IN)
Angela Page (WJFF-FM & folkmusicnotebook.com, NY)
Annie Keville (WVBR-FM, NY)
Art Menius (WHUP-LP, NC)
Art Stevenson (WORT-FM, WI)
Artie Martello (folkmusicnotebook.com, NY)
Bill "Rusty" Crowell & Jan Alba (WPPM-FM & mixcloud.com, PA)
Bill Revill (WESU-FM, CT)
Bob Weiser (WOMR-FM & WFMR-FM, NY)
Bruce Cameron (2MCE-FM, Australia)
Charlie Backfish (WUSB-FM, NY)
Chris Kocher (WHRW-FM, NY)
Colin Fielding (3INR-FM, Australia)
Dan Shramek (KBOO-FM, OR)
Dave Aton (WRFG-FM & mixcloud.com, GA)
David Sears (WBGU-FM & syndicated, OH)
Diane Hunt (KBOO-FM, OR)
Dick Hermans (WKZE-FM, NY)
Ed Mellnick (KBOO-FM, OR)
Ellen Stanley (KFAI-FM & folkmusicnotebook.com, MN)
Eureka Mike (WFCF-FM & thesonicplanet.com, FL)
Gerry Goodfriend (CKUT-FM, QC)
Gordon Nash (folkmusicnotebook.com)
Harlon Joye (WRFG-FM, GA)
Helen Leicht (folkmusicnotebook.com)
Jack Dugan (WIOX-FM, NY)
Jan Vanderhorst (justusfolk.com, ON)
Jenny Flux (2BBB-FM, Australia)
Jim Gilliland (WRUW-FM, OH)
Jim Marino (CFMU-FM, ON)
Joe Pszonek (folkmusicnotebook.com, SC)
John Weingart (WPRB-FM, NJ)
Johnny Bazzano (KRCB-FM, CA)
Jon Stein (WTBQ-FM, NY)
Justin Helmer (KVSC-FM, MN)
Karen Rakos (KEUL-FM, AK)
Katrina Knight (folkmusicnotebook.com)
Ken Batista (WRCT-FM, PA)
Kevin Vance (KALW-FM & KPFA-FM, CA)
Laurie DesJardins (KVMR-FM, CA)
Len Holton (KUAR-FM & mixcloud.com, AR)
Lilli Kuzma (WDCB-FM, IL)
Marc Albert (KMUZ-FM & mixcloud.com, OR)
Marilyn Rea Beyer (WFMT-FM, IL)
Mark Michaelis (WGDR/WGDH-FM, VT)
Michael Alzo (WSLU-FM, NY)
Michael Benson (WESU-FM, CT)
Michael Kane (WBRS-FM, MA)
Michael Park (PRX)
Michael Stock (WLRN-FM, FL)
Mike Regenstreif (CKCU-FM, ON)
Mitch Park (Radio Kidnappers & folktunefinder.com, New Zealand)
Nick Noble (WICN-FM, MA)
Paul Hartman (WTMD-FM, MD)
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)
Sonny Ochs (folkmusicnotebook.com, NY)
Steve Brockway (KRFC-FM, CO)
Steve Edge (CiTR-FM & syndicated, BC)
Stu Weaver (WFCF-FM, FL)
Sue Kessell (WNUR-FM, IL)
Susan Forbes Hansen (WWUH-FM & WHUS-FM, CT)
Taylor Caffery (WRKF-FM, LA)
Terry B. Moses & Naomi Soule (KCLC-FM, MO)
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)