Folk Music Radio Airplay Chart
September 2026 (so far)

Compiled by Richard Gillmann
From Playlists Submitted to FOLKDJ-L

TOP ALBUMS of September 2026
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 5261 plays from 197 playlists from 88 Folk DJs

  1: "Smoketree," The Kennedys [Self, 8/2026] (62)
        "Smoketree" (13)
        "Without Us" (13)
  2: "So Much for Goodbyes," Billy Strings [Reprise, 7/2026] (34)
        "Mill Town Flood" (6)
        "I Like Train Songs" (5)
  3: "Troubadourly Yours," Scott Cook [Release Guru, 8/2026] (27)
        "Steady for You" (6)
        "Troubadourly Yours" (6)
        "A Bigger Tent" (5)
  3: "Williams Branch Is Hard to Find," Carla Gover & Friends [Legacy, 9/2026] (27)
        "Williams Branch Is Hard To Find" (5)
        "Plant a Seed, Write a Song" (4)
  5: "Reunion," Mama's Broke [Free Dirt, 5/2026] (25)
        "Failing" (6)
        "Heaven" (5)
        "Fifolet Waltz" (4)
  6: "Requiem for a Sleepless Night," Kelly Hunt [Compass, 8/2026] (21)
        "All the King's Horses" (6)
        "Dreamer" (5)
  7: "Home-Brewed," Kate Macleod's Mind the Gap [Courier, 8/2026] (20)
        "I Will Sing My Heart Out" (9)
        "Good Old Virginia" (3)
        "The Old Charles Town Pike" (3)
  8: "Little Sparrow," Dolly Parton [Sugar Hill, 2001] (19)
        "Little Sparrow" (9)
        "In The Sweet By And By" (4)
  8: "The Morning Dark," Hayden Stern [Adhyâropa, 9/2026] (19)
        "The Morning Dark" (3)
        "Heather Lake" (3)
 10: "Head Noise," Stephanie Sammons [Point Guard, 8/2026] (18)
        "Darkest Hours" (5)
        "Lone Coyote" (5)
        "Marathon" (3)
 10: "Trio," Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris [Warner, 1987] (18)
        "Wildflowers" (7)
 12: "Heirloom," Nathan Evans Fox [Free Dirt, 7/2026] (15)
        "Little Bit of Shine" (4)
        "Sidewalk Preacher" (3)
        "Heirloom" (2)
 12: "Over the Horizon," Giselle & Erik [Self, 9/2026] (15)
        "Little One" (3)
        "Morning Brew" (3)
        "Right Road" (3)
 14: "Tonight's News," Ken Pomeroy [Rounder] (14)
        "This Old Guitar" (5)
        "Late for the Sky" (4)
        "Sentimental Lady" (3)
        "Deportee" (2)
 15: "Labor Day," Various Artists [Strictly Country, 2024] (13)
        "The Old Labor Hall," Joe Jencks (3)
        "Hold Our Ground Forever," Tom Chapin and the Chapin Sisters (2)
 15: "Rattlin' Bones," Bronwyn [Sugar Petunia, 8/2026] (13)
        "Chasing Storms" (3)
        "Sticks and Stones" (3)
        "Blink of an Eye" (2)
 15: "Reckoning," Mary Gauthier [Thirty Tigers] (13)
        "Alcohol and Adderall" (11)
 18: "In the Hour of Chaos," Allison Russell [Fantasy, 7/2026] (12)
        "Really Real" (5)
        "Love Is A Golden Lion" (3)
        "Chaos Theory" (2)
 18: "Northern Border," Kitty Donohoe [Roheen, 2008] (12)
        "There Are No Words" (12)
 18: "Odds...and Even So," Jon Shain [Flyin'] (12)
        "Morning Song" (4)
        "Harlequin Moon" (3)
        "Balsam Mountain Rag" (2)
        "Butterfly Wings" (2)
 21: "Vigil," Various Artists [Conscious, 2002] (11/19)
        "When Mohammed Came To The Mountain," Frank tadeso (2)
        "Ground zero," Jack Hardy (2)
        "On a Clear Day," Jack Hardy (2)
 21: "Cover to Cover," AJ Lee & Blue Summit [Signature Sounds] (11)
        "Red Dirt Girl" (4)
        "Tear My Stillhouse Down" (2)
        "Fishin' In The Dark" (2)
 21: "Gratuitous Grace," Richard Peter Morris [Chutney & Mango, 8/2026] (11)
        "Same Old Moon" (7)
 21: "The Grass Is Blue," Dolly Parton [Sugar Hill, 1999] (11)
        "I'm Gonna Sleep with One Eye Open" (2)
        "Travelin' Prayer" (2)
        "I Am Ready" (2)
 21: "In the Meantime," Brant Miller [Miller Woods, 8/2026] (11)
        "Floodwaters Are Risin' Again" (2)
        "The Last Songwriter" (2)
        "I Wanna Be Cool!" (2)
        "Sometimes You Just Gotta Let It Go" (2)
 21: "Tamarack," Kalos [Self] (11)
        "The Open Door" (3)
        "Neath The Gloaming Star At E'en" (2)
        "For Pete" (2)
 21: "Trade My Troubles," Rising Appalachia [Self, 8/2026] (11)
        "Chance At Wholesome" (4)
        "Million Colors" (3)
 28: "The Breakdown," Keb' Mo' [Concord] (10)
        "More Yesterdays" (2)
        "Hand It Over" (2)
 28: "Buddy Miller," Buddy Miller [New West] (10)
        "As Long As I Have You" (6)
        "Don't Look Back" (2)
 28: "The Complete Trio Collection," Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris [Rhino, 2016] (10)
        "Farther Along" (2)
 28: "Hope Is the Thing," Rhiannon Giddens [Nonesuch, 7/2026] (10)
        "Carolina Rain" (6)
        "Freight Train" (4)
 28: "Mayday!," George Mann & Si Kahn [Legacy, 7/2026] (10)
        "Hard Times" (2)
        "The Gap" (2)
        "One Voice" (2)
 28: "Now I Know," Christopher Mark Jones [Small Batch, 8/2026] (10)
        "The Steelworker's Daughter" (6)
 28: "Reel 2 Reel 4 Real," Ray Wylie Hubbard [Soundly] (10)
        "A Murder Of Crows" (3)
        "Cassette Mix Tape" (2)
        "Dog or Wolf" (2)
 28: "Unadorned," Deborah Holland [Self, 8/2026] (10)
        "How Much Money" (3)
        "Walking the Dog in the Rain" (2)
 28: "This Village," Ranky Tanky [Self, 8/2026] (10)
        "Lift Me Up" (2)
        "Stomp It In The Ground" (2)
        "Be Alright" (2)
 37: "The Air That You Breathe," Lance Cowan [Lantzapalooza, 7/2026] (9/11)
        "Air That You Breathe" (2)
        "Where'd They Go" (2)
 37: "Blues Grass," Arlen Roth [Momojo, 8/2026] (9)
        "I Am a Pilgrim" (2)
        "The Little Girl & The Dreadful Snake" (2)
        "Sitting on Top of the World" (2)
 37: "Great Television," Elizabeth Cook [Agent Love] (9)
        "19th Nervous Breakdown" (3)
        "Okeechobee Mud" (2)
        "Girls of Atomic City" (2)
 37: "Just Because I'm A Woman," Various Artists [Sugar Hill] (9)
        "9 To 5," Alison Krauss (2)
 37: "New Skin," Judy Kass [Self, 7/2025] (9)
        "At Our Best" (9)
 37: "The Red Thread," Lucy Kaplansky [Red House, 2004] (9)
        "Land of the Living" (8)
 37: "Two Crows," Louise Grasmere [LEG] (9)
        "Two Crows" (5)
        "Great Big World" (2)
 44: "The Benevolence of Trees," Anne Hills [Self] (8)
        "Here Comes Love" (4)
        "The Benevolence of Trees" (4)
 44: "Blacktop Road," Doug Spears & Florida Cracker Collective [Gatorbone] (8)
        "Small Town Thing" (3)
        "Crazy Year" (2)
 44: "Diving In," Lynn Hollyfield [Self, 7/2026] (8)
        "Diving In" (2)
        "There Is Always A Way" (2)
 44: "Halos And Horns," Dolly Parton [Sugar Hill, 2002] (8)
        "Halos & Horns" (2)
        "Stairway to Heaven" (2)
        "These Old Bones" (2)
 44: "Modern Day Vagabond," Dallas Burrow [Self] (8)
        "Modern Day Vagabond" (3)
        "Let It Shine" (2)
 44: "Never Turning Back," Teni Rane [Self] (8)
        "Soil on My Soul" (3)
        "Places" (2)
 44: "Pilgrimage," Leeroy Stagger [Cordova Bay, 8/2026] (8)
        "Dogwood Flower" (2)
        "Summer Rain" (2)
 44: "Some Comfort," Kate Waters [Wild Raspberry, 8/2026] (8)
        "Honey I'm Tired" (3)
        "It Gets Better" (2)
 44: "These Are the Days That Turn In To Years," Pharis & Jason Romero [Self, 5/2026] (8)
        "Everybody Wants" (3)
        "Last Call" (2)
 44: "Light of the Hilo Moon," The Volcano Brothers [Black Hen] (8)
        "Honolulu Bound" (4)

TOP SONGS of September 2026
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 5261 plays from 197 playlists from 88 Folk DJs

1. "Alcohol and Adderall" (14)
     from "Reckoning" (Mary Gauthier)
1. "There Are No Words" (14)
     from "Northern Border" (Kitty Donohoe)
3. "Smoketree" (13)
     from "Smoketree" (The Kennedys)
3. "Without Us" (13)
     from "Smoketree" (The Kennedys)
5. "Believe In Kindness" (11)
     from "Believe in Kindness - single" (Deidre McCalla)
6. "Coat of Many Colors" (10)
     from "Coat of Many Colors" (Dolly Parton)
7. "At Our Best" (9)
     from "New Skin" (Judy Kass)
7. "I Will Sing My Heart Out" (9)
     from "Home-Brewed" (Kate Macleod's Mind the Gap)
7. "Little Sparrow" (9)
     from "Little Sparrow" (Dolly Parton)
10. "Grand Central Station" (8)
     from "Between Here And Gone" (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
10. "Land of the Living" (8)
     from "The Red Thread" (Lucy Kaplansky)
10. "The Steelworker's Daughter" (8)
     from "Now I Know" (Christopher Mark Jones)
13. "The Bravest" (7)
     from "Looking For The Moon" (Tom Paxton)
13. "Long Road To Freedom" (7)
     from "Smoketree" (The Kennedys)
13. "Same Old Moon" (7)
     from "Gratuitous Grace" (Richard Peter Morris)
13. "Seeds Of Peace" (7)
     from "Smoketree" (The Kennedys)
13. "September Song" (7)
     from "September Song - single" (Grant Peeples)
18. "All the King's Horses" (6)
     from "Requiem for a Sleepless Night" (Kelly Hunt)
18. "As Long As I Have You" (6)
     from "Buddy Miller" (Buddy Miller)
18. "Carolina Rain" (6)
     from "Hope Is the Thing" (Rhiannon Giddens)
18. "End of Summer" (6)
     from "The Kitchen Sessions" (John & Sheila Ludgate)
18. "Failing" (6)
     from "Reunion" (Mama's Broke)
18. "Grim Cathedral" (6)
     from "Skating Rink" (David Francey)
18. "Mill Town Flood" (6)
     from "So Much for Goodbyes" (Billy Strings)
18. "The Old Labor Hall" (6)
     from "Labor Day" (Joe Jencks)

TOP ARTISTS of September 2026
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 5261 plays from 197 playlists from 88 Folk DJs

1. Dolly Parton (113)
        "Little Sparrow" (19)
        "The Grass Is Blue" (11)
2. The Kennedys (67)
        "Smoketree" (62)
3. Billy Strings (35)
        "So Much for Goodbyes" (34)
4. Mama's Broke (29)
        "Reunion" (25)
4. Scott Cook (29)
        "Troubadourly Yours" (27)
6. Carla Gover & Friends (23)
        "Williams Branch Is Hard to Find" (20)
6. Hayden Stern (23)
        "The Morning Dark" (19)
        "Boston Harbor Welcome - single" (3)
6. Kate Macleod's Mind the Gap (23)
        "Home-Brewed" (20)
9. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris (21)
        "Trio" (11)
        "The Complete Trio Collection" (8)
9. John McCutcheon (21)
        "Joe Hill's Last Will" (6)
        "To Everyone in All the World: A Celebration of Pete Seeger" (3)
9. Kelly Hunt (21)
        "Requiem for a Sleepless Night" (21)
12. Mary Gauthier (19)
        "Reckoning" (13)
13. Stephanie Sammons (18)
        "Head Noise" (18)
14. Bob Dylan (17)
        "Bob Dylan" (2)
14. David Francey (17)
        "Skating Rink" (6)
        "The First Set: Live From Folk Alley" (3)
        "Torn Screen Door" (3)
        "The Waking Hour" (3)
16. Joe Jencks (16)
        "Rise As One" (5)
        "The Forgotten" (4)
        "Poets, Philosophers Workers & Wanderers" (4)
16. Jon Shain (16)
        "Odds...and Even So" (12)
18. Deidre McCalla (15)
        "Believe in Kindness - single" (11)
18. Giselle & Erik (15)
        "Over the Horizon" (15)
18. Joe Crookston (15)
        "Georgia I'm Here" (7)
        "Darkling & The Bluebird Jubilee" (4)
18. Ken Pomeroy (15)
        "Tonight's News" (14)
18. Kitty Donohoe (15)
        "Northern Border" (12)
18. Leonard Cohen (15)
        "Songs Of Love And Hate" (4)
        "Dear Heather" (3)
24. Christopher Mark Jones (14)
        "Now I Know" (10)
24. Lucy Kaplansky (14)
        "The Red Thread" (9)
26. Bronwyn (13)
        "Rattlin' Bones" (13)
26. Pete Seeger (13)
        "If I Had A Hammer: Songs Of Hope & Struggle" (3)
26. Rhiannon Giddens (13)
        "Hope Is the Thing" (10)
29. Brant Miller (12)
        "In the Meantime" (11)
29. George Mann & Si Kahn (12)
        "Mayday!" (10)
29. Joni Mitchell (12)
        "Blue" (2)
29. Judy Kass (12)
        "New Skin" (9)
        "Beyond The Ash And Steel" (3)
29. Kalos (12)
        "Tamarack" (11)
29. Keb' Mo' (12)
        "The Breakdown" (10)
29. Ray Wylie Hubbard (12)
        "Reel 2 Reel 4 Real" (10)
29. Richard Peter Morris (12)
        "Gratuitous Grace" (11)
29. Rising Appalachia (12)
        "Trade My Troubles" (11)
38. Eliza Gilkyson (11/21)
        "Dark Ages" (4)
        "Beautiful World" (3)
        "Songs From The River Wind" (3)
38. Allison Russell (11)
        "In the Hour of Chaos" (10)
38. Anne Hills (11)
        "The Benevolence of Trees" (8)
38. Deborah Holland (11)
        "Unadorned" (10)
38. Mary Chapin Carpenter (11)
        "Between Here And Gone" (6)
        "One Night Lonely" (3)
38. Ruthie Foster (11)
        "Just Say Yes" (6)
38. Si Kahn (11)
        "Labor Day" (2)
45. Buddy Miller (10)
        "Buddy Miller" (10)
45. Emmylou Harris (10)
        "All I Intended To Be" (1)
45. Grant Peeples (10)
        "September Song - single" (6)
45. Ranky Tanky (10)
        "This Village" (10)
45. Teni Rane (10)
        "Never Turning Back" (8)
45. Utah Phillips (10)
        "We Have Fed You All a Thousand Years" (3)
45. Rod MacDonald (10)
        "Undo The Damage" (6)

TOP LABELS of September 2026
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 5261 plays from 197 playlists from 88 Folk DJs

1. Rounder (82)
2. Red House (75)
3. Sugar Hill (66)
4. Compass (57)
5. Columbia (50)
6. Legacy (48)
7. Reprise (47)
8. Free Dirt (46)
9. Smithsonian/Folkways (45)
10. Nonesuch (42)
11. New West (39)
12. Warner (36)
13. Appleseed (31)
14. Thirty Tigers (29)
15. Signature Sounds (27)
16. Rhino (26)
17. Release Guru (23)
18. Adhyâropa (21)
18. RCA (21)
18. Strictly Country (21)
21. Elektra (20)
22. Fantasy (17)
22. Philo (17)
24. Borealis (16)
24. Courier (16)
24. Point Guard (16)
27. Vanguard (15)
28. Concord (14)
28. Milagrito (14)
28. Sugar Petunia (14)
31. Laker (13)
31. Righteous Babe (13)
33. Appalsongs (12)
33. Capitol (12)
33. Roheen (12)
33. SME (12)
33. Sony (12)
33. Turtle Bear (12)
39. Conscious (11/16)
39. Flyin' (11)
39. Pinecastle (11)
39. Small Batch (11)
39. Yep Roc (11)

FOLK DJs - September 2026
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 5261 plays from 197 playlists from 88 Folk DJs

Al Kniola (WVPE-FM, IN)
Allen Larman (KPFK-FM, CA)
Angela Page (WJFF-FM & folkmusicnotebook.com, NY)
Art Menius (WHUP-LP & WHQR-FM, NC)
Art Stevenson (WORT-FM, WI)
Artie Martello (mostlyfolk.org & folkmusicnotebook.com, NY)
Bill "Rusty" Crowell & Jan Alba (WPPM-FM & mixcloud.com, PA)
Bill Revill (WESU-FM, CT)
Bob Weiser (WOMR-FM & WFMR-FM, MA)
Bruce Cameron (2MCE-FM, Australia)
Bruce Swan (WSFM-LP, NC)
Carolyn VandeWiele (WFHB-FM, IN)
Charlie Backfish (WUSB-FM, NY)
Chris Kocher (WHRW-FM, NY)
Chris McGill (WSPN-FM, NY)
Cindy Howes (folkalley.com, ME)
Colin Fielding (3INR-FM, Australia)
Craig Huegel (WMNF-FM, FL)
Dan Alloway (KTEP-FM, TX)
Dan Shramek (KBOO-FM, OR)
Daryana Antipova (WFHB-FM, IN)
David John (KAXE/KBXE-FM, MN)
David Sears (WBGU-FM & syndicated, OH)
Denis McGilvray (KWGS-FM, OK)
Dick Hermans (WKZE-FM, NY)
Don Jacobson (KBOO-FM, OR)
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)
Graham Dean & Barbara Dean (WBCR-LP, MA)
Harlon Joye (WRFG-FM, GA)
Helen Leicht (folkmusicnotebook.com)
JB Nuttle (WSDL-FM, MD)
Jack Dugan (WIOX-FM & thesonicplanet.com, NY)
Jan Vanderhorst (justusfolk.com, ON)
Jenny Flux (2BBB-FM, Australia)
Jim Canales (WWSP-FM, WI)
Jim Fisher (WGCS-FM, IN)
Jim Gilliland (WRUW-FM, OH)
Jim Marino (CFMU-FM, ON)
Joe Pszonek (folkmusicnotebook.com, SC)
Johnny Bazzano (KRCB-FM, CA)
Jon Stein (WTBQ-FM & soundcloud.com, NY)
Juliet Youngren (WEFT-FM, IL)
Justin Helmer (KVSC-FM, MN)
Karen Rakos (KEUL-FM, AK)
Katrina Knight (folkmusicnotebook.com)
Kevin Elliott (WEFT-FM, IL)
Laurie DesJardins (KVMR-FM, CA)
Len Holton (KUAR-FM & mixcloud.com, MI)
Lilli Kuzma (WDCB-FM, IL)
Marc Albert (KMUZ-FM & mixcloud.com, OR)
Marilyn Rea Beyer (WFMT-FM, IL)
Mark Michaelis (WGDR/WGDH-FM, VT)
Mark Pedersen (WOJB-FM, WI)
Menachem Vinegrad (Radio Upper Galilee & folkmusicnotebook.com, Israel)
Michael Alzo (WSLU-FM, NY)
Michael Benson (WESU-FM, CT)
Michael Stock (WLRN-FM, FL)
Mike Regenstreif (CKCU-FM, ON)
Mitch Park (Radio Kidnappers & Radio Hawke's Bay, New Zealand)
Nick Noble (WICN-FM, MA)
Norm Mast (WVPE-FM, IN)
Paul Hartman (WTMD-FM, MD)
Paul Hefti (KUTZ-FM & mixcloud.com, UT)
Pete Thomas (WAER-FM, NY)
Peter Kernast (WTSR-FM, NJ)
Richard Gordon (WRCT-FM & mixcloud.com, PA)
Richard Howard (KZMU-FM, UT)
Ron Cooke (KTAL-LP, NM)
Ron Olesko (WFDU-FM & folkmusicnotebook.com, NJ)
Sarah LaDuke (folkalley.com, NY)
Sherre Birenbaum (therootsfm.org, MO)
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 Druckenmiller (WDIY-FM & podcast, PA)
Tom Funk (KGLP-FM, NM)
Wally Bowen (KOCF-LP, OR)
Wanda Fischer (WAMC-FM & mixcloud.com, NY)
Wayne Greene (KEOS-FM, TX)


Releases new to the chart in September:

Carla Gover & Friends: "Williams Branch Is Hard to Find" (Legacy)
Dolly Parton & Family: "Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables" (OwePar)
Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris: "The Complete Trio Collection" (Rhino)
Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris: "Trio II" (Asylum)
Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris: "Trio" (Warner)
Dolly Parton: "Coat of Many Colors" (RCA)
Dolly Parton: "Treasures" (Rising Tide)
Giselle & Erik: "Over the Horizon" (Self)
Hayden Stern: "The Morning Dark" (Adhyâropa)
Rising Appalachia: "Trade My Troubles" (Self)