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 4695 plays from 175 playlists from 83 Folk DJs

  1: "Smoketree," The Kennedys [Self, 8/2026] (57)
        "Without Us" (12)
        "Smoketree" (10)
  2: "So Much for Goodbyes," Billy Strings [Reprise, 7/2026] (31)
        "Mill Town Flood" (6)
        "I Like Train Songs" (5)
        "I'm One of Those" (4)
  3: "Troubadourly Yours," Scott Cook [Release Guru, 8/2026] (25)
        "Steady for You" (6)
        "Troubadourly Yours" (6)
        "A Bigger Tent" (4)
  4: "Williams Branch Is Hard to Find," Carla Gover & Friends [Legacy, 9/2026] (23)
        "Williams Branch is Hard to Find" (4)
        "Moonshiner's Daughter" (3)
  5: "Reunion," Mama's Broke [Free Dirt, 5/2026] (20)
        "Failing" (6)
        "Fifolet Waltz" (4)
        "Heaven" (3)
  6: "Little Sparrow," Dolly Parton [Sugar Hill, 2001] (19)
        "Little Sparrow" (9)
        "In The Sweet By And By" (4)
  6: "Requiem for a Sleepless Night," Kelly Hunt [Compass, 8/2026] (19)
        "All the King's Horses" (5)
        "Dreamer" (4)
  8: "Home-Brewed," Kate Macleod's Mind the Gap [Courier, 8/2026] (18)
        "I Will Sing My Heart Out" (7)
        "Good Old Virginia" (3)
        "The Old Charles Town Pike" (3)
  9: "Trio," Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris [Warner, 1987] (17)
        "Wildflowers" (6)
 10: "Head Noise," Stephanie Sammons [Point Guard, 8/2026] (15)
        "Darkest Hours" (5)
        "Lone Coyote" (4)
        "Marathon" (3)
        "Midlife Twilight" (2)
 11: "The Morning Dark," Hayden Stern [Adhyâropa] (14)
        "The Morning Dark" (3)
        "Susie's" (2)
        "Heather Lake" (2)
 12: "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)
 12: "Over the Horizon," Giselle and Erik [Self] (13)
        "Little One" (3)
        "Right Road" (3)
        "Morning Brew" (2)
 12: "Rattlin' Bones," Bronwyn [Sugar Petunia, 8/2026] (13)
        "Chasing Storms" (3)
        "Sticks and Stones" (3)
        "Blink of an Eye" (2)
 12: "Tonight's News," Ken Pomeroy [Rounder] (13)
        "This Old Guitar" (5)
        "Late for the Sky" (3)
        "Sentimental Lady" (3)
        "Deportee" (2)
 16: "Heirloom," Admiral Radio [Free Dirt] (12)
        "Sidewalk Preacher" (3)
        "Little Bit of Shine" (3)
 16: "Northern Border," Kitty Donohoe [Roheen, 2008] (12)
        "There Are No Words" (12)
 16: "Reckoning," Mary Gauthier [Thirty Tigers] (12)
        "Alcohol and Adderall" (10)
 19: "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)
 19: "In the Hour of Chaos," Allison Russell [Fantasy, 7/2026] (11)
        "Really Real" (5)
        "Love Is A Golden Lion" (3)
        "Chaos Theory" (2)
 21: "Cover To Cover," AJ Lee & Blue Summit [Signature Sounds] (10)
        "Red Dirt Girl" (4)
        "Fishin' In The Dark" (2)
 21: "Mayday!," George Mann & Si Kahn [Legacy, 7/2026] (10)
        "Hard Times" (2)
        "The Gap" (2)
        "One Voice" (2)
 21: "Now I Know," Christopher Mark Jones [Small Batch, 8/2026] (10)
        "The Steelworker's Daughter" (6)
 21: "Odds...and Even So," Jon Shain [Flyin'] (10)
        "Morning Song" (3)
        "Balsam Mountain Rag" (2)
        "Harlequin Moon" (2)
        "Butterfly Wings" (2)
 21: "Reel 2 Reel 4 Real," Ray Wylie Hubbard [Soundly] (10)
        "A Murder Of Crows" (3)
        "Cassette Mix Tape" (2)
        "Dog or Wolf" (2)
 21: "This Village," Ranky Tanky [Self, 8/2026] (10)
        "Lift Me Up" (2)
        "Stomp It In The Ground" (2)
        "Be Alright" (2)
 27: "The Air That You Breathe," Lance Cowan [Lantzapalooza, 7/2026] (9/11)
        "Air That You Breathe" (2)
        "Where'd They Go" (2)
 27: "Buddy Miller," Buddy Miller [New West] (9)
        "As Long as I Have You" (5)
        "Don't Look Back" (2)
 27: "The Grass Is Blue," Dolly Parton [Sugar Hill, 1999] (9)
        "I Am Ready" (2)
 27: "Hope Is the Thing," Rhiannon Giddens [Nonesuch, 7/2026] (9)
        "Carolina Rain" (6)
        "Freight Train" (3)
 27: "In the Meantime," Brant Miller [Miller Woods, 8/2026] (9)
        "The Last Songwriter" (2)
        "I Wanna Be Cool!" (2)
        "Sometimes You Just Gotta Let It Go" (2)
 27: "Trade My Troubles," Rising Appalachia [Self, 8/2026] (9)
        "Chance At Wholesome" (4)
        "Million Colors" (3)
 33: "The Benevolence of Trees," Anne Hills [Self] (8)
        "Here Comes Love" (4)
        "The Benevolence of Trees" (4)
 33: "Blacktop Road," Doug Spears & Florida Cracker Collective [Gatorbone] (8)
        "Small Town Thing" (3)
        "Crazy Year" (2)
 33: "Blues Grass," Arlen Roth [Momojo, 8/2026] (8)
        "I Am a Pilgrim" (2)
        "The Little Girl & The Dreadful Snake" (2)
        "Sitting on Top of the World" (2)
 33: "The Breakdown," Keb' Mo' [Concord] (8)
        "More Yesterdays" (2)
        "Hand It Over" (2)
 33: "Gratuitous Grace," Richard Peter Morris [Self, 8/2026] (8)
        "Same Old Moon" (5)
 33: "Great Television," Elizabeth Cook [Agent Love] (8)
        "19th Nervous Breakdown" (3)
        "Girls of Atomic City" (2)
 33: "Halos And Horns," Dolly Parton [Sugar Hill, 2002] (8)
        "Halos & Horns" (2)
        "Stairway to Heaven" (2)
        "These Old Bones" (2)
 33: "Just Because I'm A Woman," Various Artists [Sugar Hill] (8)
        "9 To 5," Alison Krauss (2)
 33: "Modern Day Vagabond," Dallas Burrow [Self] (8)
        "Modern Day Vagabond" (3)
        "Let It Shine" (2)
 33: "Never Turning Back," Teni Rane [Self] (8)
        "Soil on My Soul" (3)
        "Places" (2)
 33: "Porchlight," Two Runner [Gar Hole] (8)
        "Roadrunner" (3)
        "Porchlight" (2)
 33: "Tamarack," Kalos [Self] (8)
        "The Open Door" (2)
 33: "Unadorned," Deborah Holland [Self, 8/2026] (8)
        "How Much Money" (3)
        "Walking the Dog in the Rain" (2)

TOP SONGS of September 2026
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 4695 plays from 175 playlists from 83 Folk DJs

1. "There Are No Words" (14)
     from "Northern Border" (Kitty Donohoe)
2. "Alcohol and Adderall" (13)
     from "Reckoning" (Mary Gauthier)
3. "Without Us" (12)
     from "Smoketree" (The Kennedys)
4. "Believe In Kindness" (10)
     from "Believe in Kindness - single" (Deidre McCalla)
4. "Coat of Many Colors" (10)
     from "Coat of Many Colors" (Dolly Parton)
4. "Smoketree" (10)
     from "Smoketree" (The Kennedys)
7. "Little Sparrow" (9)
     from "Little Sparrow" (Dolly Parton)
8. "Grand Central Station" (8)
     from "Between Here And Gone" (Mary Chapin Carpenter)
9. "I Will Sing My Heart Out" (7)
     from "Home-Brewed" (Kate Macleod's Mind the Gap)
9. "Seeds Of Peace" (7)
     from "Smoketree" (The Kennedys)
9. "The Steelworker's Daughter" (7)
     from "Now I Know" (Christopher Mark Jones)
12. "At Our Best" (6)
     from "New Skin" (Judy Kass)
12. "The Bravest" (6)
     from "Looking For The Moon" (Tom Paxton)
12. "Carolina Rain" (6)
     from "Hope Is the Thing" (Rhiannon Giddens)
12. "Failing" (6)
     from "Reunion" (Mama's Broke)
12. "Land of the Living" (6)
     from "The Red Thread" (Lucy Kaplansky)
12. "Long Road To Freedom" (6)
     from "Smoketree" (The Kennedys)
12. "Mill Town Flood" (6)
     from "So Much for Goodbyes" (Billy Strings)
12. "The Old Labor Hall" (6)
     from "Labor Day" (Joe Jencks)
12. "September Song" (6)
     from "September Song - single" (Grant Peeples)
12. "Song for a Midday Dawn" (6)
     from "Smoketree" (The Kennedys)
12. "Steady for You" (6)
     from "Troubadourly Yours" (Scott Cook)
12. "Troubadourly Yours" (6)
     from "Troubadourly Yours" (Scott Cook)
12. "Volver A Celaya" (6)
     from "Volver a Celaya" (Steve Earle & Los Lobos)

TOP ARTISTS of September 2026
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 4695 plays from 175 playlists from 83 Folk DJs

1. Dolly Parton (100)
        "Little Sparrow" (19)
2. The Kennedys (62)
        "Smoketree" (57)
3. Billy Strings (32)
        "So Much for Goodbyes" (31)
4. Scott Cook (27)
        "Troubadourly Yours" (25)
5. Mama's Broke (23)
        "Reunion" (20)
6. John McCutcheon (21)
        "Joe Hill's Last Will" (6)
        "To Everyone in All the World: A Celebration of Pete Seeger" (3)
6. Kate Macleod's Mind the Gap (21)
        "Home-Brewed" (18)
8. Carla Gover & Friends (20)
        "Williams Branch Is Hard to Find" (17)
9. Kelly Hunt (19)
        "Requiem for a Sleepless Night" (19)
10. Mary Gauthier (18)
        "Reckoning" (12)
11. Bob Dylan (17)
        "Bob Dylan" (2)
11. Hayden Stern (17)
        "The Morning Dark" (14)
13. Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris (16)
        "Trio" (10)
        "The Complete Trio Collection" (4)
14. Joe Jencks (15)
        "Rise As One" (5)
        "The Forgotten" (4)
        "Poets, Philosophers Workers & Wanderers" (3)
14. Kitty Donohoe (15)
        "Northern Border" (12)
14. Leonard Cohen (15)
        "Songs Of Love And Hate" (4)
        "Dear Heather" (3)
14. Stephanie Sammons (15)
        "Head Noise" (15)
18. David Francey (14)
        "Skating Rink" (4)
        "The First Set: Live From Folk Alley" (3)
        "Torn Screen Door" (3)
18. Joe Crookston (14)
        "Georgia I'm Here" (6)
        "Darkling & The Bluebird Jubilee" (4)
18. Jon Shain (14)
        "Odds...and Even So" (10)
18. Ken Pomeroy (14)
        "Tonight's News" (13)
22. Bronwyn (13)
        "Rattlin' Bones" (13)
22. Christopher Mark Jones (13)
        "Now I Know" (10)
22. Deidre McCalla (13)
        "Believe in Kindness - single" (10)
22. Giselle and Erik (13)
        "Over the Horizon" (13)
26. George Mann & Si Kahn (12)
        "Mayday!" (10)
26. Joni Mitchell (12)
        "Blue" (2)
26. Pete Seeger (12)
        "If I Had A Hammer: Songs Of Hope & Struggle" (3)
26. Ray Wylie Hubbard (12)
        "Reel 2 Reel 4 Real" (10)
26. Rhiannon Giddens (12)
        "Hope Is the Thing" (9)
31. Eliza Gilkyson (11/21)
        "Dark Ages" (4)
        "Beautiful World" (3)
        "Songs From The River Wind" (3)
31. Anne Hills (11)
        "The Benevolence of Trees" (8)
31. Lucy Kaplansky (11)
        "The Red Thread" (7)
31. Ruthie Foster (11)
        "Just Say Yes" (6)
31. Si Kahn (11)
        "Labor Day" (2)
36. Allison Russell (10)
        "In the Hour of Chaos" (9)
36. Brant Miller (10)
        "In the Meantime" (9)
36. Mary Chapin Carpenter (10)
        "Between Here And Gone" (6)
        "One Night Lonely" (3)
36. Ranky Tanky (10)
        "This Village" (10)
36. Rising Appalachia (10)
        "Trade My Troubles" (9)
36. Teni Rane (10)
        "Never Turning Back" (8)
36. Utah Phillips (10)
        "We Have Fed You All a Thousand Years" (3)

TOP LABELS of September 2026
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 4695 plays from 175 playlists from 83 Folk DJs

1. Rounder (71)
2. Red House (68)
3. Sugar Hill (61)
4. Compass (53)
5. Columbia (48)
6. Reprise (42)
7. Free Dirt (41)
8. Nonesuch (40)
9. Legacy (38)
10. Smithsonian/Folkways (35)
11. Warner (34)
12. New West (32)
13. Appleseed (27)
13. Thirty Tigers (27)
15. Signature Sounds (24)
16. Release Guru (22)
17. Strictly Country (21)
18. Adhyâropa (19)
18. Elektra (19)
20. Rhino (18)
21. Philo (17)
22. Fantasy (16)
23. Borealis (15)
23. Vanguard (15)
25. Courier (14)
25. Point Guard (14)
25. RCA (14)
25. Sugar Petunia (14)
29. Milagrito (13)
29. Righteous Babe (13)
31. Appalsongs (12)
31. Roheen (12)
31. SME (12)
34. Conscious (11/16)
34. Capitol (11)
34. Concord (11)
34. Laker (11)
34. Small Batch (11)
34. Sony (11)
34. Turtle Bear (11)
34. Yep Roc (11)

FOLK DJs - September 2026
Compiled by Richard Gillmann from FOLKDJ-L playlists
Based on 4695 plays from 175 playlists from 83 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)
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)
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 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)
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)


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)
Rising Appalachia: "Trade My Troubles" (Self)