Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album

The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album was awarded from 1987 to 2011. Until 1991 the award was known as the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. In 2007, this category was renamed Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album. As of 2010 the category was split into two categories; Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Americana Album.

An award for Best Traditional Folk Album was also presented. Prior to 1987 contemporary and traditional folk were combined as the Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording.

Following the 2011 Grammy Award ceremony, the award was discontinued due to a major overhaul of Grammy categories. Beginning in 2012, this category merged with the Best Traditional Folk Album category to form the new Best Folk Album category.

Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.

At three wins each, Bob Dylan and Steve Earle are the category's biggest winners.

Winners and nominees

Year	Winner(s)	Title	Nominees	Ref.
1987	Al Bunetta, Dan Einstein, Hank Neuberger (producer), various artists	Tribute to Steve Goodman	John Prine for German Afternoons Loudon Wainwright III for I'm Alright Nanci Griffith for Last of the True Believers Peter, Paul & Mary for No Easy Walk to Freedom	^[1]
1988	Steve Goodman	Unfinished Business	Joan Baez for Asimbonanga John Hartford for Annual Waltz Loudon Wainwright III for More Love Songs Washington Squares for The Washington Squares	^[2]
1989	Tracy Chapman	Tracy Chapman	John Prine for John Prine Live Michelle Shocked for Short Sharp Shocked Sweet Honey in the Rock for "Emergency" Clive Risko, Various Artists for Homeland - A Collection of Black South African Music	^[3]
1990	Indigo Girls	Indigo Girls	Gipsy Kings for "Bamboleo" BeauSoleil for Bayou Cadillac Tracy Chapman for Crossroads Guy Clark for Old Friends	^[4]
1991	Shawn Colvin	Steady On	Suzanne Vega for Days of Open Hand Indigo Girls for "Hammer and a Nail" Maura O'Connell for Helpless Heart	^[5]
1992	John Prine	The Missing Years	Indigo Girls for Live - Back On the Bus Y'all BeauSoleil for Cajun Conja Rosanne Cash for Interiors Jerry Garcia, David Grisman for Jerry Garcia & David Grisman	^[6]
1993	The Chieftains	Another Country	Joan Baez for Play Me Backwards T-Bone Burnett for The Criminal Under My Own Hat Indigo Girls for Rites of Passage Michelle Shocked for Arkansas Traveler	^[7]
1994	Nanci Griffith	Other Voices, Other Rooms	BeauSoleil for La Danse de la Vie Shawn Colvin for Fat City Bob Dylan for Good As I Been to You Jimmie Dale Gilmore for Spinning Around the Sun Janis Ian for Breaking Silence	^[8]
1995	Johnny Cash	American Recordings	Shawn Colvin for Cover Girl Iris DeMent for My Life Nanci Griffith for Flyer Indigo Girls for Swamp Ophelia	^[9]
1996	Emmylou Harris	Wrecking Ball	The Chieftains for The Long Black Veil Bob Dylan for MTV Unplugged Steve Earle for Train a Comin' John Prine for Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings	^[10]
1997	Bruce Springsteen	The Ghost of Tom Joad	Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan for Yonder Jimmie Dale Gilmore for Braver New World Richard Thompson for You? Me? Us? Gillian Welch for Revival	^[11]
1998	Bob Dylan	Time Out of Mind	Guy Clark for Keepers - A Live Recording Iris DeMent for The Way I Should Indigo Girls for Shaming of the Sun John Prine for Live on Tour	^[12]
1999	Lucinda Williams	Car Wheels on a Gravel Road	Billy Bragg, Wilco for Mermaid Avenue Steve Earle for El Corazon Emmylou Harris for Spyboy Lyle Lovett for Step Inside This House	^[13]
2000	Tom Waits	Mule Variations	BeauSoleil for Cajunization Ani DiFranco, Utah Phillips for Fellow Workers John Prine for In Spite of Ourselves Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris for Western Wall - The Tucson Sessions	^[14]
2001	Emmylou Harris	Red Dirt Girl	Billy Bragg, Wilco for Mermaid Avenue Vol. II Johnny Cash for American III: Solitary Man Steve Earle for Transcendental Blues John Hiatt for Crossing Muddy Waters	^[15]
2002	Bob Dylan	Love and Theft	Buddy and Julie Miller for Buddy & Julie Miller Various Artists for Poet: A Tribute to Townes van Zandt Gillian Welch for Time (The Revelator) Lucinda Williams for Essence	^[16]
2003	Nickel Creek	This Side	Johnny Cash for American IV: The Man Comes Around The Chieftains for Down the Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions Steve Earle for Jerusalem Patty Griffin for 1000 Kisses	^[17]
2004	Warren Zevon	The Wind	Rosanne Cash for Rules of Travel Emmylou Harris for Stumble into Grace Tom Paxton for Looking for the Moon Lucinda Williams for World Without Tears	^[18]
2005	Steve Earle	The Revolution Starts... Now	Ani DiFranco for Educated Guess Eliza Gilkyson for Land of Milk and Honey Patty Griffin for Impossible Dream John Carter Cash, Various Artists for The Unbroken Circle - The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family	^[19]
2006	John Prine	Fair & Square	Ry Cooder for Chávez Ravine Rodney Crowell for The Outsider Nickel Creek for Why Should the Fire Die? Bruce Springsteen for Devils & Dust	^[20]
2007	Bob Dylan	Modern Times	Jackson Browne for Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 Rosanne Cash for Black Cadillac Guy Clark for Workbench Songs Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris for All the Roadrunning	^[21]
2008	Steve Earle	Washington Square Serenade	Mary Chapin Carpenter for The Calling Ry Cooder for My Name Is Buddy Patty Griffin for Children Running Through Tom Waits for Orphans	^[22]
2009	Robert Plant, Alison Krauss	Raising Sand	Joan Baez for Day After Tomorrow Ry Cooder for I, Flathead Rodney Crowell for Sex & Gasoline Emmylou Harris for All I Intended to Be	^[23]
2010	Steve Earle	Townes	Neko Case for Middle Cyclone Tracy Chapman for Our Bright Future Shawn Colvin for Live Elvis Costello for Secret, Profane & Sugarcane	^[24]
2011	Ray LaMontagne, The Pariah Dogs	God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise	Jackson Browne, David Lindley for Love Is Strange: En Vivo Con Tino Mary Chapin Carpenter for The Age of Miracles Guy Clark for Somedays the Song Writes You Richard Thompson for Dream Attic	^[25]

References

^ "Grammy Awards 1987". AwardsandShows. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^ "Grammy Awards 1988". AwardsandShows. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^ "Grammy Awards 1989". AwardsandShows. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^ "A List of 32nd Annual Grammy Nominees". APNews. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^ "Annual Grammy Nominations". UPI. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^ "And the Nominees Are..." UPI. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "List of 35th Annual Grammy Nominations With PM-Grammys". APNews. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "Nominees for 36th annual Grammy Awards". UPI. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1995. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "Nominees for 38th annual Grammy Awards". UPI. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "Nominees for 39th annual Grammy Awards". UPI. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "40th Annual Grammy Award Nominations". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "41st Annual Grammy Award Nominations". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ "42nd Grammy Award Nominations (2000)". DigitalHit. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
^ "43rd Annual Grammy Awards Nominations". DigitalHit. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
^ "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS. 4 January 2002. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
^ "45th Grammy® Awards Nominations Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
^ "46th Grammy® Awards Nominees Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
^ "47th Grammy® Awards Nominees Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
^ "48th Grammy® Awards Nominations". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
^ "49th Grammy® Awards Nominations (2007)". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
^ "50th Grammy® Awards Nominations". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
^ "51st Grammy® Awards Nominations Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
^ "52nd Grammy® Awards Nominations Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
^ "51st Grammy® Award Nominations Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

[1] "Grammy Awards 1987". AwardsandShows. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

[2] "Grammy Awards 1988". AwardsandShows. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

[3] "Grammy Awards 1989". AwardsandShows. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

[4] "A List of 32nd Annual Grammy Nominees". APNews. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

[5] "Annual Grammy Nominations". UPI. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

[6] "And the Nominees Are..." UPI. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[7] "List of 35th Annual Grammy Nominations With PM-Grammys". APNews. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[8] "Nominees for 36th annual Grammy Awards". UPI. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[9] "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1995. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[10] "Nominees for 38th annual Grammy Awards". UPI. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[11] "Nominees for 39th annual Grammy Awards". UPI. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[12] "40th Annual Grammy Award Nominations". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[13] "41st Annual Grammy Award Nominations". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 22, 2020.

[14] "42nd Grammy Award Nominations (2000)". DigitalHit. Retrieved December 23, 2020.

[15] "43rd Annual Grammy Awards Nominations". DigitalHit. Retrieved December 23, 2020.

[16] "Complete List Of Grammy Nominees". CBS. 4 January 2002. Retrieved December 23, 2020.

[17] "45th Grammy® Awards Nominations Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 23, 2020.

[18] "46th Grammy® Awards Nominees Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

[19] "47th Grammy® Awards Nominees Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

[20] "48th Grammy® Awards Nominations". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

[21] "49th Grammy® Awards Nominations (2007)". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

[22] "50th Grammy® Awards Nominations". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

[23] "51st Grammy® Awards Nominations Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

[24] "52nd Grammy® Awards Nominations Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

[25] "51st Grammy® Award Nominations Coverage". DigitalHub. Retrieved December 24, 2020.

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