Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording

The Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording was awarded from 1960 to 1986. During this time the award had several minor name changes:

From 1960 to 1961 the award was known as Best Performance - Folk
From 1962 to 1967 it was awarded as Best Folk Recording
From 1968 to 1970 it was awarded as Best Folk Performance
In 1971 and from 1973 to 1974 the award was known as Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording (including traditional blues)
In 1972 and from 1975 to 1982 it was awarded as Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording
From 1983 to 1986 it was awarded as Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording

In 1987 the award was split into two new awards: the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album and the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

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

Winners and nominees

Year	Album	Artist(s)
1960 ^[1]
	The Kingston Trio at Large	The Kingston Trio
	Belafonte at Carnegie Hall	Harry Belafonte
	Tennessee Stud	Eddy Arnold
	The Wild, Wild West	The Ralph Hunter Choir
	The Wilderness Road	Jimmy Driftwood
1961 ^[2]
	Swing Dat Hammer	Harry Belafonte
	Cheers: Drinking Songs Around the World	The Belafonte Folk Singers
	Greenfields	The Brothers Four
	Here We Go Again!	The Kingston Trio
	Miriam Makeba	Miriam Makeba
1962 ^[3]
	The Belafonte Folk Singers... At Home and Abroad	The Belafonte Folk Singers
	The Big Bill Broonzy Story	Big Bill Broonzy
	The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem	The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem
	Folk Songs of Britain Vol. 1	Alan Lomax
	The Slightly Fabulous Limeliters	The Limeliters
1963 ^[4]
	If I Had a Hammer	Peter, Paul and Mary
	The Ballad of Jed Clampett	Flatt and Scruggs
	Bob Dylan	Bob Dylan
	Joan Baez in Concert	Joan Baez
	Midnight Special	Harry Belafonte
	Presenting The New Christy Minstrels	The New Christy Minstrels
	Something Special	The Kingston Trio
1964 ^[5]
	Blowin' in the Wind	Peter, Paul and Mary
	Green, Green	The New Christy Minstrels
	Judy Collins 3	Judy Collins
	Odetta Sings Folk Songs	Odetta
	The World of Miriam Makeba	Miriam Makeba
1965 ^[6]
	We'll Sing in the Sunshine	Gale Garnett
	Belafonte at The Greek Theatre	Harry Belafonte
	Peter, Paul and Mary in Concert	Peter, Paul and Mary
	Woody Guthrie: Library of Congress Recordings	Woody Guthrie
	The Times They Are a-Changin'	Bob Dylan
	Today	The New Christy Minstrels
	The Voice of Africa	Miriam Makeba
1966 ^[7]
	An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba	Harry Belafonte & Miriam Makeba
	The High Lonesome Sound	Roscoe Holcomb
	Makeba Sings!	Miriam Makeba
	A Song Will Rise	Peter, Paul and Mary
	Strangers and Cousins	Pete Seeger
	There but for Fortune	Joan Baez
	The Womenfolk Live at the Hungry I	The Womenfolk
1967 ^[8]
	Blues in the Street	Cortelia Clark
	God Bless the Grass	Pete Seeger
	Lead Belly	Lead Belly
	Oliver Smith	Oliver Smith
	Reflections in a Crystal Wind	Mimi & Richard Fariña
	Violets of Dawn	The Mitchell Trio
1968 ^[9]
	Gentle on My Mind	John Hartford
	Album 1700	Peter, Paul and Mary
	Alice's Restaurant	Arlo Guthrie
	In My Life	Judy Collins
	Janis Ian	Janis Ian
	Waist Deep in the Big Muddy	Pete Seeger
1969 ^[10]
	Both Sides, Now	Judy Collins
	Did She Mention My Name?	Gordon Lightfoot
	The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter	Incredible String Band
	John Wesley Harding	Bob Dylan
	Late Again	Peter, Paul and Mary
	The Unicorn	The Irish Rovers
1970 ^[11]
	Clouds	Joni Mitchell
	Any Day Now	Joan Baez
	Donovan	Donovan
	Bird on the Wire	Judy Collins
	Day is Done	Peter, Paul and Mary
	Young vs. Old	Pete Seeger
1971 ^[12]
	Good Feelin'	T-Bone Walker
	Black Music of South America	David Lewisohn
	Folk Fiddling From Sweden	Bjorn Stabi & Ole Hjorth
	I Do Not Play No Rock'n'Roll	Mississippi Fred McDowell
	Sail On	Muddy Waters
	Shree Rag	Ali Akbar Khan & Shankha Ghosh
1972 ^[13]
	They Call Me Muddy Waters	Muddy Waters
	18th Century Traditional Music of Japan	Keiko Matsuo
	The Esso Trinidad Steel Band	Esso Trinidad Steel Band
	Javanese Court Gamelan	Javanese Players
	Message to the Young	Howlin' Wolf
	Mississippi Fred McDowell	Mississippi Fred McDowell
	Stormy Monday Blues	T-Bone Walker
1973 ^[14]
	The London Muddy Waters Sessions	Muddy Waters
	Blues Piano Orgy	Various Artists
	Lightnin' Strikes	Lightnin' Hopkins
	Live at Soledad Prison	John Lee Hooker
	Walking the Blues	Otis Spann
1974 ^[15]
	Then and Now	Doc Watson
	Can't Get No Grindin'	Muddy Waters
	John Lee Hooker's Detroit	John Lee Hooker
	King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree: Blues at Montreux	King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree
	Lead Belly: Live in Concert	Lead Belly
1975 ^[16]
	Two Days in November	Doc Watson & Merle Watson
	Big Daddy	Bukka White
	The Back Door Wolf	Howlin' Wolf
	Catalyst	Willie Dixon
	London Revisited	Muddy Waters & Howlin' Wolf
1976 ^[17]
	The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album	Muddy Waters
	I Got What It Takes	Koko Taylor
	Memphis Blues	Memphis Slim
	Music of Guatemala	The San Lucas Band
	Wake Up Dead Man	Bruce Jackson
1977 ^[18]
	Mark Twang	John Hartford
	Bagpipe Marches and Music of Scotland	Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band
	Beware of the Dog!	Hound Dog Taylor
	If You Love These Blues, Play 'Em As You Please	Michael Bloomfield
	Proud Earth	Chief Dan George, Arliene Nofchissey Williams & Rick Brousseau
1978 ^[19]
	Hard Again	Muddy Waters
	Blues Hit Big Town	Junior Wells
	Right Place, Wrong Time	Otis Rush
	The Things That I Used to Do	Big Joe Turner
	What Happened to My Blues	Willie Dixon
1979 ^[20]
	I'm Ready	Muddy Waters
	Chicago Blues at Home	Various Artists
	Clifton Chenier and His Red Hot Louisiana Band in New Orleans	Clifton Chenier
	I Hear Some Blues Downstairs	Fenton Robinson
	U.S.A.	Memphis Slim & His House Rockers ft. Matt "Guitar" Murphy
1980 ^[21]
	Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live	Muddy Waters
	The Chieftains 7	The Chieftains
	Ice Pickin'	Albert Collins
	Laugh Your Blues Away	Uncle Dave Macon
	Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 1	Shaw and the Wolf Gang & Left Hand Frank and His Blues Band
	Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 3	Lonnie Brooks Blues Band, Pinetop Perkins & Sons of Blues
	New England Traditional Fiddling	John Edwards Memorial Foundation
	New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival	Various Artists
	So Many Roads	Otis Rush
1981 ^[22]
	Rare Blues	Various Artists
	Atlanta Blues: '33	Various Artists
	The Chieftains 9: Boil the Breakfast Early	The Chieftains
	Kidney Stew Is Fine	Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
	Queen Ida & the Bon Temps Zydeco Band In New Orleans	Queen Ida
1982 ^[23]
	There Must Be a Better World Somewhere	B.B. King
	Blues Deluxe	Various Artists
	From the Heart of a Woman	Koko Taylor
	Frozen Alive!	Albert Collins
	Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 4	Various Artists
1983 ^[24]
	Queen Ida & The Bon Temps Zydeco Band On Tour	Queen Ida
	In the Tradition	The Boys of the Lough
	Live in America	The John Renbourn Group
	Metropolis	The Klezmorim
	Reggae Sunsplash '81: A Tribute to Bob Marley	Various Artists
	Tennessee: Folk Heritage - The Mountain	Various Artists
1984 ^[25]
	I'm Here	Clifton Chenier & His Red Hot Louisiana Band
	The Grey Fox	The Chieftains
	Raga Mishra Piloo	Ali Akbar Khan & Ravi Shankar
	Renaissance of the Celtic Harp	Alan Stivell
	Syncro System	King Sunny Adé
1985 ^[26]
	Elizabeth Cotten Live!	Elizabeth Cotten
	100% Fortified Zydeco	Buckwheat Zydeco
	Good Rockin'	Rockin' Dopsie
	On A Saturday Night	Queen Ida
	Open Road	Boys of the Lough
1986 ^[27]
	My Toot Toot	Rockin' Sidney
	Live at the San Francisco Blues Festival	Clifton Chenier
	Souvenirs	Dewey Balfa
	Turning Point	Buckwheat Zydeco
	Zydeco Gris Gris	BeauSoleil

Individuals with multiple wins

6 wins

Muddy Waters

2 wins

References

^ "Grammys Awards 1959". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1961". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1962". AwardsandShows. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1963". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1964". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1965". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1966". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1967". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1968". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1969". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1970". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1971". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1972". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1973". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1974". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1975". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1976". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1977". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1978". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1979". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1980". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1981". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1982". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1983". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1984". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1985". AwardsandShows. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
^ "Grammys Awards 1986". AwardsandShows. Retrieved May 1, 2020.

[Grammy1960-1] "Grammys Awards 1959". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 27, 2020.

[Grammy1961-2] "Grammys Awards 1961". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 27, 2020.

[Grammy1962-3] "Grammys Awards 1962". AwardsandShows. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2020.

[Grammy1963-4] "Grammys Awards 1963". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 27, 2020.

[Grammy1964-5] "Grammys Awards 1964". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 28, 2020.

[Grammy1965-6] "Grammys Awards 1965". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 28, 2020.

[Grammy1966-7] "Grammys Awards 1966". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 28, 2020.

[Grammy1967-8] "Grammys Awards 1967". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[Grammy1968-9] "Grammys Awards 1968". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[Grammy1969-10] "Grammys Awards 1969". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[Grammy1970-11] "Grammys Awards 1970". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[Grammy1971-12] "Grammys Awards 1971". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[Grammy1972-13] "Grammys Awards 1972". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[Grammy1973-14] "Grammys Awards 1973". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[Grammy1974-15] "Grammys Awards 1974". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[Grammy1975-16] "Grammys Awards 1975". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 29, 2020.

[Grammy1976-17] "Grammys Awards 1976". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

[Grammy1977-18] "Grammys Awards 1977". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

[Grammy1978-19] "Grammys Awards 1978". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

[Grammy1979-20] "Grammys Awards 1979". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

[Grammy1980-21] "Grammys Awards 1980". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

[Grammy1981-22] "Grammys Awards 1981". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

[Grammy1982-23] "Grammys Awards 1982". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

[Grammy1983-24] "Grammys Awards 1983". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

[Grammy1984-25] "Grammys Awards 1984". AwardsandShows. Retrieved April 30, 2020.

[Grammy1985-26] "Grammys Awards 1985". AwardsandShows. Retrieved May 1, 2020.

[Grammy1986-27] "Grammys Awards 1986". AwardsandShows. Retrieved May 1, 2020.

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