"New Folk refers to the music of folk artists who, partly inspired by Bob Dylan's shift away from political songwriting, moved away from the activist, draft-dodging set and started writing about personal experiences and daily life. This expansive category includes the likes of Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Billy Bragg, and the Roches; New Folk encompasses those who approach acoustic-oriented music as heartfelt personal expression. " -- Rhapsody
Many of these artists also appear under Rock/Pop > Adult Alternative
Big Yellow Taxi, Ron Sexsmith, Shawn Colvin, Laura Nyro, Dar Williams, Richard Schindell, John Prine, Jesse Winchester, John Gorka,
"Americana arose as both a category of music and as a country radio format in reaction to mainstream country radio stations that were over-enamored with "young country" stars like Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks and Shania Twain. The idea was to create a home for artists who had plenty of country in their music -- too much so for the average pop station -- but who were too eclectic and raw for the country mainstream. Americana is a broad category that encompasses Nashville fringe artists like Marty Brown, Allison Moorer and Jim Lauderdale, as well as stalwart Honky-Tonker Dale Watson and folk-inspired Singer-Songwriters like Fred Eaglesmith and Iris Dement. " -- Rhapsody
Robert Earl Keen, Jr.,