The most influential folk performers...

Okay, this is obviously pretty subjective, so I'll say:

In semi-historical order...

Woody Guthrie

Leadbelly

Robert Johnson

Carl Sandburg

Burl Ives

Pete Seeger (and the Weavers)

Odetta

Joan Baez

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Bob Dylan

Gordon Lightfoot

Ian & Sylvia

Judy Collins

Joni Mitchell

There were others, many others, but for me those ones really stand out. Of them all, I think Buffy Sainte-Marie and Bob Dylan were and are utterly extraordinary, but like I said, it's subjective.

Gordon Lightfoot also gets less credit, often, than he deserves. His catalog of songs is incredible...it's like a cultural history of North America (with particular connections to Canada).

- LH