Meels Debuts at Grand Ole Opry With 'Northern Star'
Northern California singer-songwriter Meels performed her single 'Northern Star' during her Grand Ole Opry debut on October 28.
U.S. Folk News
This section covers folk, Americana and singer-songwriter music in the United States — artists, releases, festivals and the acoustic storytelling tradition that connects them. Reporting takes in commercial and independent work across the genre's range.
Recent news
November 6, 2026
MJ Lenderman Covers Neil Young, Writes Crews ForewordThe Asheville singer-songwriter contributed a cover to a Neil Young tribute series and a foreword for a Penguin Classics reissue.
November 6, 2026
Martin Releases Limited Gram Parsons Tribute GuitarThe 80-unit 00-21 model marks Gram Parsons' 80th birthday and recreates the 1963 Martin he played.
November 6, 2026
Heads & Tails Vol. 2 Pairs Garcia Band ShowsThe second Heads & Tails LP collects Jerry Garcia Band performances from 1976 and 1993 pressed on lavender vinyl.
November 6, 2026
Bill Clifton Dies at 95The bluegrass and folk musician, who organized an early bluegrass festival and introduced the genre to Britain, died in his sleep.
November 5, 2026
Raleigh, ICM Crescendo Acquire Tim Hardin CatalogThe joint venture's first completed deal brings the rights to nearly all of Tim Hardin's songs, including "If I Were a Carpenter" and "Reason to Believe."
November 5, 2026
Joy Machine Releases Coal Musical EPThe six-track Official Concept EP for Coal: A New American Musical arrives in digital and streaming formats on December 11, 2026.
November 5, 2026
Haylie Davis Covers Gram Parsons' November NightsDavis releases a cover of the Gram Parsons song on what would have been his 80th birthday.
November 5, 2026
Welch and Rawlings Announce Boots No. 3 AlbumThe duo's archival album captures a 1997 live performance recorded in Hickory, North Carolina, due February 12 via Acony Records.
November 4, 2026
Particle Kid Shares Lanois Single From Debut AlbumThe duo released "Even the Birds" from their 11-song debut The Ocean Floor, which is not available on Spotify or Amazon Music.
November 4, 2026
Alas De Liona Releases Second Album Noble RotThe American-born artist, now based in Scotland, has issued her follow-up to the 2024 release Gravity of Gold.
More in Folk
Album releases and their reception, festival lineups and attendance, award nominations and outcomes, artist profiles and the label and touring decisions that shape how folk and Americana artists reach their audiences are the recurring subjects in this coverage. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Phoenix are among the cities with active folk and Americana scenes and major festival presences, and coverage of those markets connects the genre's grassroots dimension to its commercial one. The Americana category has expanded considerably as a commercial and critical designation, and its relationship to country, folk and roots music generates recurring definitional discussion within coverage of the genre. Streaming has changed how catalog-driven folk and singer-songwriter artists sustain commercial presence, and the economics of that shift appear regularly as a secondary subject alongside new release and touring news.