Most nominated, never won this award
- 01AOAoife O'Donovan2 noms
- 02DFDom Flemons2 noms
- 03LMLaura Marling2 noms
- 04RGRhiannon Giddens2 noms
- 05TKThe Milk Carton Kids2 noms
- 06TSThe Secret Sisters2 noms
A visual history · Grammys
The winners who defined Folk Album.
14 ceremonies, 2012–2025. 13 different winners.
- Who won most recently?
- Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in 2025 for Woodland.
- Who has won the most?
- Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, 2 wins (2021, 2025).
- WoodlandGillian Welch and David Rawlings01
- At Newport (Live)Joni Mitchell02
- RevealerMadison Cunningham03
- They're Calling Me HomeRhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi04
- All the Good Times (Are Past & Gone)Gillian Welch and David Rawlings05
- Patty GriffinPatty Griffin06
- Years explored
- 2012–2025
- Different winners
- 13
- Category leader
- Gillian Welch and David Rawlings · 2
About this record
Best Folk Album was first awarded in 2012, so it does not run the full 1959–2025 window.
It took over from Best Traditional Folk Album and Best Contemporary Folk Album.
2012–2025
14 ceremonies
20122025
01 / The reigns
13 winners shaped this category.
The timeline turns the 2012–2025 record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited label.
- 01Gillian Welch and David Rawlings2 wins
The Civil Wars'12
Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile'13
Guy Clark'14
Old Crow Medicine Show'15
Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn'16
Sarah Jarosz'17
Aimee Mann'18
Punch Brothers'19
Patty Griffin'20
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings'21
Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi'22
Madison Cunningham'23
Joni Mitchell'24
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings'25
02 / The power map
Who stood behind the winners?
Warner leads the recorded label credits with 3 wins, 2012–2025. The full distribution shows whether power was concentrated or shared.
Warner3 wins01
Acony2 wins02
Independent2 wins03
Dualtone1 win04
PGM1 win05
sensibility1 win06
Wins by label
- Warner321%
- Acony214%
- Independent214%
- Dualtone17%
- PGM17%
- sensibility17%
- Other429%
03 / The near misses
The names that kept coming back without the ending they wanted.
Counting nominations in this category only, 2012–2025.
Most losses in this category
- 01AOAoife O'Donovan2L · 0W
- 02DFDom Flemons2L · 0W
- 03LMLaura Marling2L · 0W
- 04RGRhiannon Giddens2L · 0W
- 05SJSarah Jarosz2L · 1W
- 06TKThe Milk Carton Kids2L · 0W
04 / The archive
Every year.
Every winner.
The complete reference behind the story, showing 2012–2025. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.
| Year | Winner | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Gillian Welch and David Rawlings (Woodland)beat 4 others
| Acony |
| 2024 | Joni Mitchell (At Newport (Live))unverifiedbeat 6 others
| Rhino |
| 2023 | Madison Cunningham (Revealer)beat 4 others
| Verve Forecast |
| 2022 | Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi (They're Calling Me Home)beat 4 others
| Nonesuch |
| 2021 | Gillian Welch and David Rawlings (All the Good Times (Are Past & Gone))beat 4 others
| Acony |
| 2020 | Patty Griffin (Patty Griffin)beat 4 others
| PGM/Thirty Tigers |
| 2019 | Punch Brothers (All Ashore)beat 4 others
| Nonesuch |
| 2018 | Aimee Mann (Mental Illness)beat 4 others
| SuperEgo |
| 2017 | Sarah Jarosz (Undercurrent)beat 4 others
| Sugar Hill |
| 2016 | Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn (Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn)beat 4 others
| Rounder |
| 2015 | Old Crow Medicine Show (Remedy)beat 4 others
| ATO |
| 2014 | Guy Clark (My Favorite Picture of You)beat 4 others
| Dualtone |
| 2013 | Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile (The Goat Rodeo Sessions)beat 4 others
| Sony Masterworks |
| 2012 | The Civil Wars (Barton Hollow)beat 4 others
| sensibility |