What is folk music?

American Folk Music. Traditionally sung and played within communities, that is, not created or produced for popular consumption, American folk music became embedded in mainstream tradition, creating some combination of folk and pop music, during the mid-20th Century "folk music revival. read more

folk music A kind of music originating from the ordinary people of a region or nation and continued by oral tradition. The ballad (see also ballad) is a typical form of folk music. read more

While contemporary folk music is a genre generally distinct from traditional folk music, in US English it shares the same name, and it often shares the same performers and venues as traditional folk music. read more