# Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording

The Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording was awarded from 1960 to 1986. During this time the award had several minor name changes:
* From 1960 to 1961 the award was known as Best Performance - Folk
* From 1962 to 1967 it was awarded as Best Folk Recording
* From 1968 to 1970 it was awarded as Best Folk Performance
* In 1971 and from 1973 to 1974 the award was known as Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording (including traditional blues)
* In 1972 and from 1975 to 1982 it was awarded as Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording
* From 1983 to 1986 it was awarded as Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording
In 1987 the award was split into two new awards: the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album and the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.

## Winners and nominees

| Year | Album | Artist(s) |
| 1960 |
| 1960 | The Kingston Trio at Large | The Kingston Trio |
| 1960 | Belafonte at Carnegie Hall | Harry Belafonte |
| 1960 | Tennessee Stud | Eddy Arnold |
| 1960 | The Wild, Wild West | The Ralph Hunter Choir |
| 1960 | The Wilderness Road | Jimmy Driftwood |
| 1961 |
| 1961 | Swing Dat Hammer | Harry Belafonte |
| 1961 | Cheers: Drinking Songs Around the World | The Belafonte Folk Singers |
| 1961 | Greenfields | The Brothers Four |
| 1961 | Here We Go Again! | The Kingston Trio |
| 1961 | Miriam Makeba | Miriam Makeba |
| 1962 |
| 1962 | The Belafonte Folk Singers... At Home and Abroad | The Belafonte Folk Singers |
| 1962 | The Big Bill Broonzy Story | Big Bill Broonzy |
| 1962 | The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem | The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem |
| 1962 | Folk Songs of Britain Vol. 1 | Alan Lomax |
| 1962 | The Slightly Fabulous Limeliters | The Limeliters |
| 1963 |
| 1963 | If I Had a Hammer | Peter, Paul and Mary |
| 1963 | The Ballad of Jed Clampett | Flatt and Scruggs |
| 1963 | Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan |
| 1963 | Joan Baez in Concert | Joan Baez |
| 1963 | Midnight Special | Harry Belafonte |
| 1963 | Presenting The New Christy Minstrels | The New Christy Minstrels |
| 1963 | Something Special | The Kingston Trio |
| 1964 |
| 1964 | Blowin' in the Wind | Peter, Paul and Mary |
| 1964 | Green, Green | The New Christy Minstrels |
| 1964 | Judy Collins 3 | Judy Collins |
| 1964 | Odetta Sings Folk Songs | Odetta |
| 1964 | The World of Miriam Makeba | Miriam Makeba |
| 1965 |
| 1965 | We'll Sing in the Sunshine | Gale Garnett |
| 1965 | Belafonte at The Greek Theatre | Harry Belafonte |
| 1965 | Peter, Paul and Mary in Concert | Peter, Paul and Mary |
| 1965 | Woody Guthrie: Library of Congress Recordings | Woody Guthrie |
| 1965 | The Times They Are a-Changin' | Bob Dylan |
| 1965 | Today | The New Christy Minstrels |
| 1965 | The Voice of Africa | Miriam Makeba |
| 1966 |
| 1966 | An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba | Harry Belafonte & Miriam Makeba |
| 1966 | The High Lonesome Sound | Roscoe Holcomb |
| 1966 | Makeba Sings! | Miriam Makeba |
| 1966 | A Song Will Rise | Peter, Paul and Mary |
| 1966 | Strangers and Cousins | Pete Seeger |
| 1966 | There but for Fortune | Joan Baez |
| 1966 | The Womenfolk Live at the Hungry I | The Womenfolk |
| 1967 |
| 1967 | Blues in the Street | Cortelia Clark |
| 1967 | God Bless the Grass | Pete Seeger |
| 1967 | Lead Belly | Lead Belly |
| 1967 | Oliver Smith | Oliver Smith |
| 1967 | Reflections in a Crystal Wind | Mimi & Richard Fariña |
| 1967 | Violets of Dawn | The Mitchell Trio |
| 1968 |
| 1968 | Gentle on My Mind | John Hartford |
| 1968 | Album 1700 | Peter, Paul and Mary |
| 1968 | Alice's Restaurant | Arlo Guthrie |
| 1968 | In My Life | Judy Collins |
| 1968 | Janis Ian | Janis Ian |
| 1968 | Waist Deep in the Big Muddy | Pete Seeger |
| 1969 |
| 1969 | Both Sides, Now | Judy Collins |
| 1969 | Did She Mention My Name? | Gordon Lightfoot |
| 1969 | The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter | Incredible String Band |
| 1969 | John Wesley Harding | Bob Dylan |
| 1969 | Late Again | Peter, Paul and Mary |
| 1969 | The Unicorn | The Irish Rovers |
| 1970 |
| 1970 | Clouds | Joni Mitchell |
| 1970 | Any Day Now | Joan Baez |
| 1970 | Donovan | Donovan |
| 1970 | Bird on the Wire | Judy Collins |
| 1970 | Day is Done | Peter, Paul and Mary |
| 1970 | Young vs. Old | Pete Seeger |
| 1971 |
| 1971 | Good Feelin' | T-Bone Walker |
| 1971 | Black Music of South America | David Lewisohn |
| 1971 | Folk Fiddling From Sweden | Bjorn Stabi & Ole Hjorth |
| 1971 | I Do Not Play No Rock'n'Roll | Mississippi Fred McDowell |
| 1971 | Sail On | Muddy Waters |
| 1971 | Shree Rag | Ali Akbar Khan & Shankha Ghosh |
| 1972 |
| 1972 | They Call Me Muddy Waters | Muddy Waters |
| 1972 | 18th Century Traditional Music of Japan | Keiko Matsuo |
| 1972 | The Esso Trinidad Steel Band | Esso Trinidad Steel Band |
| 1972 | Javanese Court Gamelan | Javanese Players |
| 1972 | Message to the Young | Howlin' Wolf |
| 1972 | Mississippi Fred McDowell | Mississippi Fred McDowell |
| 1972 | Stormy Monday Blues | T-Bone Walker |
| 1973 |
| 1973 | The London Muddy Waters Sessions | Muddy Waters |
| 1973 | Blues Piano Orgy | Various Artists |
| 1973 | Lightnin' Strikes | Lightnin' Hopkins |
| 1973 | Live at Soledad Prison | John Lee Hooker |
| 1973 | Walking the Blues | Otis Spann |
| 1974 |
| 1974 | Then and Now | Doc Watson |
| 1974 | Can't Get No Grindin' | Muddy Waters |
| 1974 | John Lee Hooker's Detroit | John Lee Hooker |
| 1974 | King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree: Blues at Montreux | King Curtis & Champion Jack Dupree |
| 1974 | Lead Belly: Live in Concert | Lead Belly |
| 1975 |
| 1975 | Two Days in November | Doc Watson & Merle Watson |
| 1975 | Big Daddy | Bukka White |
| 1975 | The Back Door Wolf | Howlin' Wolf |
| 1975 | Catalyst | Willie Dixon |
| 1975 | London Revisited | Muddy Waters & Howlin' Wolf |
| 1976 |
| 1976 | The Muddy Waters Woodstock Album | Muddy Waters |
| 1976 | I Got What It Takes | Koko Taylor |
| 1976 | Memphis Blues | Memphis Slim |
| 1976 | Music of Guatemala | The San Lucas Band |
| 1976 | Wake Up Dead Man | Bruce Jackson |
| 1977 |
| 1977 | Mark Twang | John Hartford |
| 1977 | Bagpipe Marches and Music of Scotland | Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band |
| 1977 | Beware of the Dog! | Hound Dog Taylor |
| 1977 | If You Love These Blues, Play 'Em As You Please | Michael Bloomfield |
| 1977 | Proud Earth | Chief Dan George, Arliene Nofchissey Williams & Rick Brousseau |
| 1978 |
| 1978 | Hard Again | Muddy Waters |
| 1978 | Blues Hit Big Town | Junior Wells |
| 1978 | Right Place, Wrong Time | Otis Rush |
| 1978 | The Things That I Used to Do | Big Joe Turner |
| 1978 | What Happened to My Blues | Willie Dixon |
| 1979 |
| 1979 | I'm Ready | Muddy Waters |
| 1979 | Chicago Blues at Home | Various Artists |
| 1979 | Clifton Chenier and His Red Hot Louisiana Band in New Orleans | Clifton Chenier |
| 1979 | I Hear Some Blues Downstairs | Fenton Robinson |
| 1979 | U.S.A. | Memphis Slim & His House Rockers ft. Matt "Guitar" Murphy |
| 1980 |
| 1980 | Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live | Muddy Waters |
| 1980 | The Chieftains 7 | The Chieftains |
| 1980 | Ice Pickin' | Albert Collins |
| 1980 | Laugh Your Blues Away | Uncle Dave Macon |
| 1980 | Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 1 | Shaw and the Wolf Gang & Left Hand Frank and His Blues Band |
| 1980 | Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 3 | Lonnie Brooks Blues Band, Pinetop Perkins & Sons of Blues |
| 1980 | New England Traditional Fiddling | John Edwards Memorial Foundation |
| 1980 | New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival | Various Artists |
| 1980 | So Many Roads | Otis Rush |
| 1981 |
| 1981 | Rare Blues | Various Artists |
| 1981 | Atlanta Blues: '33 | Various Artists |
| 1981 | The Chieftains 9: Boil the Breakfast Early | The Chieftains |
| 1981 | Kidney Stew Is Fine | Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson |
| 1981 | Queen Ida & the Bon Temps Zydeco Band In New Orleans | Queen Ida |
| 1982 |
| 1982 | There Must Be a Better World Somewhere | B.B. King |
| 1982 | Blues Deluxe | Various Artists |
| 1982 | From the Heart of a Woman | Koko Taylor |
| 1982 | Frozen Alive! | Albert Collins |
| 1982 | Living Chicago Blues, Vol. 4 | Various Artists |
| 1983 |
| 1983 | Queen Ida & The Bon Temps Zydeco Band On Tour | Queen Ida |
| 1983 | In the Tradition | The Boys of the Lough |
| 1983 | Live in America | The John Renbourn Group |
| 1983 | Metropolis | The Klezmorim |
| 1983 | Reggae Sunsplash '81: A Tribute to Bob Marley | Various Artists |
| 1983 | Tennessee: Folk Heritage - The Mountain | Various Artists |
| 1984 |
| 1984 | I'm Here | Clifton Chenier & His Red Hot Louisiana Band |
| 1984 | The Grey Fox | The Chieftains |
| 1984 | Raga Mishra Piloo | Ali Akbar Khan & Ravi Shankar |
| 1984 | Renaissance of the Celtic Harp | Alan Stivell |
| 1984 | Syncro System | King Sunny Adé |
| 1985 |
| 1985 | Elizabeth Cotten Live! | Elizabeth Cotten |
| 1985 | 100% Fortified Zydeco | Buckwheat Zydeco |
| 1985 | Good Rockin' | Rockin' Dopsie |
| 1985 | On A Saturday Night | Queen Ida |
| 1985 | Open Road | Boys of the Lough |
| 1986 |
| 1986 | My Toot Toot | Rockin' Sidney |
| 1986 | Live at the San Francisco Blues Festival | Clifton Chenier |
| 1986 | Souvenirs | Dewey Balfa |
| 1986 | Turning Point | Buckwheat Zydeco |
| 1986 | Zydeco Gris Gris | BeauSoleil |