# Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album

The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album was awarded from 1987 to 2011. Until 1993 the award was known as the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording.
An award for Best Contemporary Folk Album was also presented. Prior to 1987 contemporary and traditional folk were combined as the Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording.
The award was discontinued in a major overhaul of Grammy categories. In 2012 this category was merged with Best Contemporary Folk Album to form the new Best Folk Album category.
Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were presented, for works released in the previous year.

## Recipients

| Year | Winner(s) | Title | Nominees | Ref. |
| 1987 | Doc Watson | Riding the Midnight Train | Buckwheat Zydeco for Waitin' for My Ya Ya New Lost City Ramblers with Elizabeth Cotten, Pete Seeger, Highwood String Band for 20th Anniversary Concert Queen Ida for Caught in the Act Rockin' Sidney for Hot Steppin' with Rockin' Sidney | |
| 1988 | Ladysmith Black Mambazo | Shaka Zulu | Veit Erlmann (compilation producer) for Mbube Roots, Zulu Choral Music from South Africa The Chieftains for Celtic Wedding Michael Doucet, BeauSoleil for Belizaire the Cajun various artists for Zulu Men's Singing Competition | |
| 1989 | various artists | Folkways: A Vision Shared | Bob Dylan for "Pretty Boy Floyd" Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir for Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Journey of Dreams Van Morrison, The Chieftains for Irish Heartbeat | |
| 1990 | Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir | Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, Volume II | The Cajun Tradition for Á la Vielle Façon Various American Indian Tribes for American Indian Dance Theatre Norman Blake, Nancy Blake for Blind Dog Masters of Traditional Missouri Fiddling for Now That's a Good Tune | |
| 1991 | Doc Watson | On Praying Ground | Toinho de Alagoas, Duda da Passira, Jose Orlando, Heleno Dos Oito Baixos for Brazil Forro: Music for Maids and Taxi Drivers Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Classic Tracks Basin Brothers for Let's Get Cajun The Whitstein Brothers for Old Time Duets Various Artists for Partisans of Vilna: Songs of World War II Jewish Resistance | |
| 1992 | Various Artists | The Civil War | Doc Watson for My Dear Old Southern Home Mike Seeger for Solo-Oldtime Country Music Jimmy C. Newman for The Alligator Man Various Artists for Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares Vol. 3 | - |
| 1993 | The Chieftains | An Irish Evening | Norman and Nancy Blake for Just Gimme Somethin' I'm Used To David Holt for Grandfather's Greatest Hits Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares for A Cathedral Concert D. L. Menard, Eddie LeJeune, Ken Smith for Le Trio Cadien | |
| 1994 | The Chieftains | The Celtic Harp | Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares for Melody, Rhythm & Harmony Bill Morrissey, Greg Brown for Friend of Mine R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton, Black Lodge Singers for Ancestral Voices Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys for Trace of Time Jody Stecher, Kate Brislin for Our Town | |
| 1995 | Bob Dylan | World Gone Wrong | BeauSoleil for L'Echo Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir for Ritual - Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Liph Iqiniso John Renbourn, Robin Williamson for Wheel of Fortune Mike Seeger for Third Annual Farewell Reunion | |
| 1996 | Ramblin' Jack Elliott | South Coast | Norman & Nancy Blake for While Passing Along This Way Ali Akbar Khan for Then and Now Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum for The Oak and the Laurel Dave van Ronk for From... Another Time & Place | |
| 1997 | Pete Seeger | Pete | Norman & Nancy Blake for The Hobo's Last Ride John Hartford for Wild Hog in the Red Brush Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan for Intoxicated Spirit Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Thuthukani Ngoxolo - Let's Develop in Peace | |
| 1998 | BeauSoleil | L'Amour Ou La Folie | Hackberry Ramblers for Deep Water New Lost City Ramblers for There Ain't No Way Out Jo-El Sonnier for Cajun Pride Jody Stecher, Kate Brislin for Heart Songs: The Old Time Country Songs of Utah Phillips | |
| 1999 | The Chieftains | Long Journey Home | Norman Blake for Chattanooga Sugar Babe Greg Brown for Slant 6 Mind Ramblin' Jack Elliott for Friends of Mine Mike Seeger for Southern Banjo Sounds | |
| 2000 | June Carter Cash | Press On | Ramblin' Jack Elliott for The Long Ride David Grisman, John Hartford, Mike Seeger for Retrograss Bill Morrissey for Songs of Mississippi John Hurt Doc & Richard Watson for Third Generation Blues | |
| 2001 | Dave Alvin | Public Domain | Norman Blake for Far Away, Down on a Georgia Farm Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Live at the Royal Albert Hall Natalie MacMaster for My Roots Are Showing Jo-El Sonnier for Cajun Blood | |
| 2002 | Various Artists | Down from the Mountain | BeauSoleil for Looking Back Tomorrow: Beausoleil Live! John Hartford for Hamilton Ironworks Roger McGuinn, Various Artists for Treasures from the Folk Den Various Artists for Avalon Blues - A Tribute to the Music of Mississippi John Hurt | |
| 2003 | Doc Watson | Legacy | Fiddlers 4 (Michael Doucet, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, and Rushad Eggleston) for Fiddlers 4 Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer for Postcards Jorma Kaukonen for Blue Country Heart Peter Rowan, Don Edwards for High Lonesome Cowboy Various Artists for Evangeline Made - A Tribute to Majun Music | |
| 2004 | June Carter Cash | Wildwood Flower | Steve Forbert for Any Old Time Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys for Bon Reve Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs for The Three Pickers Pete Seeger & Friends for Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Volume 3 | |
| 2005 | Various Artists | Beautiful Dreamer | BeauSoleil for Gitane Cajun Norman & Nancy Blake for The Morning Glory Ramblers Rosalie Sorrels & Friends for My Last Go Round Dave Van Ronk for ...And the Tin Pan Bended, and the Story Ended... | |
| 2006 | Tim O'Brien | Fiddler's Green | The Chieftains for Live from Dublin - A Tribute to Derek Bell Jimmie Dale Gilmore for Come On Back Tom Paxton for Live In the UK Jo-El Sonnier for Cajun Mardi Gras! | |
| 2007 | Bruce Springsteen | We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions | Ramblin' Jack Elliott for I Stand Alone Odetta for Gotta Let It Shine Linda Ronstadt, Ann Savoy for Adieu False Heart Ralph Stanley for A Distant Land to Roam: Songs of the Carter Family | |
| 2008 | Levon Helm | Dirt Farmer | David Bromberg for Try Me One More Time Peter Case for Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John Cathy Fink for Banjo Talkin' Charlie Louvin for Charlie Louvin | |
| 2009 | Pete Seeger | At 89 | Kathy Mattea for Coal Tom Paxton for Comedians & Angels Peggy Seeger for Bring Me Home Rosalie Sorrels for Strangers In Another Country | |
| 2010 | Loudon Wainwright III | High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project | David Holt, Josh Goforth for Cutting Loose Maura O'Connell for Naked With Friends Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra for Polka Cola: Music That Refreshes Various Artists for Singing Through the Hard Times: A Tribute to Utah Phillips | |
| 2011 | Carolina Chocolate Drops | Genuine Negro Jig | Luther Dickinson & the Sons of Mudboy for Onward and Upward The John Hartford Stringband for Memories of John Maria Muldaur for Maria Muldaur & Her Garden of Joy Ricky Skaggs for Ricky Skaggs Solo: Songs My Dad Loved | |