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Frankly, if you talk to a musicologist who follows the old school definitions of what constitutes folk music, the very idea of #1 songs and radio airplay seems completely out of place. Most of the songs on the Folk DJ chart are basically contemporary songs that do not pass the test of classic traditional folk music. Yet this contemporary folk music exists as a living tradition with a community that supports it.

Basically, the charts are fun, and I love reading them each month. Sometimes I will give artists a second listen or revisit artists who I have yet to play based on what my peers are playing. It also helps artists to make the Folk DJ lists as it will open up doors when they try to get booked in venues and festivals. The “oral” tradition of the past has given way to an “aural” tradition in 2015.

We do celebrate and honor the names of the artists who are heard on folk radio, and the Folk DJ charts point out just a few names from our folk community. We even have awards shows. In November, the prestigious Canadian Folk Music Awards are handed out in a gala ceremony.

It might be too early to tell, but I would not be surprised to see the Sweet Lowdown nominated for their new CD next fall. Should they win, I can almost guarantee that you will not see Kanye West storming the stage in protest.

(Tune in to WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS every Sunday from 2pm to 5pm Eastern Time over WFDU-FM 89.1 in the NYC/Northern New Jersey area, or on the web at www.wfdu.fm or iHeartRadio.com. On-demand streams of shows, including this one, are archived for two weeks by clicking HERE. A Sing Out! Radio Partner.)

Fund Drive Playlist for February 22, 2015
HOSTS: Ron Olesko & Bill Hahn

2PM
Theme: HARVEY REID “Dirty Dish Rag”
Solo Guitar Sketchbook   Woodpecker Records – www.woodpecker.com
JOHN HARTFORD “Turn Your Radio On”
Aero-Plain   Rhino/Warner – www.rhino.com

STAN ROGERS “The Mary Ellen Carter”
The Very Best of Stan Rogers   Borealis – www.borealisrecords.com , www.stanrogers.net
DAVID MALLETT “Garden Song”
Greenin’ Up    North Road Records – www.davidmallett.com

KEN WHITELEY & THE BEULAH BAND “Quite Early Morning”
Ken Whitely & the Beulah Band   Borealis Records – www.borealisrecords.com , www.kenwhitely.com

NEW ORLEANS BRASS BAND “Whoopin Blues”
Through the Streets of the City   Smithsonian Fokways – www.folkways.si.edu
DUKES OF DIXIELAND “Saints”
New Orleans Brass Bands   Putamayo – www.putamayo.com

OSCAR BRAND “I Was Born about 10,0000 Years Ago”
The Folk Song Tradition   Tradition Records (out of print) – www.oscarbrand.com
ODETTA “Sail Away Ladies”
The Folk Song Tradition   Tradition Records – out of print

JOEL MABUS “Hillbilly Singer”
A Bird in the This World   Fossil Records – www.joelmabus.com
MICHAEL JEROME BROWNE “Living in the White House”
Sliding Delta   Borealis – www.borealisrecords.com

3PM
THE BOXCAR LILLIES “If I Needed You”
Sugar Shack   self – www.theboxcarlillies.com

THE KENNEDYS “From A Distance”
Dance a Little Closer   self – www.kennedysmusic.com
JOHNSMITH “Sweetgrass”
The Longing Road   self – www.johnsmithmusic.com

FLYNN COHEN “Black is the Color”
The Lazy Farmer   Wepecket Island Records – www.wepecket.com
DAVID LLEWLLYN & IDA KRISTIN “Turn Turn Turn”
Songs Around the Kitchen Table   Dabhand – www.davidandida.com
DAVID LLEWLLYN & IDA KRISTIN “59th Street Bridge Song”
Songs Around the Kitchen Table   Dabhand – www.davidandida.com

PHIL OCHS “Chords of Fame”
Phil Ochs Live Again   Rockbeat – www.rockbeatrecords.com
PHIL OCHS “Flower Lady”
Phil Ochs Live Again   Rockbeat – www.rockbeatrecords.com

KATE WOLF “Slender Threads”
Weaver of Visions   Rhino – www.katewolf.com

4PM
GIBSON & CAMP “Sing for the Song”
Homemade Music   Bob Gibson Legacy – www.bobgibsonlegacy.com
ROGER DEITZ “The Common Man”
Love Songs, Now and Then   self – www.rogerdeitz.com

DANNY QUINN “Old Friend”
Solo   self – www.dannyquinn.com
HEATHER MALONEY & DARLINGSIDE “Woodstock”
Woodstock  Signature Sounds – www.signaturesounds.com , www.darlingside.com

AZTEC TWO-STEP “Bleeker Street”
Time It Was  self – www.aztectwostep.com
TOM PAXTON  “The Last Thing on My Mind”
Live in the UK   Pax Records – www.tompaxton.com

THE FOLK BROTHERS – JACK HARDY AND DAVID MASSENGILL “Peggy-O”
Partners in Crime  Great Divide Records – www.jackhardy.com

THE WEAVERS “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine”
The Weavers At Carnegie Hall   Vanguard – www.vanguardrecords.com
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Ron Olesko
WFDU-FM
1000 River Road
Teaneck, NJ 07666

www.wfdu.fm
www.iheart.com/live/WFDU-891-6648
click here for Traditions Archive