1 / 19 photos Folk Singers and Folk Revolutionaries

Woody Guthrie strikes one of his signature contemplative poses, guitar in hand, in New York City in the early 1940s. In 1944, Guthrie recorded his most famous song, "This Land is Your Land," regarded by many today pseudo national anthem. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.)

Bob Dylan poses for a portrait with his a Gibson acoustic guitar in New York City, in September 1961. The guitar, a Gibson model J50, was used on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963), which included the songs "Girl from the North Country," "Masters of War" and "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall." (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.)

Peter Yarrow (from left), Mary Travers and Noel "Paul" Stookey, of the folk-rock group Peter, Paul and Mary, strike dramatic poses for a photo in New York City, circa 1962—the year that the band played their first show at Greenwich Village's Bitter End, and released their first, self-titled album. The trio released two more albums a year later, 1963's Moving and In the Wind. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.)

Judy Collins scored her first commercial hit in 1967, with "Both Sides Now," off of the 1968 album Wildflowers, which eventually led to her own, similarly titled record label, Wildflower Records, founded in 2000. With her new label, Collins later released Paradise (2010), which features appearances by Stephen Stills and Joan Baez. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns.)

American folk singer-songwriter Harry Chapin plays the guitar and sings on stage during a performance in the 1970s. Around this time, Chapin released the widely acclaimed album Verities and Balderdash (1974), which includes the chart-topping song "Cat's in the Cradle." (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images.)

Folk songstress Mama Cass, also known as Cass Elliot, began singing with The Mamas and the Papas—along with Denny Doherty, and Michelle and John Phillips—in 1965, and the group soon released the well-known hits "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday." Cass was lauded for her smooth voice and wide vocal range, which she claimed had improved by three notes after a pipe fell on her head. When the foursome disbanded a few years later, Cass embarked on a mildly successful solo career, and performed several live shows. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns.)

Singer-songwriter Laura Nyro became known as a teenage prodigy in the music industry after writing the 1960s song "And When I Die," which she sold to the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. She released her debut album, More Than a New Discovery, in 1967, and several other albums thereafter, but wasn't fond of performing on stage or, in fact, of show-biz. Above: Nyro poses for a photo, circa 1970, which—like many photos of the musician from the 1960s and '70s—portrays her sensitive, introspective and nonconformist personality. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.)

Richie Havens poses with his guitar, circa the late-1960s. Around this time, Havens released Mixed Bag (1967) and Something Else Again (1968), which landed on the Billboard charts. In 1969, he released Richie P. Havens, which includes a version of the Beatles song "With a Little Help from My Friends," and performed the song at Woodstock that same year. (Photo by Jan Persson/Redferns.)

Jim Croce performs with his signature denim jacket, mustache and curly locks, circa 1970. Around this time, Croce released 1973's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" and "Time in a Bottle"—both No. 1 hits on the American charts. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images.)

Graham Nash, of the 1970s folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, poses in Amsterdam, Holland in July 1974—four years after releasing the hit songs "Woodstock" and "Ohio" with the foursome. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns.)

American folk singer Joan Baez plays the guitar and sings during a television performance, circa 1974—nearly 11 years after she sang "We Shall Overcome" at the March on Washington (1963), led by Martin Luther King Jr. Known as both a pivotal musician and activist, Baez began refusing to pay a portion of her taxes—in protest of U.S. military spending—during the '60s and '70s, and was arrested twice in 1967 for blocking an armed forces induction center. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns/Getty Images.)

Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young performs in concert, circa 1970. Around this time, Young was known for his prominent, long sideburns. He was also known for Stephen Stills, David Crosby and Graham Nash (in 1969) to form the popular folk-rock group Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Through a contractual agreement, Young was able to work as both a solo artist and a member of the foursome simulatenously. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images.)

Leonard Cohen performs live on stage, guitar in hand. Following the release of Songs of Love and Hate (1971), which included the singles "Avalanche" and "Famous Blue Raincoat," and three other 1970s albums, Cohen released 1984's Various Positions, which contained one of his most popular songs to date: "Hallelujah." The melodic tune has been covered countless times, including by John Cale and Jeff Buckley. (Photo by Jan Persson/Redferns.)

Singer-songwriter Donovan performs on a BBC television show in the United Kingdom, in August 1972—six years after releasing his signature single, "Mellow Yellow." Also in 1972, Donovan wrote music for the films The Pied Piper and Brother Sun, Sister Moon. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns.)

David Crosby, known for his disheveled long hair, mustache and sideburns—which he proudly sings about in "Almost Cut My Hair," a ballad protesting conformity that Crosby wrote in the late-1960s, while performing with Crosby, Stills and Nash—poses for a photo in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1976. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns.)

Singer-songwriter John Prine poses in his hotel room in 1981, during a portrait photo session in Nashville, Tennessee. Around this time, Prine created his own record label, Oh Boy Records, after being dropped by Asylum in 1980. Nearly a decade later, he won a Grammy Award for the album The Missing Years (1991). (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images.)

Folk-blues musician Tracy Chapman, known for her smoothe and soulful vocals, poses for a photo in July 1988—the year she recorded Tracy Chapman, including the popular single, "Fast Car," which landed at No. 5 on the U.K. charts and at No. 6 on the U.S. charts. Capman broke into the music industry just two years earlier, in 1986, following her fortuitous introduction to a recording manager, courtesy of a friend's father. (Photo by David Montgomery/Getty Images.)

Influenced at a young age by blues, country and folk music, Lucinda Williams, released her first album in 1979, Ramblin' on My Mind. Nearly a decade later, in 1998, she experienced a career breakthrough with Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, which details her experiences while growing up in the South, and living as a vagabond. (Photo by Andrew Lepley/Redferns.)

Ani DiFranco is all smiles—a signature look for the folk singer-songwriter—while performing during the March for Women's Lives, held on April 25, 2004, at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. A year earlier, in 2004, DiFranco won a Grammy for her 2003 album, Evolve. (Photo by Pete Mitchell/WireImage.)