British Male Folk Singers

British singer, Cat Stevens, has released more than 15 studio albums and has churned out many hit songs. He converted to Islam in 1977 and adopted the name Yusuf Islam. He was slammed for reportedly backing the death fatwa on author Salman Rushdie. He has also been accused of allegedly having ties with terrorist organisations, a charge he has vehemently denied.

Northern Irish singer, Van Morrison, garnered recognition in the 1960s while playing with the band, Them, and then later as a solo singer with the 1967 song Brown Eyed Girl. Over the years, he has released more than 40 albums. Astral Weeks, Moondance, Wavelength, Down the Road and Keep It Simple are some of his acclaimed and commercially successful albums.

George Ezra is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He achieved popularity after releasing his debut album Wanted on Voyage, which peaked at number one in the UK. It was also one of the best-selling albums in the UK in the year 2014. In 2019, George Ezra was honored with the Brit Award under the British Male Solo Artist category.

Donovan is a Scottish guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for developing and popularizing a distinctive and eclectic style that blended many genres, such as folk, jazz, pop, calypso, and psychedelic rock. Donovan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, in 2012 and 2014, respectively.

Nick Drake was a British singer-songwriter best remembered for his acoustic guitar-based music. Although he failed to achieve popularity during his lifetime, Drake's music has achieved recognition in recent times. He suffered from depression throughout his life and died at the age of 26 from an overdose of a prescribed antidepressant called amitriptyline.

Richard Thompson is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He helped revive British folk music during the 1960s and 1970s by co-founding the folk rock band Fairport Convention where he performed as the lead guitarist and songwriter. One of his best-known songs, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, was named in Time magazine's list of All Time 100 Songs.

English singer-songwriter and musician Michael David Rosenberg, well-known by his stage-name Passenger, has spawned several successful albums and singles. These includes the single Let Her Go that became a sleeper hit topping charts in sixteen countries and accumulating over 3.2 billion views on YouTube. Rosenberg was a co-founder, main-vocalist and songwriter of the now dissolved British folk-rock band called Passenger. 

Al Stewart is a Scottish folk-rock musician and singer-songwriter. He achieved popularity during the 1960s and 1970s and helped revive British folk music. He is best known for his single Year of the Cat, which became a hit worldwide. Over the course of his career, Al Stewart has worked with well-known musicians like Peter White, Jimmy Page, and Richard Thompson.

Ronnie Lane was an English musician, music producer, and songwriter. He is best remembered as the founding member of the popular rock and roll bands, Small Faces and Faces. Ronnie Lane’s work with the bands earned him a posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

English singer and guitarist Ralph McTell is best known for his contribution to English folk music. He soared to fame with his chartbusting hit Streets of London. The singer has also hosted children’s programs such as Alphabet Zoo. Interestingly, he had started his career as a teacher, before switching to music.

Ed Sheeran is one of the most popular English singer-songwriters of the current generation. His songs Castle on the Hill and Shape of You from his third studio album broke records in several countries. He is one of the best-selling music artists in the world, having sold over 150 million records worldwide.

British folk singer-songwriter, folk song-collector, political activist, and actor Ewan MacColl, was a leading figure of the 1960s British folk revival. He is noted for writing songs like The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and Dirty Old Town. He was also involved in trade unionism and socialist politics as a steadfast communist and wrote several left-wing political songs.

Iain David McGeachy OBE, well-known by his stage name John Martyn, was a critically-acclaimed British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Commencing his music career at age 17, Martyn soon created a distinctive style drawing inspiration from blues and folk and emerged as a leading figure in the British folk scene. Two of his top-30 albums include Glorious Fool and Well Kept Secret.

British-American singer-guitarist Dewey Bunnell soared to fame as part of the folk-rock band America, which released hit singles such as A Horse with No Name in the 1970s. His tracks were later reworked by music legend Michael Jackson. He and his band have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Peter Sarstedt was an English singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. He mainly performed pop music with elements inspired by ballads and traditional folk music. He is best known for writing and singing the song Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?, which won an Ivor Novello Award. He was active in the music scene for over 40 years. 

Known for both his singing and guitar skills, English singer Steve Tilston remains one of the most celebrated musicians of the Irish and English folk genre. He has also often collaborated with his former partner, Maggie Boyle. He has also won a Folk Award and penned a novel.

A legend of Celtic music, Phil Coulter was the best-selling Irish music artist of his time. Starting his career as a songwriter for various artists, he later teamed up with songwriter Bill Martin to write hits such as Puppet on a String. He also penned a theme for the Irish rugby team.

Jake Thackray was an English poet, journalist, and singer-songwriter. He achieved immense popularity during the 1960s and 1970s when he started appearing on British television, performing his topical comedy songs. Jake Thackray is credited with influencing performers like Jarvis Cocker, Alex Turner, Ralph McTell, and Mike Harding.

Mike Harding is an English singer, songwriter, poet, comedian, author, multi-instrumentalist, and broadcaster. A multi-talented person, Harding has also tried his hand at photography, filmmaking, and scriptwriting. Mike Harding is also credited with launching his own radio show titled The Mike Harding Folk Show. 

John Tams is an English actor, musician, composer, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for portraying the role of Daniel Hagman in the television drama series Sharpe. As a musician, John Tams worked with Ashley Hutchings before forming a folk-rock group called Home Service in late 1980.

The only son of legendary folk-rock musicians Richard & Linda Thompson, Teddy Thompson is a folk-rock artist in his own right and first gained attention with his appearance in this father’s album You? Me? Us? He later brought his mother out of retirement and co-produced her come-back album.

A.L. Lloyd was an English folk singer. A collector of folk songs, Lloyd played an important role during the British folk revival movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Lloyd also helped establish industrial folk music through his recordings, books, and theoretical writings.

Mike Waterson was an English folk singer, songwriter, and author. He is best remembered for his association with the popular folk group, The Watersons. Waterson was also an important member of the English folk supergroup, Blue Murder. Mike Waterson is also remembered for his work with his sisters, Lal and Norma Waterson.

Bob Roberts was a British storyteller, folk singer, songwriter, bargeman, journalist, and author. Renowned for his charismatic personality and great story-telling ability, Bob Roberts achieved popularity in the 1950s when he started appearing in folk clubs and festivals.

Born into the famous musical Copper family of Rottingdean, British singer Bob Copper is remembered as a folk music legend. He, along with his family, wrote down songs and had a unique style of a capella singing. He was later awarded the Gold Badge of the English Folk Dance and Song Society.