....but I'm on reasonably safe ground on the 60s and 70s. Tell you what I would have recommended as a nice starter; a four-disc box set of English folk called 'Anthems In Eden'. Covers pretty much all the ground of the 60s and 70s, really.

As for albums I love of the 60s/70s...

Fairport Convention- Liege And Lief
Pentangle- Basket Of Light (going to see them in July too!)
Steeleye Span- Now We Are Six
Mr Fox- The Gipsy
Bert Jansch- Bert Jansch
John Martyn- Solid Air
Davy Graham and Shirley Collins- Folk, Blues and Beyond
Nick Drake- Bryter Layter
The Incredible String Band- The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (bit of an acquired taste, really, but I love this album dearly!)
Trees- On The Shore
Trader Horne- Morning Way
The Albion Band- Rise Up Like The Sun
Shirley Collins- No Roses

is the recent Robert Plant and Alison Krauss album Raising Sand.

Agree with JJ above with the likes of Nick Drake, although I prefer Five Leaves Left, as well as Bert Jansch (try Dazzling Stranger).

Another modern favourite is Kate Rusby, recent album Awkward Annie is worth a listen.

As with many genres, folk isn't just pastoral landscapes and 14-stringed mandolins and there's a lot of crossover with other genres, especially jazz, blues, country and rock.

Whatever, you try, enjoy!

You can't go wrong. Her albums are much of a muchness, but Sleepless and Underneath The Stars are both particularly good.

I can't pretend to be an expert in the field, however the following records may be bought without fear of regret: -

Moving Hearts - The Storm (astonishing ensemble playing)
Nic Jones - Penguin Eggs (intimate and moving guitar and vocals set)
The Chieftains - 10 (as per the Moving Hearts album, only in a more traditional mode)
Richard Thompson - Hand Of Kindness (overlooked set in which RT rocks out)
Christy Moore - Ordinary Man (intense & moving singing/songwriting, worth the price for The Reel In The Flickering Light alone)
Karine Polwart - Scribbled in Chalk (endearing guitar & vocals set with exceptionally clever vocal & band arrangements)
Rose Melberg - Cast Away The Clouds (stripped down backing with multi-layered vocals. Quite unlike anything you may have heard)
And of course, anything by Nick Drake.

If you need to check any of these out before you part with the hard-earned, the Amazon.com site generally have a better preview facility than do their co.uk equivalent.

http://songza.com/ seem to have the ability to play any song on demand. Give them a shot before they get closed down...meanwhile, YouTube is always good for checking tracks out.

Karine Polwart: -
Rose Melberg: -

Just as I thought, this is going to cost me some mighty wedge.

whilst great recommendations is that they are predominantly British. Many are of the mistaken belief that folk can only be British but I am not sure that is the case. Certainly early Dylan was folk but would also recommend:-

Kate and Anna McGarrigle - Dancer with bruised knees
The Be Good Tanyas - Any album
Loudon Wainwright - Career moves or bbc sessions are both very good
Leonard Cohen - first 3 albums in particular although Essential lives up to its name
Ry Cooder - into the purple valley
More recently Willy Mason
Not forgetting Gillian Welch

.....a few of the artists already mentioned, and any of them would be an excellent choice to start with. Though rather than classing them as "folk" artists I'd put them in the pigeonhole of folk/roots/acoustic/americana....or simply singer/songwriter.

I have a 4cd box set called "The Acoustic Folk Box" which is excellent but maybe a bit pricey for starting out.

If you are in UK, BBC radio has some "folk" programmes. On Radio 2 look for Mike Harding or on Radio Scotland there's Archie Fisher or Iain Anderson. All have the listen again facility so there's plenty there to whet your appetite!

Somebody famous(possibly Louis Armstrong, but I'm not sure)once said something like...."all music is folk music...have you ever seen a horse playing the piano".

Folk's where it's at right now...
For a quick iTunes (or we7) hit of new British folk, try these songs:
NEVER ANY GOOD - MARTIN SIMPSON (an extraordinarily moving message to his recently deceased father; the best folk song in years. Try the song "Duncan & Brady" on the same album for a great murder ballad).
HARVEST GYPSIES - KRIS DREVER (written by Boo Hewerdine, this song gives a really rich sense of time and place - I learnt from it).
FAREWEEL REGALITY - RACHEL UNTHANK & THE WINTERSET (A beautiful song, a toast to friends and the Northeast of England).

I suggest you try Show Of Hands. They have a huge following, and have sold out three self promoted shows at the Albert Hall since 1994. Well worth a listen, lots of information on their website.

I'd also certainly recommend Nic Jones.

made a series of albums together that are unsurpassed in the folk canon.

If they are still available, you must hear:

Byker Hill

Prince Heathen

But Two Came By

All on Topic Records.

performing a snippet of 'Byker Hill'...

Martin and Swarb, 'Byker Hill', 40-odd years on...

Don't try Show of Hands.

Instead reach for a copy of Martin Simpson's astounding album of last year Prodigal Son or Bellowhead by Spiers and Boden which I have been a little addicted to of late.

Can I direct you to www.efolkmusic.org which a not for profit website that has legal free as pay for music of all types. Well worth a visit.

If you want to venture into Irish folk, I am rather keen on Dervish, they are hugely energetic and fuse in lots of other influences.

And Kila's Lemonade and Buns is good too.

As an ex-rock chick (apparently I forfeited my membership when I went over to the Dark Side of folk)I have had to work hard to defend my corner at home. Here are a few artists that provoke the least quantity of patronising huffing noises from He-who-still-thinks-Lemmy-is-God-and-got-over-the-whole-folk-thing-in-his-teens. (Otherwise known as He-who-will-be-making-his-own-tea...)

Without wanting to repeat the other lists too much, if you're trying Kila you should go for the eponymous 'Kila + Oki'; if only for the fact that one of their songs translates as 'cow poo' and I get a great deal of joy from singing it mutinously under my breath at work.

Ruth Notman has just released 'Threads' - you can hear it on her myspace page. She has a beautiful voice. Some of the songs are very traditional and some edge more towards mainstream. I took a punt on the album based on a listen to her myspace page, and I don't regret a penny of it.

A J Roach is an American singer who straddles the line (careful, now) between folk and country. He's only done a couple of albums but for my money the best is his first - Dogwood Winter. It has great lyrics, well thought-out vocal/guitar pieces and (for when you're feeling brave)some full-on country whining and stomping. It's one of those albums that really grows on you.

Cara Dillon BUT only the self-titled first album. On this outing she stuck to traditional songs and her pure, sweet voice is a joy to listen to. After that she started to write more of her own material and whilst the voice is as good as ever, the songs just aren't memorable. I repeat - the first album is fab.

Kris Drever - the whole of Black Water. Fantastic album, fantastic musician.

Roddy Woomble - album from a couple of years back called My Secret is my Silence. A good starting point as this was a cross-over album for him from Idlewild to folk.

Martha Tilston- Of Milkmaid and Architects. Some of this is folk and some is more mainstream. I defy anyone who has ever worked in an office not to feel a sense of recognition when they listen to 'Artificial'.

I'm going to shut up now. Hope you like these.

Durham lad Jez Lowe? Oft neglected, though he crops up on Mike Harding's show now and again, and contributed magnificently to the "new" Radio Ballads that can still be found on Radio 2 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/radioballads/

www.jezlowe.com/

and on myspace ...

Probably his most well known song is "The Bergen", my recommendations would include "Sod all", "Propping" and "Mike Neville says it so it must be true".

There's a great internet radio station called folk alley (www.folkalley.com) who stream all manner of broad church folkiness, have excellent playlist histories, a good podcast and links to Amazon should you wish to buy. And hardly any yadayada between tracks. Recommended!