Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album


The Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally.
The award goes to solo artists, duos, or groups for releasing vocal or instrumental albums containing at least 51% of new recordings.
The award was first presented to Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa for the album Misa Criolla at the 1st Latin Grammy Awards ceremony in 2000. She also happens to be the most nominated and awarded performer in this category with five accolades. Her album Cantora 1 became the first folk album to be nominated for Album of the Year in 2009 but lost to Calle 13's Los de atrás vienen conmigo. In 2011 she became the first artist to receive this award posthumously for the album Deja La Vida Volar.
On the other hand, Peruvian singer Eva Ayllón holds the record for most nominations without a win with seven. Musicians originating from Argentina and Colombia have received this award more times than any other nationality winning on four and two occasions respectively.

Recipients

YearPerforming artistNationalityWorkNomineesRef.
2000Mercedes SosaArgentina
2001El All-Stars de La Rumba CubanaCuba
2002Susana BacaPeru
2003Mercedes SosaArgentina
2004Kepa JunkeraSpain
2005Lila DownsMexico
2006Mercedes SosaArgentina
2007Los Gaiteros de San JacintoColombia
2008Cholo ValderramaColombia
2009Mercedes SosaArgentina
2010Ilan ChesterVenezuela
2011Mercedes SosaArgentina
2012Lila DownsMexico
2013Reynaldo ArmasVenezuelaEl Caballo de Oro
2014Lila Downs, Niña Pastori and SoledadMexico, Spain and ArgentinaRaíz

Each year is linked to the article about the Latin Grammy Awards held that year.