In their own ways, each is trying to stay true to his or her roots while rebooting folk music for the era of ringtones.

NPR: 99 Seconds of a One-Woman Choir

Her fingerpicked guitar lines and delicate melodies have roots in traditional folk, but given a choice, her songs always choose the overgrown, lesser-worn paths that lead in unexpected directions.

NPR: First Listen: Laura Gibson's 'Beasts Of Seasons'

Bragg, known for his political lyrics, was awarded the Roots Award - in recognition of "an outstanding contribution to Folk Music from a Grass Roots level upwards".

BBC: Nic Jones wins at Radio 2 folk awards

But in recent years the movement has pushed beyond its anarchist roots, drawing in old folk and corporate executives as well as the usual kids.

ECONOMIST: Now it's for corporate executives and old buffers too

After jumping around from jazz to folk to rock, he returned to his piano-based roots on 2004's Halcyon Days.

NPR: Bruce Hornsby: From Jazz to Folk to Rock

Shanti and Buck Curran, who write and record under the name Arborea, are pitched as a husband-and-wife folk duo from Maine, but there's very little in their songs that resembles traditional roots music.

NPR: Arborea: 'Black Mountain Road'