Some of this genre is pretty good i’m finding. I don’t know if it all counts as folk music but to me it denotes acoustic guitar music with pronounced, meaningful lyrics. Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Harry Chapin and the Mamas & the Papas (don’t know if they count) for example.
Are there any other good bands or good songs from this genre of music?
There’s tons of it. Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (although not purely acoustic) are three from that era that spring to mind. A more recent example would be Dar Williams, although she is also not expressly acoustic. Stillwater (or Chris & Johnny, depending on which album you get) is another one that is awesome, if a little hard to find.
I’m sure others will be in shortly to chime in; I know there are a lot that I’m forgetting.
-Althea
Nick Drake.
Joan Baez, Gordon Lightfoot, Cat Stevens (ooops), Jose Feliciano
That style is more commonly referred to as “singer/songwriter,” since as you may have noticed, they tend to be lone artists rather than bands.
Joni Mitchell is definitely worth a look. You could try Bread, though they’re a little icky for some people’s taste. Who else … Dan Fogelberg, Jim Croce, Jackson Browne, Carole King, Gordon Lightfoot … there’s a lot to choose from, and a lot of one-hit wonders in that style too.
Yeah, I listen to Jim Croche, his version of mr. bojangles is the best of all the versions.
Townes van Zandt. “Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas” is his best recorded stuff; essential tunes on a real good night. His early albums contain wonderful material but the arrangements are overly orchestrated. And many later releases, especially post mortem, are a bit of a hodgpodge.
In “Step Inside This House”*, Lyle Lovett recorded 2 CD’s worth of covers; songs written by van Zandt & the other (mostly) Texas songwriters who inspired him. It’s a good overview of the Southwestern Branch of the singer/songwriter thing & a fine record in its own right.
Don’t forget Don McLean.
Kenny Loggins. No, seriously. And John Denver.
Though they broke up in '70 (I believe), I think Simon & Garfunkel qualifies. And Paul Simon certainly does.
One that is often forgotten in these lists but remembered instantly when you hear her is Janis Ian.
There were a lot of one- or few-hit wonders as well. The first two that spring to my mind are Dan Hill (Sometimes When We Touch) and the one with the unfortunate stage name (at least I sincerely hope it isn’t his real name), Gilbert O’Sullivan (Alone Again, Naturally).
What about John Prine, Steve Goodman and Loudon Wainwright III? They aren’t smooth and pretty like James Taylor, but they have their charms.
More to the point, Frank Christian’s Where Were You Last Night from 1982 is a favorite of mine.
The list needs more women.
Laura Nyro. Maria Muldahr. Emmylou Harris. Nicolette Sheridan. Wendy Waldman. Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Early Linda Ronstadt.
And more Simon & Garfunkelesque duos.
Brewer & Shipley. Batdorf & Rodney. Seals and Crofts. Endland Dan and John Ford Coley.
Don’t forget the Byrds and the Buffalo Springfield. Which also begat Poco, Loggins & Messina, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas, The Souther Hillman Furay band and eventually the Eagles.
Van Morrison Moondance (1970)
Simon and Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
Carole King Tapestry (1971)
Joni Mitchell Blue (1971)
John Prine John Prine (1971)
Neil Young Harvest (1972)
Nick Drake Pink Moon (1972)
Carly Simon No Secrets (1972)
Sandy Denny Sandy (1972)
Phoebe Snow Phoebe Snow (1974)
John Denver Back Home Again (1974)
Gordon Lightfoot Sundown (1974)
Cris Williamson The Changer and the Changed (1975)
Bob Dylan Blood on the Tracks (1975)
Janis Ian Between the Lines (1975)
Bruce Springsteen Born to Run (1975)
Kate Wolf Back Roads (1976)
Al Stewart Year of the Cat (1976)
Jackson Browne Running on Empty (1977)
Joan Armatrading Show Some Emotion (1977)
Laura Nyro Nested (1978)
Holly Near Imagine My Surprise! (1978)
Nanci Griffith There’s A Light Beyond these Woods (1978)
Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (1979)
Cashman and West (probably best known for American City Suite)
Arlo Guthrie. Check out Hobo’s Lullaby, Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys, or Amigo.
Gordon Lightfoot. If You Could Read My Mind, Don Quixote, or Gord’s Gold.
John Stewart. Cannons in the Rain, The Phoenix Concerts, or Wingless Angels. His best album, California Bloodlines, was released in 1968.
Born to Run???
Yeah…that was a bit on the edge… but the title track has always been a folk song wrapped up with an electric guitar. I was actually thinking Nebraska to begin with but that wasn’t until '82. (I’m reaching here, let’s pretend I didn’t put that one on the list 
)
The Roches (Self titled and Nurds) might fill the bill. 1978 and 1980 respectively.
-ny Eggs. As performed on The Christine Lavin Laugh Tracks Bottom Line series from 1996 with artsits such as Dave VanRonk, Tom Paxton, David Buskin, Robert Carlson, Vance Gilbert, The Chenille Sisters, et al.
And if 70’s-esque isn’t carved in stone, Richie Havens ‘Mixed Bag’