Back in 2020, this column featured 16 folk, pop, and rock artists and bands that deserve wide acclaim but have attracted only cult followings. Here are 10 more.

Bobby Charles

The late Bobby Charles was a gifted singer who also wrote many memorable songs, including “The Jealous Kind” (Ray Charles, Delbert McClinton, etc.) and “Walking to New Orleans” (Fats Domino). He never became famous, but you can’t blame the public for that: Charles eschewed the spotlight and ultimately left the music business. Fortunately, he created some great recordings before he did. Start with Last Train to Memphis, a two-CD set that incorporates material created over several decades and features guest appearances by Domino and McClinton as well as Maria Muldaur, Neil Young, and Willie Nelson.

Dan Penn

Like Bobby Charles, Dan Penn has focused mostly on songwriting and never been interested in stardom. But he sings at least as well as he writes, and man, can he write. All his records are worth having, but start with Moments from This Theatre, a live recording made with his frequent songwriting partner, Spooner Oldham. It includes some of their best-known compositions, such as “Cry Like a Baby,” a No. 2 hit for the Box Tops, and “I’m Your Puppet,” which went to No. 6 for James and Bobby Purify. Also featured are two R&B/soul numbers that Penn wrote with Chips Moman: “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,” which Aretha Franklin recorded, and “The Dark End of the Street,” the James Carr classic.

Dwight Twilley

You won’t find a better exponent of power pop than Dwight Twilley, who died in 2023. His best work is characterized by jangly, ringing guitars, indelible rhythm, and shimmering, full-bodied productions that equal the finest work of acts like Electric Light Orchestra. Start with The Best of Twilley—The Tulsa Years 1999–2016, but don’t miss his earlier albums, such as Scuba Divers and Twilley.

Elliott Murphy

Rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist Elliott Murphy enjoyed brief attention in the U.S. in the mid and late 1970s, when his first LPs appeared on the RCA and Columbia labels and garnered positive reviews. But his stateside profile has since been much lower, because he moved to France and released his subsequent records himself or via small independent labels. However, he has been hugely prolific over the years, issuing dozens of albums, all of which are worth hearing. Start with Lost Generation/Night Lights, a two-CD set that collects his sophomore and third LPs, then move on to more recent standouts such as Elliott Murphy Is Alive! and Soul Surfing.

Hardwicke Circus

Hardwicke Circus has been around for only a few years, so this British band may yet achieve the notice it deserves. If it doesn’t, though, anyone who knows its records will be scratching their heads and wondering why. Its anthemic music, which should appeal to fans of Motown, the English Beat, the Clash, and Bruce Springsteen, packs a powerful, brass-accented punch. No wonder Stiff Records cofounder and former Island Records president David Robinson came out of retirement to manage the band. Get introduced via Cumbria Pizza, a 2024 live acoustic set, after which you’ll likely want to grab the rest of the group’s catalog.

Melissa Carper

Nobody sounds like Melissa Carper, whose sandpapery vocals ooze personality. Her music, which evokes artists ranging from Patsy Cline to Bob Wills to Billie Holiday, draws on country, jazz, Western swing, honkytonk, rockabilly, and more. Start anywhere, because she’s never issued a bad record, but don’t miss Ramblin’ Soul, A Very Carper Christmas, and Wonder Women of Country, an EP she made with her friends Kelly Willis and Brennen Leigh.

Willy DeVille

The late Willy DeVille, whose unique musical recipe draws on doowop, R&B, Cajun and Hispanic music, and more, issued some of his many albums under the name of his band, Mink DeVille. Among the best of those sets is the Jack Nitzsche–produced Cabretta, which features such masterpieces as “Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl,” “Venus of Avenue D,” and “Little Girl,” which might remind you of the Drifters’ best work.

Paul Kelly

Folk and rock singer/songwriter Paul Kelly would not belong on a list of under-appreciated artists in his native Australia, where he has been a star for decades. He has never enjoyed similar success in the U.S., however, and that’s as unfortunate as it is surprising. Check out Songs from the South 1985-2019: Paul Kelly’s Greatest Hits, a two-CD, 43-track collection that shows off his deft, heartfelt songwriting and musical range. Highlights include “Every Fucking City,” about a relationship that didn’t work, “How to Make Gravy,” a convict’s holiday letter to his family, and the ultra-catchy “From St. Kilda to Kings Cross.” Also worth seeking out is Goin’ Your Way, a two-CD live set that Kelly performed with his friend Neil Finn, the Crowded House frontman.

Sunny War

Sunny War, whose bio is as unusual as her stage name, had a difficult childhood that included years of homelessness, addiction struggles, hopping freight trains, and singing on the streets to survive. Her albums are packed with emotional compositions, impressive fingerstyle guitar work, and stirring vocals that might variously remind you of Joan Armatrading or Nina Simone. As this writer noted in a review of one of those LPs, “It’s rare to find a little-known and self-taught singer, songwriter, and musician whose talent is this large and whose work sounds this mature.” Simple Syrup, Anarchist Gospel, Shell of a Girl, and With the Sun are among her many noteworthy releases.

Arthur Alexander

You might have never heard of the late Arthur Alexander, but you’re surely familiar with many of the artists who have covered his songs—Dusty Springfield, the Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, Ry Cooder, Ike & Tina Turner, and Jerry Lee Lewis, to name a few. Alexander was a compelling country/soul/R&B vocalist, but he had little commercial success and wound up quitting the music business and spending years working as a social services bus driver. You’ll find his best work on The Ultimate Arthur Alexander. It includes “Anna (Go to Him),” which the Beatles featured on Please Please Me, five of his other best-known compositions, and 10 well-chosen covers.