Ralph Rinzler (July 20, 1934 – July 2, 1994) was a distinguished American mandolinist, folksinger, photographer, and celebrated folklorist. He is best known for co-organizing the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., from its inception in 1967 until 1976, and for his role as the founding director of the Smithsonian's Office of Folklife Programs. In the early to mid-1960s, Rinzler was also a member of the Greenbriar Boys, a prominent bluegrass group. A prolific researcher and phonographic archivist, he dedicated much of his work to documenting the contributions of pioneering traditional American music performers, such as Doc Watson and Hazel Dickens, who gained international recognition, in part, due to his efforts.

Rinzler was raised in Passaic, New Jersey, where his introduction to folk music and ethnography came from his uncle, George Lyman Kittredge, a professor at Harvard. Kittredge introduced Ralph to a collection of 10" shellac discs from the early 20th century. During high school, Rinzler formed a friendship with David Grisman, who briefly mentored him. He later enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, a choice he later regretted due to the institution's limited music program. Nevertheless, he pursued a double major in French while actively playing mandolin in several student bands and co-organizing an annual folk festival with a roommate. After earning his Bachelor's degree in 1956, Rinzler traveled to Europe to continue his French studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. Shortly thereafter, he was persuaded by his friend, folksinger Peggy Seeger, to abandon linguistics and relocate to England. There, he met Peggy's father, a prominent musicologist, and her husband, both of whom introduced him to influential figures like Bert Lloyd and Ewan MacColl, shaping his lifelong commitment to the Folk Revival movement.

In 1959, Rinzler returned to the United States and joined the Greenbriar Boys, a New York-based bluegrass band that gained popularity touring with singer-songwriter Tom Paxton. He played a significant role in the group’s most notable lineup for four years, contributing to two critically acclaimed albums released by Vanguard Records: their self-titled LP in 1962 and the 1964 album The Greenbriar Boys. The band toured extensively along the East Coast and regularly performed in New York's Greenwich Village, including numerous shows as the opening act for Bob Dylan at Gerde's Folk City. In addition to his work with the Greenbriar Boys and Joan Baez, Rinzler collaborated with other important figures in American folk music, such as Peter, Paul and Mary, Odetta, and Jim Kweskin.

In 1967, after serving as the programming director of the Newport Folk Festival for three years, Ralph Rinzler became a co-founder of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Following the Bicentennial Festival in 1976, he advanced to the role of director of the Office of Folklife Programs, where he initiated the "Smithsonian Folklife Studies" publication series and developed a comprehensive center for the research, publication, and presentation of American culture and folklore. Rinzler retired in 1990 as the Center's Assistant Secretary Emeritus and passed away four years later at the age of 60. He was recognized as a Fellow of the American Folklore Society, and in 1998, the Smithsonian's CFCH sound collection was posthumously renamed the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections in his honor.