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Description of Singer-Songwriter

 
Mostly aimed at guitar playing, folk-inspired songwriters, the Singer-Songwriter tag applies to post-Dylan, folk-leaning solo artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Tapestry-era Carole King, and Jackson Browne. The tradition still continues with cross-genre artists. They are as varied as folk and guitar legend Richard Thompson, brooding Alt-Country poet Richard Buckner, piano-playing temptress Tori Amos and Folk-Pop chart-topper Jewel. Sometimes invoked to poke fun at confessional, introspective songwriting, the Singer-Songwriter label is generally applied to solo artists who concentrate on song craft over all else.
 

Singer-Songwriter Key Tracks

 
 

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Singer-Songwriter Key Artists

 
Bob Dylan

Whether he's playing folk,
country, rock or blues, Bob
Dylan always channels
songs that are timeless. Bob
Dylan legally changed his...

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen is the
definitive all-American rock
singer-songwriter of the
'70s and '80s. In the '70s,
Bruce ruled with Born to...

Carly Simon

Carly Simon's rich voice and
confessional songwriting
kept her on the charts for
three decades. Simon's
father was the co-founde...

Carole King

A multitalented writer and
performer, Carole King's
name is on some of the
biggest hits of the '60s and
'70s.

Cat Stevens

For the balance of the 1970s
Cat Stevens was a
trans-Atlantic superstar
whose soft, romantic,
hooky, and often-mystica...

Dan Fogelberg

His folkish Light Rock
blends elements of
Eagles-like
country-influenced songs
with a Jackson Browne Si...

Elton John

One of the greatest artists of
the 1970s, Elton John is still
a beloved pop statesman.
Elton started playing piano
at age four, and by age el...

Eric Andersen

Romantic folkie Eric
Andersen has been active
in the singer-songwriter
scene since the mid-1960s.

Harry Chapin

Although he had a hit with
"Cat's In The Cradle," Chapin
wrote a large body of folk
songs before his untimely
death in 1981. Before emb...

Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne is a
songwriter's
Singer/Songwriter who cut
his teeth in the NYC village
folk scene before headin...

James Taylor

A quintessential '70s
folk-pop singer, James
Taylor masks dark,
introspective songs with a
sweet, breezy sound. Pau...

Jimmy Buffett

Best known for his hit
"Margaritaville," Buffett was
one of the first and only to
blend Country Rock with
beach bum Calypso. Jimm...

John Denver

Although it's easy to poke
fun at John Denver, his
environmentally conscious
twang folk has inspired
fathoms of songwriters. D...

Joni Mitchell

When it comes to folk music
and women's music in the
twentieth century, Joni
Mitchell stands as the
preeminent trailblazer. Jo...

Kris Kristofferson

Kristofferson is the Bob
Dylan of country; he
influenced his influences
and crossed over into the
rock and pop music chart...

Leonard Cohen

One of the most critically
celebrated
Singer-Songwriters of the
twentieth century, Cohen's
songs are folkish and love...

Loudon Wainwright III

Wainwright has been
writing biting, often fiercely
personal songs for decades
and is now more popular
than ever. Wainwright ap...

Neil Diamond

There are two Neil
Diamonds -- the writer of
great 1960s rock hits and
the singer of '70s
melodramatic pop. Love '...

Neil Young

Since the mid-1960s Neil
Young has staked out the
ground where country,
rock and feedback meet.
From Buffalo Springfield t...

Paul Simon

After the 1970 breakup of
Simon and Garfunkel [see
entry], Paul Simon went on
confirm his stature as a
first-rate songwriter and...

Randy Newman

Randy Newman is a wicked
satirist, as well as a feted
soundtrack composer,
who's mastered myriad
American musical styles....

Rickie Lee Jones

Known for "Chuck E's in
Love," Jones has been
playing around with the
expectations of a female
singer-songwriter since 1...

Ron Elliott

Ron Elliott was guitarist and
composer for '60s folk-rock
pioneers the Beau
Brummels. Before the Beau
Brummels took off in late...

Shawn Colvin

She is one of the best and
first of the current crop of
female singer-songwriters
who meld folky
introspection with pop ro...

Terry Reid

Terry Reid is a
singer-guitarist who just
missed the big time with a
hard fusion of folk and the
emerging rock of the 1960...

Tom Waits

One-time barroom balladeer
whose rusty, workingman's
Cabaret act and cinematic
style have garnered him
praises of genius. Waits so...

Townes Van Zandt

Townes Van Zandt was a
Texas songwriter who
specialized in twangy,
melancholic musings. Critics
hailed him a genius. Whoe...

Van Morrison

Part Celtic bard, part
soulster, and part
ecstatically scatting
mystical visionary, Van
Morrison is a painfully intr...

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