i meant to say Simon & Garfunkel, sorry no coffee yet this morning..
1950-2000: The Top 25 Singer/Songwriters
1.Bob Dylan: I don’t expect any arguments here
2.Curtis Mayfield: Perhaps he should be #1
3. Paul Weller: Hideously underrated in the US, this whiteboy knows soul
4. Tom Waits: He makes two kinds of records: good ones & great ones
5. Van Morrison: If he ever put out a bad record, I haven’t heard it yet
6. Hank Williams: Some of his songs can even make Christianity sound cool
7. Marc Bolan: The pop genius of the 70’s
8. Toots Hibbert: The man who should have been Jamaica’s International Superstar
9. George Jones: A jug of wine, a George Jones album, another jug of wine, and then another…
10. Lou Reed: I’d put him on this list just for “Pale Blue Eyes”
11. Carole King: More for her songwriting than her singing
12. Elvis Costello: Not half as good as everybody says he is, but what a half!
13. Townes van Zandt: Have you heard him? Good, then you know what I’m talking about
14. Eldon “El Duce” Hoke: Hey, this is MY list. I can put anybody I want on
15. Beck: He’s the new Dylan. Honest
16. James Osterberg: It is frightening: The man has supernatural powers!
17. Leonard Cohen: Of course I’m going to include him
18. Bruce Springsteen: “Nebraska” is enough to earn him a place
19. Nick Drake: Volkswagen, The Estate of Nick Drake wishes to thank you
20. Neil Diamond: What if Elvis was a Jew who wrote his own songs, and never did half-assed karate kicks onstage?
21. Lucinda Williams: Great singer/songwriters cover HER songs!
22. Kurt Cobain: An ear for a great tune, and an eye for a pretty lady! Oh muse, sing!
23. Richard Thompson: Continues to delight
24. David Bowie: Demoted from #11 to #24 for failing to die immediately after "Scary Monsters"
25. Gram Parsons: Dude, love that Nudie suit!
2.Curtis Mayfield: Perhaps he should be #1
3. Paul Weller: Hideously underrated in the US, this whiteboy knows soul
4. Tom Waits: He makes two kinds of records: good ones & great ones
5. Van Morrison: If he ever put out a bad record, I haven’t heard it yet
6. Hank Williams: Some of his songs can even make Christianity sound cool
7. Marc Bolan: The pop genius of the 70’s
8. Toots Hibbert: The man who should have been Jamaica’s International Superstar
9. George Jones: A jug of wine, a George Jones album, another jug of wine, and then another…
10. Lou Reed: I’d put him on this list just for “Pale Blue Eyes”
11. Carole King: More for her songwriting than her singing
12. Elvis Costello: Not half as good as everybody says he is, but what a half!
13. Townes van Zandt: Have you heard him? Good, then you know what I’m talking about
14. Eldon “El Duce” Hoke: Hey, this is MY list. I can put anybody I want on
15. Beck: He’s the new Dylan. Honest
16. James Osterberg: It is frightening: The man has supernatural powers!
17. Leonard Cohen: Of course I’m going to include him
18. Bruce Springsteen: “Nebraska” is enough to earn him a place
19. Nick Drake: Volkswagen, The Estate of Nick Drake wishes to thank you
20. Neil Diamond: What if Elvis was a Jew who wrote his own songs, and never did half-assed karate kicks onstage?
21. Lucinda Williams: Great singer/songwriters cover HER songs!
22. Kurt Cobain: An ear for a great tune, and an eye for a pretty lady! Oh muse, sing!
23. Richard Thompson: Continues to delight
24. David Bowie: Demoted from #11 to #24 for failing to die immediately after "Scary Monsters"
25. Gram Parsons: Dude, love that Nudie suit!
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- 47 posts total
C'mon! Not even a single mention of Elton John or Billy Joel? What, do you guys hate piano players or something? I wouldn't put them at #1 necessarily, but they belong on the list. Also, you have to put Burt Bacharach on there, because while he mostly wrote songs, he did make a couple albums of his own. Carole Bayer Sager mostly for songwriting. I'd also nominate Steve Earle for his most awesomely "Confederate sounding" songs. Didn't want to duplicate any of the previously mentioned ones to save space. |
Tweak, Love your threads, mister. Thanks for including our man, George J (even if he qualifies only as a singer), not to mention Beck, Cobain, Richard Thompson, and Lucinda Williams. El Duce and Neil Diamond? You scamp, you. Too bad they never collaborated. Among the giants not yet mentioned, I nominate Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman, and Chuck Berry. Among the unheralded, how about Walter Salas-Humara of the Silos? I love this guy's work so much I "borrowed" his name as my moniker. Really, a great songwriter. Two other unheraldeds knocking on the door: Brian Henneman of the Bottlerockets and Freedy Johnston. |
I second your Toots Hibbert nomination again. Check out Nicole C. Mullen's "Talk About It" for cool Christian writing/performance. |
- 47 posts total