Top 3 Singer/Songwriters?

[Andromeda]

1.John Denver
2. Gordon Lightfoot
3. Michael Tomlinson

Michael is out of Seattle. He had 2 albums in the mid 80s and sold over 1 hundred thousand albums. Then he walked away from corporate music and the rest of his albums have been produced through his own private label. He is a mix of jazz folk and pop. Great positive music from a really great and nice guy.

[FormerFoodie]

1. David Wilcox
2. Townes Van Zandt
3. Josh Ritter

I wish I could have had a chance to see TVZ perform live. The other two are amazing performers who are gifted song writers.

[Balke-Collender]

Bob Dylan
Van Morrison
Bruce Springsteen

And a special nod to Townes Van Zandt

[Diamond Dave]

Hard to argue with most of the choices. Some that no one has mentioned:

Dave Grohl (okay, he probably writes on electric)
Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, aka Indigo Girls
Neil Diamond (I think "Delirious Love" is a masterpiece)
George Harrison

[Scott1969]

Paul McCartney, Carole King, Brian Wilson.

[ftthom]

A lot of my favorites have already been mentioned. Ray LaMontagne is one of my favorites that hasn't.

[lone eskimo]

Originally Posted by Tailingloop

Sniger/Snogwirters with guitar as there main instrument was the primary focus but yeah Paul is totally okay!

I'd say say Paul is a tad more than ok considering he wrote "Yesterday" which has over 2200 cover versions- and "Blackbird" which is one of the most popular fingerstyle songs to learn on the acoustic.. (just to name a few..) This is pretty cool from Wiki:

"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by the Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. Although credited to "Lennon–McCartney", the song was written solely by Paul McCartney. It remains popular today with more than 2,200 cover versions, and is one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music. At the time of its first appearance the song was released by the Beatles' record company as a single in the United States but not in the United Kingdom.Consequently, whilst it topped the American chart in 1965 the song first hit the British top 10 three months after the release of Help! in a cover version by Matt Monro. "Yesterday" was voted the best song of the 20th century in a 1999 BBC Radio 2 poll of music experts and listeners and was also voted the No. 1 Pop song of all time by MTV and Rolling Stone magazine the following year. In 1997, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) asserts that it was performed over seven million times in the 20th century alone.

[guitom]

Jesse Winchester
Loudon Wainwright III
Ron Sexsmith

[MICHAEL MYERS]

Originally Posted by lone eskimo

"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by the Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. Although credited to "Lennon–McCartney", the song was written solely by Paul McCartney. It remains popular today with more than 2,200 cover versions, and is one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded music. At the time of its first appearance the song was released by the Beatles' record company as a single in the United States but not in the United Kingdom.Consequently, whilst it topped the American chart in 1965 the song first hit the British top 10 three months after the release of Help! in a cover version by Matt Monro. "Yesterday" was voted the best song of the 20th century in a 1999 BBC Radio 2 poll of music experts and listeners and was also voted the No. 1 Pop song of all time by MTV and Rolling Stone magazine the following year. In 1997, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) asserts that it was performed over seven million times in the 20th century alone.

It sure is popular, but it's even more boring than Stairway to Heaven. I'm sure when I go to hell I'll hear both of them on repeat.

[lone eskimo]

Has anyone mentioned Richard Shindell yet? Always surprised at how many players and writers haven't heard of him. It took me awhile too.. Thankfully, around 2001, aother writer in a band I was in lent me "Somewhere Near Patterson".. Wow! He's got it all- great voice, peerless writing, and one of the best acoustic guitarists!

This is a hard list as there's way more than 3 as I'm sure many of you are realizing...

Bob Dylan- what can you say? We might not be doing this if it weren't for him breaking the doors open. Every imaginable award- including a rare Pulitzer Prize and recently an Arts & Letters award rarely (if ever) given to a songwriter.. And his singing? I quite like it! Not so much now- but in his younger days he absolutely fits the mood of his songs. He even sounds sweet on something like "Tomorrow Is A Long Time".. Rolling Stone put him in their top ten singers of all-time list. Not because he sings like Sinatra- but because his delivery is so believable- just like a good actor...

Joni Mitchell- More consistent lyrically than Dylan- No female match in sight.. She is much more musically sophisticated than most of her peers.. her guitar style is totally original with over 50 tunings to boot! Her approach to piano and dulcimer is unique too. Biggest kick in the pants is that she considers herself an artist first (Paintings)... Ouch!

My 3rd choice (which could easily be my 1st) is interchangeable with:
John Lennon- needs no send up!

Paul Simon- perfect marriage of music and lyrics.. love the rhythm and consonant sounds of his lyrics as well.

Neil Young- original thinker, great acoustic player- his self-contained rhytmic style is iconic.. listen to the masterful playing of a 24 yr. old on "Live At Massey Hall" His singing is even great on that!

James Taylor- I expect to see his face on a dollar bill one day- American legend.. The voice, the guitar that sounds like bells, the incredible lyrics, and melodies that are already folklore...

Mike (just my 2 cents- play what moves you!)

[lone eskimo]

Originally Posted by MICHAEL MYERS

It sure is popular, but it's even more boring than Stairway to Heaven. I'm sure when I go to hell I'll hear both of them on repeat.

Ha Ha! You can skip hell- just go to the Dr's office- or your nearest elevator!

[Jim_G]

Originally Posted by FormerFoodie

1. David Wilcox
2. Townes Van Zandt
3. Josh Ritter

I wish I could have had a chance to see TVZ perform live. The other two are amazing performers who are gifted song writers.

I saw him once, about a year before he passed. I had vague recollections of his appearances on Austin City Limits in the 70's. All I remembered specifically from those was "Dollar Bill Blues". And I was vaguely aware that Willie Nelson covered "Poncho and Lefty".

And that was about all I knew when he showed up to play in the basement of an old church in Burlington MA, in front of about 30 people. He played Poncho, but it didn't stick in my head at the time (it's one of 3 of his I do now). All I remembered was that he was telling the most god-awful blue jokes that were so bad people were groaning.

Fast forward another decade, I caught John Prine, Lyle Lovett, and Ray Lamontaigne doing a cover of 'Loretta', so I finally got a TVZ CD. The Old Quarter disc. And there he was again, telling bad jokes. I actually retold the first one, with the drunk and his car keys, while our sound guy was fussing with a problem last time we played out. It didn't go over well. I think I need to work on my slow drawl.

[HJayK1]

Oliver Mtukudzi (wrote and recorded "Hear Me Lord"--later recorded by Bonnie Raitt--although I like many of his other songs more)
Jorge Benjor (aka Jorge Ben; wrote and recorded "Mas Que Nada," as one example).
Bob Dylan/Leonard Cohen (can't decide between the two as my third choice).

I like their music a lot, but can't really say why.

[aaronl]

Townes
Blaze Foley
Scott Avett (Maybe this should be Scott and Seth I think they write a lot together) - These guys have a lyric for almost everything.
Bob Dylan


Subject to change.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by kydave

That's OK.

I don't know 100% of those guys.

what a great opportunity for you to learn abut them then?