Singer-songwriter

The term singer-songwriter refers to specific groups of performers who both write and sing their own material. As a musical genre, it usually refers to a series of folk- and country-influenced musicians, popular in the early 1970s. These include John Denver, Carol King[?], Carly Simon and James Taylor.

In the late 1980s, the term was re-applied to a group of female singers and songwriters, beginning with Tracy Chapman, k.d. lang and P.J. Harvey. By the mid-1990s, the term's revival had grown to encompass Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Lisa Loeb[?], Joan Osborne and Tori Amos, and other performers associated with the Lilith Fair.

Typically, a singer-songwriter will be a solo performer who accompanies him- or herself on guitar or keyboards, and will be equally well-known for the songs they write and for the way they sing them. The vast majority of singers who write their own songs -- Hank Williams, Muddy Waters, Harry Nilsson -- are not considered singer-songwriters.

Singer/Songwriters:

• Tori Amos
• Joan Baez
• Meredith Brooks[?]
• Jackson Browne
• Tracy Chapman
• Paula Cole[?]
• Sheryl Crow
• John Denver
• Ani Difranco
• Marianne Faithfull
• P.J. Harvey
• Carol King[?]
• k.d. lang
• Lisa Loeb[?]
• Sarah McLachlan
• Joni Mitchell
• Heather Nova
• Joan Osborne
• Carly Simon
• James Taylor
• Suzanne Vega