Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to performers who write, compose, and sing their own material including lyrics and melodies, often providing the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song. The performing arts are those forms of Art which differ from the Plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own Body, Face and presence A lyricist is a Writer who specializes in Song Lyrics, usually paid for by a band to write a custom song(s A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. Musical composition is an original piece of Music the structure of a musical piece the process of creating a new Lyrics (in singular form Lyric) are a set of words that accompany music either by speaking or singing In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or In Music, accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble, often known as the Lead, in a Supporting manner Musical composition is an original piece of Music the structure of a musical piece the process of creating a new A song is a Musical composition. Songs contain vocal parts that are performed 'sung' and generally feature Words ( Lyrics) commonly followed This form of artistic expression is very common among performers with less money than more well-known pop artists who can afford to hire backup musicians. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Some of these artists depend on word of mouth and extensive touring to garner a fan base and commonly appear at house concerts, coffee houses, folk clubs, and festivals. The definition of house concert is not definite but is generally taken as a Concert that's presented in someone's home or a nearby private space for example a barn or back A coffeehouse ( French / Portuguese: café; Spanish: cafetería; Italian: caffè A Folk club is a regular event permanent venue or section of a venue devoted to Folk music and Traditional music. A festival is an event usually and ordinarily staged by a local community which centers on some unique aspect of that community A number of well-known performers may write some of their own songs but, despite being both a singer and a songwriter, their output is not sufficient for them to be known by the title of singer-songwriter, and are instead referred to as singers.
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North America and United Kingdom
The origins of the singer-songwriter in North America can be traced back to folk singers who created original works in the folk music style. Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy The best known early singer-songwriters include Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and Pete Seeger, along with members of The Weavers (Seeger performed solo and as part of the Weavers). Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy Huddie William Ledbetter, (January 1888 – December 6 1949 was an American folk and Blues Musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing Peter "Pete" Seeger (born May 3 1919 is an American folk singer political Activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American The Weavers were an influential American Folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. These proto-singer-songwriters were less concerned than today's singer-songwriters with the unadulterated originality of their music and lyrics, and would lift parts from other songs and play covers without hesitation. The tradition of writing topical songs (songs regarding specific issues of the day, such as Lead Belly's "Jim Crow Blues" or Guthrie's "Deportees") was established by this group of musicians. These singers would lead rallies for labor unions, and so wrote many songs concerning the life of the working classes. This focus on social issues has greatly influenced the singer-songwriter genre.
The first popular recognition of the singer-songwriter in English-speaking North America and Great Britain occurred in the 1960s and early 1970s when a series of folk and country-influenced musicians rose to prominence and popularity. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. These singer-songwriters included Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, David Bowie, Neil Young, John Denver, Gene Clark, Jackson Browne, Dave Mason, Jim Croce, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Donovan, Randy Newman, Gordon Lightfoot, Nick Drake, Fred Neil, Tom Rush, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, Ralph Mctell, Eric Andersen, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, John Prine, Bruce Cockburn, Van Morrison, Townes Van Zandt, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg, Tim Hardin, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13 1941 is an American Songwriter, Musician, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. Neil Percival Young OM (born November 12, 1945, Toronto Ontario) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter, Musician John Denver (December 31 1943 &ndash October 12 1997 born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark (born Tipton Missouri, November 17, 1944 - May 24, 1991) was an American Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is a German -born American rock Singer-songwriter and Musician. David Thomas Mason (born 10 May 1944) is an English Musician, singer songwriter, and Guitarist from Worcester James Joseph Croce, pronounced (CROW-chee ( January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) popularly known as Jim Croce, was an Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7 1943) is a Canadian Musician, Songwriter, and Leonard Norman Cohen CC GOQ (born September 21, 1934 in Westmount, Quebec) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter Donovan ( Donovan Phillips Leitch, born 10 May 1946 in Glasgow) is a Scottish Singer-songwriter and guitarist Randall Stuart “Randy” Newman (born November 28 1943 is an Academy Award –winning American Singer/songwriter, arranger, Composer Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr, (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian singer and songwriter who achieved international success in folk country and Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974 was an English Singer-songwriter and Musician best known for his acoustic autumnal songs Fred Neil ( March 16, 1936 – July 7, 2001) was an American Blues and folk singer and songwriter in the 1960s and early Tom Rush (born on February 8, 1941, in Portsmouth New Hampshire) is a noted folk and blues singer songwriter and recording Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is a well-known American folk singer and Singer-songwriter who has been writing Philip David Ochs ( December 19 1940 – April 9 1976) was a U Ralph McTell (born Ralph May in Farnborough, England, 3 December, 1944) is an English singer/songwriter and acoustic guitar player who has been Eric Andersen (born February 14, 1943) is an Norwegian - American Singer-songwriter. Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25 1945 is an Oscar, Golden Globe and two time Grammy Award -winning American Singer-songwriter, Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou on 21 July 1948 best known by his former Stage name Cat Stevens, is a British Musician John Prine (born October 10, 1946, in Maywood Illinois) is a Grammy Award-winning American country / folk Singer-songwriter Bruce Douglas Cockburn, OC (ˈkoʊbɚn phonetically "co-burn" (born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian folk/rock Guitarist George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born 31 August 1945 is a Grammy Award -winning Northern Irish Singer, PLEASE DO NOT ADD YOUR BAND YOUR FRIEND'S BAND YOURSELF OR YOUR FRIEND TO THIS SECTION Harry Forster Chapin ( December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer Songwriter, and Humanitarian James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American Singer-songwriter and Guitarist, born in Boston, Massachusetts Daniel Grayling Fogelberg ( August 13 1951 &ndash December 16 2007) was an American singer songwriter and Multi-instrumentalist Timothy James Hardin ( 23 December 1941 – 29 December 1980) was an American folk Musician and Composer Loretta Lynn (born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1934) is an American Country music Singer-songwriter; she was one of the leading Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American Country music Singer / Songwriter, Author, actress People who had been primarily songwriters, notably Carole King, also began releasing work as performers. Carole King (born February 9, 1942) is an American Singer, Songwriter, and Pianist. In contrast to the storytelling approach of most prior country and folk music, these performers typically wrote songs from a highly personal (often first-person), introspective point of view. The adjectives "confessional" and "sensitive" were often used (sometimes derisively) to describe this early singer-songwriter style.
It can be argued that some bands of the era - most notably the Beatles and the wave of artists on both sides of the Atlantic that followed in their wake - fit the definition of singer-songwriters, with most or all of their members taking an active role in the songwriting process. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 While there is some debate over the claim, it is worth noting that many former band members (including Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Peter Frampton and later Don Henley and Glenn Frey) found success as singer-songwriters in their later careers. Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001 was an English rock Guitarist Singer - Songwriter, Author Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950 in Beckenham, Kent) is an English Musician, best known today for his solo Donald Hugh " Don " Henley (born July 22, 1947, in Gilmer Texas, U Glenn Lewis Frey (born November 6, 1948 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American Musician, Singer, Songwriter
By the late 1970s and early 1980s the original wave of singer-songwriters had largely been absorbed into a more general pop or soft rock format, but some new artists in the singer-songwriter tradition (including Bruce Springsteen, Mark Heard, Lucinda Williams, Patti Smith, Kate Bush, Stevie Nicks, Cheryl Wheeler and Warren Zevon) continued to emerge, and in other cases rock and even punk rock artists such as Peter Case and Paul Westerberg transitioned to careers as solo singer-songwriters. Soft rock, also referred to as light rock or easy rock, is a style of Music which uses the techniques of Rock and roll to compose a softer John Mark Heard ( December 16, 1951 - August 16, 1992) was a Record producer, folk-rock Lucinda Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American rock, folk, and Country music singer and songwriter Patricia Lee Smith ( born December 30 1946 is an American Singer-songwriter and poet Kate Bush (born Catherine Bush on 30 July 1958 is an English singer songwriter musician and Record producer. Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks (born on May 26 1948 in Phoenix Arizona) is an American Singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Cheryl Wheeler (born July 10, 1951) is an American Singer-songwriter of contemporary Folk music, based in New England Warren William Zevon (January 24 1947 &ndash September 7 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American rock Singer-songwriter and Musician Peter Case (born April 5, 1954) is an American Singer-songwriter and guitarist who has had a wide-ranging career ranging from New Paul Westerberg (born December 31 1959 is an American Musician, best known as the former lead singer and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal
In the late 1980s, the term was applied to a group of (predominantly female) artists, beginning with Suzanne Vega with her first album selling unexpectedly well, followed by the likes of Tracy Chapman, Nanci Griffith and K.D. Lang. Suzanne Nadine Vega (born 11 July 1959 in Santa Monica, California) is an American Songwriter and Singer Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American Singer-songwriter, best known for her singles " Fast Car " " Nanci Caroline Griffith, (born July 6, 1953 in Seguin Texas) is an American Singer, Guitarist and Songwriter kd lang, OC (born Kathryn Dawn Lang, November 2, 1961) is a Grammy Award -winning Canadian Singer and Likewise, the success of Tori Amos in the United Kingdom led to her success in her home market. Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963) is a Pianist and Singer-songwriter of dual British and American By the mid-1990s, the term was revived with the success of Canada's Alanis Morissette and her breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill. Alanis Nadine Morissette (born June 1 1974 is a Canadian-born Singer-songwriter, Record producer, and Actress. Jagged Little Pill is the third Studio album (and the first to be released internationally by Canadian Singer and Songwriter It had grown to encompass fellow-Canadian Sarah McLachlan, who started the Lilith Fair, along with other artists associated with that event, such as American artists Sheryl Crow, Victoria Williams, Patty Griffin, Jewel, Lisa Loeb, Natalie Merchant and Joan Osborne. Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Grammy -winning Canadian Musician, singer and Lilith Fair was a Concert tour and traveling Music festival, founded by musician Sarah McLachlan, that consisted solely of female solo artists and female-led Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American Singer-songwriter and Musician. Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958 in Shreveport Louisiana) is an American Singer / Songwriter and musician Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin March 16, 1964, is an American Singer-songwriter, Musician, and Grammy award Jewel Kilcher (born May 23, 1974) is an American Singer-songwriter, actress, and Poet, generally known just by her Lisa Anne Loeb (born March 11, 1968) is an American Singer-songwriter and actress. Natalie Anne O'Shea Merchant (born October 26, 1963 in Jamestown, New York, U Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American Singer-songwriter. Also in the 1990s artists such as Dave Matthews and Elliott Smith borrowed from the singer-songwriter tradition to create new acoustic-based rock styles. David John Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is a South African now naturalized American, Grammy award-winning Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith (August 6 1969 – October 21 2003 was an American Singer-songwriter and Musician. In the 2000s, a quieter style emerged, with largely impressionistic lyrics, from artists such as Conor Oberst, Iron & Wine, Ray LaMontagne, Steve Millar, Jolie Holland and Richard Buckner. Conor Mullen Oberst (born February 15, 1980) is an American Songwriter, Singer, Poet, best known for his work in Iron & Wine is the stage and recording name of Folk rock Singer-songwriter, Samuel Beam. Raymond Charles "Ray" LaMontagne (lɑːmɒnˈteɪːn GenAm approximation la-mon-TAYN (born June 18 1973 is an American folk Singer-songwriter Steven Robert Millar (born on November 06, 1982) is a Singer-songwriter and Guitarist,originally from Toronto Ontario Canada. Jolie Holland is a Texas -born singer and performer who combines elements of Folk, Traditional country, Jazz, and Blues Richard Buckner is an American Singer-songwriter born in California; after living in Edmonton, Alberta for a number of years he
Recording on the professional-grade systems became affordable for individuals in the late 1990s. This created opportunities for people to independently record and sell their music. Such artists are known as "indies" because they release their records on independent, often self-owned record labels, or no label at all. Additionally the Internet has provided a means for indies to get their music heard by a wider audience. Examples are: Aimee Mann, Jann Arden, Dar Williams, Ani DiFranco, Allison Crowe, Beth Hart, Richard Shindell, David LaMotte, Willy Porter, David Wilcox, Annie Gallup, Patty Larkin, Pierce Pettis, Peter Mulvey, Jennifer Kimball, Ellis Paul, Alison Breitman, Brooks Williams, and Christopher Williams. Aimee Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American, rock Guitarist, bassist, Singer, and noted Songwriter Jann Arden (born Jann Arden Anne Richards on March 27, 1962) is an award-winning Canadian Singer-songwriter with a fan base primarily in Dar Williams (Dorothy Snowden Williams born April 19, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter specializing in Pop folk. Ani DiFranco (ˈɑːniː (born Angela Maria DiFranco on September 23 1970 is a Grammy Award winning Singer, Guitarist, and Songwriter Allison Louise Crowe (born November 16, 1981) is a Canadian Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist and Pianist from Beth Hart (born January 24, 1972) is an American Singer who became famous with the hit " LA Song (Out of This Town " Richard Shindell (born 1960 Lakehurst, New Jersey) is an American folk Songwriter. David LaMotte, born on April 25, 1968 in Norfolk Virginia, is a Singer-songwriter currently based in Black Mountain and Montreat Willy Porter is a contemporary American Folk musician from Mequon, Wisconsin. David Patrick Wilcox (born 1958 is an American Folk musician and Singer-songwriter. Annie Gallup is an American folk Singer/songwriter who lives in Ann Arbor Michigan. Patty Larkin (b June 19 1951, Des Moines Iowa) is a Boston -based Singer-songwriter. Pierce Pettis is an American Singer/songwriter from Alabama. Biography A former staff writer for PolyGram Publishing in Peter Mulvey is an acoustic musician based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Jennifer Kimball is a Vocalist, Songwriter, and Multi-instrumentalist who was part of The Story along with friend and Amherst College Ellis Paul (born January 14 1965 is an American Singer-songwriter and folk musician Alison Breitman is a singer/songwriter born in the suburbs of Chicago, but raised in Long Island NY Brooks Williams (born November 10, 1958 in Statesboro Georgia) is an American acoustic guitarist and Singer/songwriter. Christopher Williams (born Troy Christopher Williams on August 22, 1967, in The Bronx New York, U Examples of emerging artists getting notice on the folk circuit of the mid-2000s are: Ralston Bowles, Jonathan Byrd, Antje Duvekot, Michael Bowers, Juliet Wyers and Anais Mitchell, all of whom were recognized as Kerrville New Folk Finalists in the last few years. Ralston Bowles is an American Songwriter, producer, Musician and Singer from Grand Rapids Michigan. Jonathan Byrd may refer to Jonathan Byrd (musician (born 1970 American singer-songwriter Jonathan Byrd (golfer (born 1978 American Antje Duvekot (born 1976 in Heidelberg Germany) is a Singer-songwriter and Guitarist based in Boston Massachusetts. Michael Bowers is a Singer/songwriter who lives in Alexandria Virginia. Juliet Wyers is an American Singer-songwriter from Portland Oregon. Anaïs Mitchell (pronounced 'uh-nay-is' is an American Singer-songwriter from Montpelier Vermont. The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville Texas. Other notable contemporary singer-songwriters include Todd Snider, Josh Ritter, John Francis, Bill Mallonee, Iron and Wine, and John Vanderslice. Todd Daniel Snider is a singer-songwriter born October 11, 1966 in Portland Oregon. Josh Ritter (born October 21 1976 is an American Singer-songwriter. John Francis may refer to John Francis (songwriter, folk-rock-Americana singer-songwriter John Francis (cricketer, English cricket player Bill Mallonee (b January 1, 1955, in Martinsville, Virginia Discography Fetal Position (Paste 2002 Iron & Wine is the stage and recording name of Folk rock Singer-songwriter, Samuel Beam. John Vanderslice (born May 22, 1967 in Gainesville Florida) is an American musician formerly of Mk Ultra but now performing
Latin traditions
Beginning in the 1960s, many Latin American countries developed singer-songwriter traditions that adopted elements from various popular styles. The first such tradition was the mid-60s invention of nueva canción, which took hold in Andean countries like Chile, Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. Nueva Canción (Spanish for 'new song' is a movement in Latin American music that was developed first in the Southern Cone of South America - Argentina Chile and Uruguay - Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America.
At around the same time, the Brazilian popular style bossa nova was evolving into a politically charged singer-songwriter tradition called Tropicalismo. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Bossa nova ( is a style of Brazilian music popularized by Antônio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes and João Gilberto. Two performers, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso became two of the most famous people in all of Brazil through their work in Tropicalismo. Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (born June 26 1942 better known as Gilberto Gil (ʒiu̯berto ʒiu̯ is a Brazilian singer Guitarist, and songwriter Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (born August 7, 1942) better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Composer, Singer, Guitarist
In the same period, there developed in Italy a very prolific singer-songwriter (in Italian cantautore) tradition, initially connected with the French school of the chansonniers, and lately developed very heterogeneously. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Cantautori (Italian plural the singular is cantautore) is the Italian expression corresponding to Singer-songwriters in English Although the term cantautore normally implies consistent sociopolitical content in lyrics, noteworthy performers in a more inclusive singer-songwriter categorization are: Domenico Modugno, Luigi Tenco, Gino Paoli, Sergio Endrigo, Fabrizio De André, Francesco De Gregori, Antonello Venditti, Roberto Vecchioni, Ivano Fossati, Lucio Dalla, Francesco Guccini and Franco Battiato. Domenico Modugno ( January 9 1928 - August 6 1994) was a twice Grammy Award -winning Italian Singer, Songwriter Luigi Tenco ( March 21 1938 – January 27 1967) was a popular Italian singer songwriter and actor Gino Paoli (born 23 September, 1934) is an Italian Singer-songwriter. Sergio Endrigo ( June 15, 1933 - September 7, 2005) was an Italian Singer and Songwriter. Fabrizio De André (February 18 1940 - January 11 1999 was an Italian Singer-songwriter. Francesco De Gregori (born April 4, 1951) is a renowned Italian Singer-songwriter and maker of organic olive oil called "Le Palombe" Antonello Venditti (born March 8, 1949) is an Italian Singer-songwriter who became famous in the 1970s for the social themes of his songs Roberto Vecchioni (born June 25, 1943) is an Italian Professor, Singer-songwriter and writer Ivano Alberto Fossati (born September 21 1951) is an Italian pop Singer-songwriter, Guitarist, Pianist, and Lucio Dalla (born March 4, 1943 in Bologna) is a popular Italian Singer-songwriter Francesco Guccini (born June 14, 1940) is an Italian Singer-songwriter and author Franco Battiato (born March 23, 1945) is an Italian singer-songwriter composer filmmaker and (as Süphan Barzani) painter Completely resisting classification is the Neapolitan Pino Daniele, who often fuses genres as diverse as jazz, rock, blues and tarantella to produce a sound uniquely his own, with lyrics variously in Italian, Neapolitan, or English. Pino Daniele ( 19 March 1955, Naples) is an Italian pop - Blues singer songwriter and musician
In neighbouring Malta, the main singer-songwriters are Walter Micallef, Manwel Mifsud and Vince Fabri. Walter Micallef (born 24 October 1955 is a leading Maltese singer songwriter born in the central Maltese town of Birkirkara. They all perform in Maltese.
Spain and Portugal have also had singer-songwriter traditions, which are sometimes said to have drawn on Latin elements. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Spain is known for the nova cançó tradition — exemplified by the Catalan Joan Manuel Serrat; the Portuguese folk/protest singer and songwriter José Afonso helped lead a revival of Portuguese folk culture, including a modernized, more socially-aware form of fado called nova canção. La Nova Cançó ( The New Song in Catalan) was a movement that promoted Catalan music during Francoism. Joan Manuel Serrat i Teresa (born December 27, 1943 in Barcelona) is a Spanish Catalan Singer-songwriter. José Manuel Cerqueira Afonso dos Santos, also known as Zeca Afonso ( pron. FADO - False and Authentic Documents Online A computerised image-archiving system to help combat illegal immigration and organised crime ACT Council Joint Action 98/700/JHA Following Portugal's Carnation Revolution of 1974, nova canção became more politicized and was known as canto livre. The Carnation Revolution (Revolução dos Cravos was an almost bloodless military-led pro-democratic Coup d'état, started on April 25, 1974, in Lisbon Another important Spain singer-songwriter is Joaquin Sabina. Joaquín Ramón Martínez Sabina ( Úbeda, Spain, February 12 1949known artistically as Joaquín Sabina, is a singer songwriter and poet
In the latter part of the 1960s and into the 70s, socially and politically aware singer-songwriters like Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés emerged in Cuba, birthing a genre known as nueva trova. Silvio Rodríguez Domínguez (born November 29, 1946 in San Antonio de los Baños) is a Cuban musician and a leader of the Nueva trova Pablo Milanés Arias (born in Bayamo, Cuba on February 24, 1943) is a Cuban Singer-songwriter and guitar player The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Nueva trova was a movement in Cuban music that emerged in the mid-1960s Trova as a genre has had broad influence across Latin America. In Mexico, for example, canción yucateca on the Yucatan Peninsula and trova serrana in the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca are both regional adaptations of trova. The Yucatán Peninsula, in Southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. La Sierra Norte de Oaxaca is a heavily-wooded area 62 km from the city of Oaxaca on Federal highway 175 heading towards Tuxtepec. Today, Guatemalan Ricardo Arjona qualifies as Latin America's most commercially successful singer-songwriter. Edgar Ricardo Arjona Morales, (born 19 January, 1964,in Jocotenango, near Antigua Guatemala) known as Ricardo Arjona (pronounced Although sociopolitical engagement is uneven in his oeuvre, some see Arjona's more engaged works as placing him in the tradition of the Italian cantautori. Cantautori (Italian plural the singular is cantautore) is the Italian expression corresponding to Singer-songwriters in English
In the mid-1970s, a singer-songwriter tradition called canto popular emerged in Uruguay. Uruguay.(official full name in República Oriental del Uruguay;, Oriental Republic of Uruguay) is a country located in the southeastern part of South America
Soviet Union and Russia
Since the 1960s, those singers who wrote songs outside the Soviet establishment have been known as "bards". For other meanings of the word see Bard (disambiguation. The term bard (бард Many bards performed their songs in small groups of people using a Russian guitar, rarely if ever would they be accompanied by other musicians or singers. The Russian guitar is a seven-string acoustic Guitar that arrived in Russia toward the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century most probably Those who would become popular would be able to hold modest concerts. Bards were rarely permitted to record their music, given the political nature of many songs. As a result, bard tunes usually made their way around via the copying of amateur recordings (known as magnitizdat) made at concerts, particularly those songs that were of political nature. Magnitizdat (in Russian магнитиздат is a term used to describe the process of re-copying and self distributing live audio tape recordings in the Soviet Union
Bard poetry differs from other poetry mainly in the fact that it is sung along with a simple guitar melody as opposed to being spoken. Another difference is that this form of poetry focuses less on style and more on meaning. This means that fewer stylistic devices are used, and the poetry often takes the form of narrative. What separates bard poetry from other songs is the fact that the music is far less important than the lyrics; chord progressions are often very simple and tend to repeat from one bard song to another. A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence) is a series of chords played in order A far more obvious difference was the commerce-free nature of the genre: songs were written to be sung and not to be sold.
Hong Kong
Singer-songwriters were not common in Hong Kong until the early 21st century. Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders This is due to the unique situation of the pop music scene in Hong Kong. Record labels are controlled by large enterprises leading to an abundance of K-songs (Karaoke type songs) in Hong Kong. (kɑːrɑːˌoʊkɛ in Japanese karaoke) is a form of Entertainment in which Amateur Singers sing along with recorded Music (and/or a Currently some of the distinctive and well-known singer-songwriters in Hong Kong are: Chet Lam (林一峰), Pong Nan (藍奕邦), Khalil Fong (方大同), Justin (側田) and Ivana Wong (王菀之). Chet Lam is a renowned Hong Kong based independent Singer-songwriter whose style has been described by many as "city- folk " Justin Lo (born July 1, 1976) is a Hong Kong-based Chinese American Singer-songwriter, Actor and Record producer Ivana Wong is a female Cantopop singer and songwriter Biography Born Wong Oi Chi (王愛之 Wong's mother decided to change her Chinese name to Wong Yuen Chi
Bulgaria
Singer-songwriters are popular in Bulgaria under the name "bards", or "poets with guitars". Their tradition is a mixture of traditional folk motifs, city folklore from the early 20th century and modern influences. In the 60's, 70's and 80's of the 20th century the Communist regime in the country started to tolerate the Bulgarian "bards", promoting the so called "political songs", performed usually by one-man bands. A national festival tradition was established, under the title "Alen Mak" (Red Poppy), a symbol with strong Communist meaning in Bulgaria. After the collapse of Communism in 1989 the singer-songwriters' tradition was re-established. Currently the Bulgarian "bards" enjoy several festivals (local and international) per year, namely the PoKi Festival (Poets with Guitars, Poetic Strings) in the town of Harmanli, the Bardfest in Lovech, the Sofia Evenings of Singer-Songwriters and others. Major figures in the Bulgarian tradition are Mihail Belchev, Assen Maslarski, Grisha Trifonov, Plamen Stavrev, Vladimir Levkov.
World folk
Despite the communist isolation, the tradition of singer-songwriter in Romania flourished beginning with the end of the 1960s and it was put in the context of the folk music, with its three main styles in Romania : ethno folk, American-style folk and lyrical (cult) folk. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania See also Folk (disambiguation, Volk (disambiguation Folk is one of the Germanic roots that mean "(of the people" or "our The framework for many of these initiatives came under the form of Cenaclul Flacara, a series of mass cultural events with an inevitable ideological touch, still, with the merritt of supporting great opening initiatives: the appropriation of Western artists like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and others from the Woodstock generation, the public performance of gospel-like music, the opening to big international issues (pop culture, accountability of the leadership, tension surging during the Cold War-with surprisingly neutral positions etc). Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York) an American Folk singer and Songwriter known Overall, the Romanian folk, in general, could be marked as an underground cultural movement, somewhere between non-aligned and protest music.
See also
- List of singer-songwriters
- Category:Singer-songwriters
- Cantautori
- Periodicals that include coverage of singer-songwriters
- Dirty Linen, focus on folk and world music. Traditional singer-songwriters This list enumerates people who record and perform in the traditional Singer-songwriter approach Cantautori (Italian plural the singular is cantautore) is the Italian expression corresponding to Singer-songwriters in English Dirty Linen is a Bi-monthly Magazine of folk and World music based in Baltimore Maryland.
- No Depression, focus on alternative country styles. No Depression was a bi-monthly magazine that covered a broad range of Alternative country music including Americana.
- Paste, eclectic music coverage. Paste is a monthly Music and Entertainment Magazine published in the United States by Paste Media Group LLC
- Pitchfork Media, focus on independent artists. Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a Chicago -based daily Internet publication devoted to music criticism and commentary
- Sing Out!, focus on folk styles. Sing Out! is a quarterly journal of Folk music and Folk songs that has been published since May 1950
Further reading
- Alarik, Scott, Deep Community, (2003), Black Wolf Press. Deep Community Adventures in the Modern Folk Underground is a book by Boston Globe journalist Scott Alarik with photographs by Robert [1]
- Hoffman, Frank "The Singer-Songwriter Tradition", from Survey of American Popular Music (modified for the web by Robert Birkline)
- Knopfler, David, The Singer-Songwriter: Defining the Genre - Defining the Style
- DiMartino, Dave Singer-Songwriters: Pop Music's Performer-Composers from A to Zevon (1994), Billboard Books(web search required).
- Rodgers, Jeffrey P. , The Complete Singer-Songwriter: A Troubadour's Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording & Business, (2003) Backbeat Books(web search required).
- Singer-Songwriters of the Rock Era, (1996), Hal Leonard (sheet music)(web search required).
- Contemporary singer/songwriter at Allmusic
References
External links
- Singer-Songwriter Groove Ideas for Bass. allmusic (previously All Music Guide) is a Metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide.
- American Songwriter
- Performing Songwriter
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