Singer-songwriter

The term singer-songwriter is a somewhat nebulous term for musicians which has different meanings to different people in different geographic areas. Foremost, a singer-songwriter must write the lyrics and compose the music for the majority of the songs they perform. The term is also much more associated with folk music, and performers who play acoustic guitars, than other musical forms. The term is used to describe female performers much more often than male singers, and to relatively unknown artists, although many go on to great acclaim. Most popular singers, including the likes of Elvis Presley and Britany Spears, for example, are singers, but not singer-songwriters. Most country music stars, even those who write their own lyrics, do not generally call themselves singer-songwriters.

Some of the early singer-songwriters include Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Van Morison, John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot and John Prine. More recent singer-songwriters include Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith, K. D. Lang, Tracy Chapman, Sarah McLachlan, Dar Williams, Ani DiFranco, Cheryl Crow and Alanis Morisette.