Country Singers Who Write Their Own Songs?
Trevor R Loy - MD6
I post this every time this thread comes up on rmcw - about
every 6 months by my calendar. So sorry if I sound like a broken
record. :-)
Songwriting talent is a tremendous ability that very few people
have.
Singing ability is an incredible gift that equally few people
receive.
If a person is so rare that he/she happens to have *both* talents,
then they earn my respect and admiration.
HOWEVER, just because a person has only one talent or the other should
in no way at all diminish the value of their work. George Strait
doesn't write any of his own material, and yet his songs are the
most emotional & sincere I can think of.
Shakespeare may have been a horrible actor. Does that diminish the
quality of his work? NO.
I have no idea if Laurence Olivier is a good playwright, and frankly
don't care. If he is, then so much the better.
What's important, IMHO, is how well the artist uses his/her
particular talent to showcase the best of all involved in the final
product.
--
Trevor R. Loy * Eventually,
MD6, Intel Corporation * all things merge into one,
Folsom, California 95630 * and a river runs through it.
tl...@pcocd2.intel.com * -Norman Maclean
Bill
of who writes most of their own music or those who sing mostly other
writers' songs. Some that come to mind are:
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Clint Black
Dwight Yoakum
John Anderson
K.T. Oslin
Paul Overstreet
Please help me out with some others. I just hate to see Nashville turn someone
into a star based on their looks and what songs they can find for them to sing.
My favorite Garth Brooks song is "Not Counting You." I wonder what his music
would be like today if he had concentrated on writing rather than rehashing
other people'
s songs.
Bill Orlando, FL
Elizabeth Blake
>With the scads of commercial artists out there, it's hard to keep track
>of who writes most of their own music or those who sing mostly other
>writers' songs. Some that come to mind are:
and here are some I came up with:
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Billy Joe Shaver
Marty Brown
Vince Gill (I forget if you mentioned him)
Nanci Griffith (okay, not really country but she HAS written some great
country songs)
Lyle Lovett
Kevin Welch
Alan Jackosn (who I don't personally care for, but he writes...)
(oops, Jackson)
And there are many more who write a couple of songs for each of their
albums, like Suzy Bogguss, Randy Travis, Patty Loveless etc.
Liz
Bob Marshall
are exceptions (Alison Krauss, Suzy Bogguss, Reba McEntire, Linda Ronstadt,
Emmylou Harris). But my record collection is dominated by singer/songwriters:
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Carlene Carter
Iris Dement
Nanci Griffith
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Tish Hinojosa
Dan Seals
Kate Wolf
Dolly Parton
Jackson Browne
Paul Overstreet
Cheryl Wheeler
Skip Ewing
--
=============================================================================
Bob Marshall \\ "Women aren't as smart as they
Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. \\ think they are; they think we
Sunnyvale, CA \\ men know a lot more than we
mars...@lmsc.lockheed.com \\ really do."
"I tell the truth 'cept when I lie" \\ - Tim the Toolman
=============================================================================
John Thompson
: How about:
: Lyle Lovett
: Lucinda Williams
: kd lang
: Robert Earl Keen
: Jimmie Dale Gilmore (occasionally)
: Steve Earle
: Junior Brown
: 5 Chinese Brothers
: Hank Williams
: Buck Owens
: Willie Nelson
: etc., etc., etc.
: Country music is a genre built on singing other people's songs, but I
: agree that the best seem to write their own.
I would also like to add that I like Mark Chessnutt who DOESN'T write.
But I'm sure that he didn't make it just on looks. :)
--
=============================================================
John Thompson | "Deep Thoughts
Columbus, Ohio | From A Shallow Mind"
=============================================================
Griffin Myers
: With the scads of commercial artists out there, it's hard to keep track
: of who writes most of their own music or those who sing mostly other
: writers' songs. Some that come to mind are:
Some of my favorites are Billy Joe Shaver and Aaron Tippin who sing pretty
much only there music. Also Doug Supernaw writes quite a few of his own
songs, however his record company says they are "too country" so very few of
them are released as singles.
Also, I even found a new artist who writes a lot. Rhett Akin (This Must Be
What They're Talkin' About and I Brake For Brunettes) had a hand in writing
9 of the 10 songs on his debut album.
It seems that more and more I find myself listening exclusively to those who
do write there own songs. Anyone can sing and look pretty, but its those
who feel the songs that are really special!!
--
****************************************************************************
*Griffin Myers The worlds biggest wahoo fan!!*
*(gmy...@infi.net) Chester, VA *
****************************************************************************
SMadej
Hallfame3
every 6 months by my calendar. So sorry if I sound like a broken
record. :-)
Songwriting talent is a tremendous ability that very few people
have.
Singing ability is an incredible gift that equally few people
receive.
If a person is so rare that he/she happens to have *both* talents,
then they earn my respect and admiration.
HOWEVER, just because a person has only one talent or the other should
in no way at all diminish the value of their work. George Strait
doesn't write any of his own material, and yet his songs are the
most emotional & sincere I can think of.
Shakespeare may have been a horrible actor. Does that diminish the
quality of his work? NO.
I have no idea if Laurence Olivier is a good playwright, and frankly
don't care. If he is, then so much the better.
What's important, IMHO, is how well the artist uses his/her
particular talent to showcase the best of all involved in the final
product.>>
Hear! Hear! You are absoulutely correct. Many great singers do/did not
write. Does a lack of writing make an Elvis Presley or a Jerry lee Lewis
any less a performer?
One of the great strengths on the music is that songwriters can succeed
even though thye cannot sing. Has anyone ever heard Harlan Howard sing??
He made records, but his fame rests on his songs and what other performers
haev been able to do with them.
Jon Weisberger
>HOWEVER, just because a person has only one talent or the other should
>in no way at all diminish the value of their work.
I gotta agree. I think that the tendency to pay special attention to
singer/songwriters comes from a take on music-as-self-expression that is
an artifact of the 60s.
Besides, in country music I believe there are very few singers or bands
who record only their own work, so it is in large part a matter of
degree.
--
Jon Weisberger, Cincinnati (jo...@tso.uc.edu or
jo...@ix.netcom.com)
Thomas W. Cowdery Jr.
: If a person is so rare that he/she happens to have *both* talents,
: then they earn my respect and admiration.
I think that is the thrust of this thread. It isn't an attack on those that
don't sing & write, but a special admiration for those that do. I too find
myself drawn to those artists that sing a lot of their own material - Dwight
Yoakum, John Anderson, Johnny Cash, early Willie stuff etc. But I have the
others in my collection as well.
: One of the great strengths on the music is that songwriters can succeed
: even though thye cannot sing. Has anyone ever heard Harlan Howard sing??
: He made records, but his fame rests on his songs and what other performers
: haev been able to do with them.
How about Kris Kristofferson? Whether you consider his work country or pop,
the man could write a terrific song! But that voice ... I even like his
acting, just as long as they don't have him sing!
Kenneth E. Watts
Jon Weisberger <Jo...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>Besides, in country music I believe there are very few singers or bands
>who record only their own work, so it is in large part a matter of
>degree.
This is unfortuntely true. What you get from the bulk of the artists today
is something that, while the song might be wonderful, could have been sung by
anybody. However, when an artist or group does limit their performances to
their own work, you get a unique style that is immediately recognizable and
one that creates extremely loyal fans. For example, consider Hank Jr., and
the Statler Brothers. Who else could properly sing their songs?
BTW, are there any other Statler fans out there?
just my $0.02 worth,
--
|=======================================|=====================================|
| from: Kenneth Watts | |
| University of Alabama | "Sometimes dead is better." |
| email: kwa...@buster.eng.ua.edu | S. King |
|=======================================|=====================================|
Ray Zuniga
Thomas W. Cowdery Jr. <twc...@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu> wrote:
>
>How about Kris Kristofferson? Whether you consider his work country or pop,
>the man could write a terrific song! But that voice ... I even like his
>acting, just as long as they don't have him sing!
Don't let my mom or my sister here you say that. They both love his
voice. Actually I don't mind it much either.
Ray
Bill
>>HOWEVER, just because a person has only one talent or the other should
>>in no way at all diminish the value of their work.
>
>I gotta agree. I think that the tendency to pay special attention to
>singer/songwriters comes from a take on music-as-self-expression that is
>an artifact of the 60s.
>
>Besides, in country music I believe there are very few singers or bands
>who record only their own work, so it is in large part a matter of
>degree.
You" is my favorite song by him, is that he obviously has the talent as a
songwriter. I think a lot of country singers are excellent songwriters,
but the record labels are in more of a rush to get another album out, and
some writers are not as prolific as others.
In other words, if Garth were given a few years between albums to give him
a chance to write more of his own songs, would that detract from his
popularity? I don't think so. Would it make the record label as much
money? No. To assume that a country singer is not a good writer is
ignorant. Most of them just haven't been given a chance. They're too
busy doing videos, touring, promotional spots, interviews, fashion shoots,
etc.
If "music-as-self-expression" is an artifact of the 60's, than I guess
corporate America has succeeded in "music-as-a-means-to-sell-things"
of the 90's. Scary.
Bill B. Orlando, FL
Jon Weisberger
>
>Jon Weisberger <Jo...@ix.netcom.com> writes:
>
>>I gotta agree. I think that the tendency to pay special attention to
>>singer/songwriters comes from a take on music-as-self-expression that
>>is an artifact of the 60s.
>
>...
>
>If "music-as-self-expression" is an artifact of the 60's, than I guess
>corporate America has succeeded in "music-as-a-means-to-sell-things"
>of the 90's. Scary.
Well, Bob, there's your problem right there. I didn't say that
music-as-self-expression is an artifact of the 60's, I said that the
"take" on music-as-self-expression that elevates the singer/songwriter
over the singer/interpreter is an artifact of the 60's, and I think
that's pretty clearly a matter of music history which anyone can check
out for themselves. Myself, I don't buy the attitude. Your mileage may
vary.
JoKno
Kelly Shuldberg
>I said that the
>"take" on music-as-self-expression that elevates the singer/songwriter
>over the singer/interpreter is an artifact of the 60's, and I think
>that's pretty clearly a matter of music history which anyone can check
>out for themselves. Myself, I don't buy the attitude. Your mileage may
>vary.
>
>Jon Weisberger, Cincinnati (jo...@tso.uc.edu or
> jo...@ix.netcom.com)
Is it really an artifact of the 60s, though? Seems like people remember
Stephen Foster, Beethoven and Mozart better than anyone who ever performed
their works.
h. kelly shuldberg
hke...@swcp.com
Albuquerque, NM
Jon Weisberger
We're starting to wander far afield, so I'll try to be brief.
For one thing, classical music fans tend to focus on a pretty small part
of the repertoire, and to devote a lot of attention to discussing and
comparing different performances - live and/or recorded - of the same
works. I think you would be hard-pressed to show that Caruso is any
less remembered than the composers you mention, or Perlman, or
Bernstein, or Toscanini, etc., etc., etc. In fact, classical music is
overwhelmingly considered to be interpretive any more. People are
certainly more broadly familiar with today's performers than with
today's composers.
Then, too, the original comparison was between singers who do and don't
perform their own work, not between songwriters and singers; to be
parallel, you'd need fit Foster/Beethoven/Mozart's reputations as
performers into the picture.
Country music has historically had a large interpretive aspect, like
classical, in a way. There are the singers. There are the songwriters.
Sometimes the two are combined - sometimes well, sometimes not. This
was true for an awful lot of popular music in general. Frank Sinatra
didn't write, or not write much. Elvis Presley wasn't a writer. But
then you get the Beatles and Bob Dylan, and poof! The idea that pure
expression (without the mediation of an interpretive artist) is *better*
is unleashed...
Anyhow, I think that's the history. I can see why some people tend to
feel more strongly about the merits of singer/songwriters, but it's
still, to me, a matter of taste, especially when it comes to country
music.
That wasn't so brief, but it'll be my last word on the subject, at least
in r.m.c.w.
--
CHowell467
Black's name in the beginning. Is he not THE best country
singer/songwriter ever. Not to mention utterly gorgeous! For me, anyone
who writes their own songs as well as can sing 'em have to be respected.
By the way, did anyone mention Travis Tritt? He may not write all of his
own songs, but he DID co-write "Anymore." He's a great one, too.
Tara
Joyce Casertino
Joyce
CHowell467 (chowe...@aol.com) wrote:
: I'm forced to comment on this merely because of the mention of Clint