Who Are Some 60s and 70s Singer Songwriters?
Singer songwriters typically write the words and music to the songs they perform. Many times they sing solo and accompany themselves on guitar or piano. There were many singer songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s and there were various styles of music performed by them.
Here is a list of musicians who were 60s and 70s singer songwriters. This list comes from Zune, which has a list of the top fifty singer songwriters. Following their name is one of their big hits.
- Al Stewart (Time Passages)
- Billy Joel (Only the Good Die Young)
- Bob Dylan (Mr. Tambourine Man)
- Carly Simon (You’re So Vain)
- Carole King (I Feel the Earth Move)
- Cat Stevens (Father and Son)
- Dan Fogelberg (Part of the Plan)
- David Ackles (Oh, California)
- Elton John (Your Song)
- Gene Clark (Silver Raven)
- Gordon Lightfoot (Sundown)
- Gram Parsons ($1000 Wedding)
- Harry Chapin (Taxi)
- J. J. Cale (Call Me The Breeze)
- Jackson Browne (Running on Empty)
- James Taylor (Fire and Rain)
- Janis Ian (At Seventeen)
- Jerry Jeff Walker (Mr. Bojangles)
- Jesse Winchester (The Brand New Tennessee Waltz)
- Jim Croce (Operator)
- Joan Armatrading (Love and Affection)
- John Martyn (May You Never)
- John Prine (Dear Abby)
- Joni Mitchell (Conversation)
- Karla Bonoff (Someone to Lay Down Beside Me)
- Kris Kristofferson (Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down)
- Laura Nyro (Stoned Soul Picnic)
- Leonard Cohen (So Long, Marianne)
- Linda Thompson (When I Get to the Border)
- Loudon Wainwright III (Motel Blues)
- Neil Diamond (I am ... I Said)
- Neil Young (Only Love can Break Your Heart)
- Nick Drake (At the Chime of a City Clock)
- Paul McCartney (Another Day)
- Paul Simon (Duncan)
- Phoebe Snow (Poetry Man)
- Randy Newman (Guity)
- Rickie Lee Jones (Chuck E’s in Love)
- Sandy Denny (Next Time Around)
- Stephen Stills (Love the One You’re With)
- Steve Goodman (The Dutchman)
- Tim Buckley (Song to the Siren)
- Tim Hardin (Reason to Believe)
- Todd Rundgren (I Saw the Light)
- Tom Rush (No Regrets)
- Tom Waits (I Hope that I Don’t Fall in Love with You)
- Townes Van Zandt (For the Sake of the Song)
- Van Morrison (Into the Mystic)
- Warren Zevon (Carmelita)
- Willie Nelson (Bloody Mary Morning)
Sometimes songwriters eventually began to record their own songs and became singer songwriters, like Townes Van Zandt, Carole King, and Neil Diamond.
1960s and 1970s Music Genres and Styles
During the 1960s and 1970s, the singer songwriters who were popular in England and the United States were singing country, folk, or blues. These musicians often wrote songs from the first person which gave them a more personal feel.
Many songs of this time were very deep and emotional, and many dealt with war and civil rights. This was a time of great turmoil and music expressed many of the popular causes of the time, like feminism, the sexual revolution, and environmentalism.
Changing Times: Music of the 1960s and 1970s
Some of the major effects on society - and on music, singers and songwriters of the 60s and 70s - were the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Civil Rights Movement.
- There was also a folk revival during this time, notably by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, which was a good genre into which protest songs were written.
- The 1970s saw singer songwriters producing music in a soft rock or pop style in addition to newcomers who had their own style, like Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, and even some rockers like Paul Collins.
- Many musical styles were introduced to the U.S. in the 1970s including hip hop, punk rock, techno, disco, salsa, and electronic music.
- Rock and pop music expanded into pop-funk (Sly and the Family Stone), country rock (Allman Brothers Band), glam rock (David Bowie), and progressive rock (Chicago and Styx).
- In the latter years of the 1970s disco appeared and bands like The Bee Gees and Donna Summer were popular.
So, now you know who singer songwriters from the 60s and 70s were and you also know more about that era of music.