The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters

Stefan ruiz ^ | 4-27-26 | New York Times

[MarlonRando]

A list of the 30 greatest American living songwriters. on the list:

Young Thug, Bad Bunny, Jay-Z and more!!!

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TOPICS: Computers/Internet; Conspiracy; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: music

[Beowulf9]

They don’t have Lennon/McCartney?! This is a scam.

[MayflowerMadam]

I’ve heard of 11 of them.

[Robert A Cook PE]

“Whatever anybody means about a song's texture turns tactile with Lucinda Williams. Sweat salt. Ice crunch. Oyster grit. Matches. Grease (bacon, engine, hair). She must know this. She titled one masterpiece album “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.” Her half-century of music-making began on a kind of texture tour. She passed through some country and, as many a singer-songwriter has, through Black music, discovering what distinguishes affect from affinity. Williams, who hails from Lake Charles, La., started as a blues stencilist, covering Robert Johnson and Melvin “Lil’ Son” Jackson. So nothing is counterfeit about, say, the zydeco that dusts her first recording of an original jewel like “I Lost It.”

And another 30 similar descriptions of long-winded wordy gibberish. /But that's just my opinion.

[RetiredArmy]

Young Thug? Bad Bunny? What the hell??????? Never heard of them. But then again, I am stuck in the 60s, 70s and 80s music!!

[Dr. Sivana]

No Elton John/Bernie Taupin? No Paul McCartney? Neil Sedaka just passed, or he should have ben included.

[CaptainPhilFan]

Thanks! I luv Rick but hardly get to watch his videos anymore.
Has the Rush interview dropped yet?

[MotorCityBuck]

Paul McCartney

[thepoodlebites]

John Denver, Robert Plant, Ian Anderson, Joe Walsh, Terry Livgrin, Carol King, Johnny Cash, et al. They only see what they want to see. Like dead ppl.

[mosley]

With respect….you are really going to post a list that has Taylor Swift but not Paul McCartney?

[MarlonRando]

readability.

1. Bob Dylan
2. Paul Simon
3. Bruce Springsteen
4. Joni Mitchell (included despite Canadian roots, per discussion of the list)
5. Carole King
6. Stevie Wonder
7. Smokey Robinson
8. Dolly Parton
9. Willie Nelson
10. Lucinda Williams
11. Lionel Richie
12. Nile Rodgers
13. Valerie Simpson
14. Taylor Swift
15. Jay-Z
16. Missy Elliott
17. Kendrick Lamar
18. André 3000 (Outkast)
19. Big Boi (Outkast)
20. Young Thug
21. Rosanne Cash
22. Tom Waits
23. Randy Newman
24. Bonnie Raitt
25. Patti Smith
26. John Prine (widely cited in discussions of the list)
27. Alan Jackson (referenced in critiques/discussions)
28. Brandy Clark (part of grouped Nashville slot)
29. Shane McAnally (grouped slot)
30. Josh Osborne

[desertsolitaire]

Where are Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte of 3OH!3?
‘Don’t Trust Me’ was like, triple platinum.

[mosley]

Are you smoking what Willie Nelson (whom I love) is smoking?

[Sirius Lee]

American songwriters. Sedaka should be on there, yes. Especially Billy Joel. WTH!

[Hyman Roth]

Damn right. Love Segar.

[TBP]

Adam Reader, teh “rpfesspr or Fock,” did a video that touches on this issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0I1ZwxsHV4&pp=ygURUHJvZmVzc29yIG9mIFJvY2s%3D

[TBP]

AMERICAN songwrters.

[TBP]

Adam Reader, the “Professor of Rock,” did a video that touches on this issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0I1ZwxsHV4&pp=ygURUHJvZmVzc29yIG9mIFJvY2s%3D

[SpaceBar]

If Paul Williams isn’t in there the list is absolutely worthless.

[Getready]

Two points...
1) New York Times writes to a market which it hopes it can attract and will buy its newspaper. Liberals approximately between 35-45 and young thug hipsters.

2) New York Times is irrelevant and can not be considered an impeccable authoritative source.

[posterchild]

My mistake - Jim Steinman passed in 2021.