Rick

Rick

Peter.

James Keelaghan, Stephen Fearing, Garnet Rogers, Ian Tablyn, James Gordon, Leonard Cohen, Lui Collins, Ferron, Richard Thompson, Don Ross, Connie Caldor, Clive Gregson, Andrew Cash, John Gorka, John McCutcheon, John Prine...

And on and on and on....

All "singer/songwriters"...

All pretty damn good...

Where's the negative connotations???

I don't usually bill myself as a "singer/songwriter," even if I am doing a lot of my own songs -- especially when I am singing mostly other people's songs. For one thing, I am usually playing guitar, too! For another, I don't want to mislead folks into thinking I wrote (or claim to have written) all the songs I sing that they may not have heard before. And when I do my own songs, I like to get the audience's honest reaction before I tell them I wrote them. (It's like having kids: someone says, "What a beautiful child!" and you say, "Why, thank you!" -- someone says, "What an obnoxious brat!" and you can pretend you don't know him/her!)

Musicians who combined songwriting with instrumental and/or vocal performance have been around for a long time (Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Gene Autry, Woody Guthrie, Hoagy Carmichael, Hank Williams, Harlan Howard, Peggy Lee, and many others). Usually they were identified as "folksinger," "songwriter," "jazz musician," "singing cowboy," or some other label that focused on what was considered to be their main talent.

Many performers would have to have a L-O-N-G job title if it reflected all their talents: e.g,
singer/guitarist/pianist/songwriter/raconteur/fiddler/bass player/bodhran player/dancer...

Nowadays, though, it's not unusual to hear an instrumentalist/singer (e.g., Nanci Griffith, Kenny Rogers, Judy Collins) billed as "singer/songwriter" even when they are singing and playing but not doing any of their own compositions!

I do wonder why this often inadequate, sometimes misleading term has become so pervasive. Maybe some folks think if you "write songs," no matter how mediocre they are, that makes up for not singing or playing well. But for those who DO play well, I wonder why that is omitted in deference to "songwriter."

FWIW, I often refer to myself as a "wandering minstrel."

Genie

Jerry

Peter.

Back in the 1980's and into the 90's there appeared to be an "anti-folk" movement brewing. I once heard a musician refer to a traditional singer as a "Kumbayah". It wasn't cool to be a folksinger. Folk music had boring connotations. Everyone wanted to showcase his or her talent as a "singer-songwriter". They spent hours contemplating their existence to write songs which had deep significance to their own story. I called them "singer-songwhiners".

Now it seems that singer-songwriters are drifting away from the image of the self-absorbed hacks. Being a folk-singer is almost cool again.

I love to watch the folk process at work!

Ron

Absolutely....

Just shut up and play!

:-)

I wouldn't ever think of using the label singer-songwriter. On the one hand that'd sound like I was I was putting myself on equal terms with Harvey Andrews and a few others - and on the other hand it'd sound like I was putting myself on equal terms with the navel fluff brigade.

Anyway, why is it always singer/songwriter and not songwriter/singer. You write a song, and then if you think it's good enough, you sing it, so that it gets sung.

I've had "Traditional and Contemporary Acoustic Musician" on my business cards for twenty years. Nine out of ten people that see it probably haven't a clue what I mean. Good thing I don't care that much.

Rick

We don't have an equivalent term in English for "chansonnier", and it's a pity. That's how you'd describe Harvey if he were French. Maybe we should import it, that's what we generally do when English is short of a word.

People who hire me, though, usually do want a brief description (beyond just "musician), so I usually say "guitar and vocals" or something like that. If I'm doing a theme program, e.g., St. Patrick's, I add that to the description (of the program, not me).

Midchuck, After that "Pre-Minstrel Tension" comment, I hope you are running and ducking the virtual rotten tomatoes I'm throwing!!!

Genie §;-D

McGrath, I think you're onto something: "...using the label singer-songwriter [would] sound like I was I was putting myself on equal terms with Harvey Andrews and a few others - and on the other hand it'd sound like I was putting myself on equal terms with the navel fluff brigade." Unfortunately, the term has devolved into a cliche that has some baggage attached which I'd just as soon avoid. Yeah, I, too, would like just once to see someone say "songwriter/singer" instead of the other way around.

How about "tunesmith and chanteuse (or chanteur)?"

Is it that we, as Atlantic Canadians, are more encouraging of our up and comers than others?

Look, sure you will get some people who aren't as good, or some songs aren't topnotch, but there will always be others which are great.

Personally, I applaud ALL of the efforts of everyone who writes a song, and or sings a song.

Without positive feedback, we could lose someone who has wonderful things to say.

Whether they are called Folk isn't up to us, you know. My feeling is that the "Folk/Traditional" music and song are those which the people like enough to keep singing. Sonny's Dream, is one of those timeless songs, which the people have embraced. If someone had taken the attitude that he shouldn't be around, then we might never have had this song.

Remember all the songs we have which are "True" Folk or Traditional songs/tunes, had someone write the song at some point. WE WANT these songs.

Jerry