By Mitch Rice
American Music is well known all over the world as one of the best musical cultures in history. From Nashville to Seattle, there are millions of songwriters in the US who ply their trade day in and day out, only ever hoping that the right person will find and sing their song and that the music they’ve written will touch someone somewhere. American music contains a multitude of genres: country, blues, emo, jazz, acoustic, pop, rock, dance; you name it, they make it. The country itself is a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds, which is reflected in the diverse music that comes from the musical community. Some of the most well-known and best-remembered songs in the history of modern music have come from American songwriters, and the worldwide musical community would just not be the same if the US did not contribute its fair share. We rounded up what we believe to be the ten best songwriters in American musical history: a little of this and a little of that come together to find the perfect balance in these artists.
1. Chuck Berry
From the 50s to the 70s, you couldn’t swing a cat in the rock ‘n roll scene without seeing or hearing of Chuck Berry. Raised in the incredibly segregated St Louis, Berry found his love of music performing in a local choir with his family. An encounter with Muddy Waters led him to be signed by the Chess brothers and release his first huge hit, Maybellene. The unbelievable success of this rock ‘n roll track was followed by Roll Over Beethoven. He was a controversial figure for many reasons, but his songwriting prowess has never once been in question.
2. Joni Mitchell
The original sad girl, Joni Mitchell, is actually Canadian but is considered an American songwriter because of her illustrious American career. She’s been described as the yin to Bob Dylan’s yang and created some of the most truly heartfelt pop songs in the history of the genre. Her debut album came in New York in 1967, and her following quickly grew. The social observations in her music are one of the things that makes it so special. Mitchell has never made music that’s “easy to listen to” but rather music that has something to say.
3. Neil Young
Another Canadian whose influence on the American scene is undisputed is Neil Young. Young performed from an early age and always knew music would be his full-time calling. He started his career as part of the group Buffalo Springfield, but in 1960 he debuted as a solo artist and embarked on one of the most storied careers in American music.
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4. Marvin Gaye
The father of soul, a multi-talented man, and the artist who pioneered the “artist-controlled” era of music, Marvin Gaye was like no other. Gaye sang in his church as a young man and then joined a well-known doo-wop group. Solo fame was calling, though, and Gaye made his way to Detroit and Motown Records. His vocal range is what he is most famous for.
5. Billie Holiday
Widely considered to be one of the best jazz vocalists of all time; Holiday is known for writing her own spine-tingling music too. Her incredibly rough early life would soon become the stuff of legends, immortalized in her compositions. She was discovered at 18, and she took off in full force. When Billie lost her battle with substance abuse, the world mourned the loss of a true songwriting genius.
6. Tom Waits
Undoubtedly one of the most unusual composers on the list, Tom Waits is famed worldwide for his incredibly gritty yet romantic take on life and love. Avante-garde is the best term to describe Waits’ music; his signature growl combined with unorthodox rhythms and sounds has seated itself deep into the minds of music lovers all over the world.
7. Stevie Nicks
The White Witch, as she is well known, twirled her way into the hearts of the world from the moment she hit the stage with Fleetwood Mac. When she wanted to go solo, no one believed that a woman singing her type of music could make it alone, but Nicks went on to define her genre and is still doing so almost fifty years later.
8. Johnny Cash
Following the White Witch, we have The Man in Black. Though Cash got his start as a musician a little later than he would have liked, his career blew up at a time when rock ‘n roll was still a hotly contested issue. His famous dalliances with substances and young women might have completely derailed his career if he hadn’t dealt with them. And it’s a good thing he did: we couldn’t have done without his melancholy, stirring songs.
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9. Ella Fitzgerald
Over the course of a career that spanned six decades, Ella Fitzgerald became world famous for her sweet voice and strong lyrics. Though she wanted to be a dancer when she was young, singing called to her, and we’re all so glad it did. Her career was built on a foundation of her own hits, but she also achieved an incredible level of fame with her intuitive covers.
10. Billy Joel
Last but not least, we have the Piano Man himself, Billy Joel. Though his first album was something of a disappointment, his follow-up featuring Piano Man and Captain Jack cemented him in the mind of the musical world forever. The pop hits that he wrote and recorded in the 70s and 80s still cause a dancefloor stampede to this day.
Wrap Up
“So we say thank you for the music” and these songwriters; music wouldn’t be the same without them!
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