Greatest not obvious song writer ever

You're talking to an addicted.

Richard Thompson? Possibly influenced by seeing him last week and getting 2 new albums this week.

Now we are talking the same language. I will add Rory Gallagher.

Warren Zevon.

Paul Brady. 

Would it be too obvious to suggest Joni Mitchell?

If so then I'll vote for Sandy Denny.

Other than Morrissey & Marr, I'd propose Billy Bragg. Levi Stubbs' tears is hard to better. Then there's Elvis Costello...

Recently reminded by the sad passing of Glen Campbell I might suggest ... Jimmy Webb.

Duke Ellington

Standard after standard

Robert Hunter

Paul Buchanan.

Michael Head if I'm allowed a second choice. 

Geoff Muldaur.

Bobbie Gentry. Scott Walker.

Richard Hawley

J.J. Cale - mainly because his best-known songs were made famous by other people.

Once saw Harry Chapin London, a few days later he tragically died in a taxi accident in New York, a great but underated singer/ songwriter imo.

Hungryhalibut posted:

Then there's Elvis Costello...

There is indeed. A skinny tie-wearing adenoidal chancer who got rich on the back of punk, hurled racial abuse at the great Ray Charles and blanded out to the point of invisibility.

As for Bragg, he's alright if you like eating mung beans, knitting your own quinoa and voting Liberal Democrat, I suppose.

Mung beans and quinoa - yummy. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

Mung beans and quinoa - yummy. 

What about voting for the FibDumbs though?

RICHYH posted:

I throw my hat in the ring

Willie Dixon

Please respond

A big +1 for Willie Dixon, writer of so many songs which have become blues classics, to the point that he is very rarely referenced as the original composer. 

Ralph McTell, I grew up in an Irish family in London, and thought Clare to Here was an Irish folk song for years until Ralph mentioned he'd written it at (I thunk it was)  his 60th birthday gig.

Kevin-W posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

Mung beans and quinoa - yummy. 

What about voting for the FibDumbs though?

I don't need to justify my suggestions. None of the others have been questioned, and it's only an opinion after all. I've not had a pop at yours. 

I'll second the Warren Zevon nod.

Billie Joe Armstrong - his music is typically loud, radical, and politically-driven, but considering the melodies and hooks he is quite a gifted tunesmith.

  William Bell - Born Under a Bad Sign.

  Writer of some classic songs, such as the one above, "You Don't Miss Your Water", "Private Number" and lot's more, including even 

  "To Be a Lover", by Billy Idol.

   Maybe not as prolific as some of the others mentioned here, but what great songs. 

Blaze Foley

BB

Nile Rodgers, Bruce Springsteen, Max Martin, Prince, Paul Anka, The Bee Gees