Best Songwriters of all time?

dylon's a great musician but a terrible terrible singer. But at least he's got soul

Jean Sibelius
Frank Zappa
Gentle Giant (Phil Shulman)
Cream (that was when Clapton used to make MUSIC *L*)
Jeff Beck
J.S. Bach
Heitor Villa Lobos
Andres Segovia

I would have to say Andre Segovia is the most important person ever in bringing the guitar to popularity. He lived in a time wear the guitar was considered primitive to the likes of anything in a symphony. He proved the guitar could be just as good and could be heard in large concert halls. Not to mention the technique he brought to the instrument. If Andre Segovia had never come along...I doubt the guitar would have the popularity that it enjoys today.

Hendrix is overrated to be quite honest about it. Plus he puked and died. How about Willie Nelson? Great writer and equally great guitarist. You can't forget Bocephus either.
I like AC/DC, ZZ-Top...oh.

Originally posted by MikeP.
I would have to say Andre Segovia is the most important person ever in bringing the guitar to popularity. He lived in a time wear the guitar was considered primitive to the likes of anything in a symphony. He proved the guitar could be just as good and could be heard in large concert halls. Not to mention the technique he brought to the instrument. If Andre Segovia had never come along...I doubt the guitar would have the popularity that it enjoys today.

AMEN!!!! All hail andre! *LOL*

Oh... and to my list i have to add

Béla Bartok
Benjamin Britten
Karl Orff
Dimitri Shostakovich

what does hendrix puking and dieing have to do with his songwriting?

He could have been somebody had he some brains. Instead he chose to walk down that toxic path to nevermore and puked and died. What did he write that is so profound??? Foxxy Lady? Purple Haze? Common.

Do you know why Eddie Van Halen will never be a legend? Because he has a normal life, with kids and all... I do think that some kind of 'die while still at the peak' magic happens. Kurt Kobain, Jim Morrison, etc...

Originally posted by Locomotive breath
What did he write that is so profound??? Foxxy Lady? Purple Haze? Common.

For his time it was - of course in days of dream theather and others it is nothing special.. but in his time he was the first doin thigs like this. If you would be the first doing something that has hardly ever been done before you would be proud, wouldnt you? and what would you think of peeps that tell you your stuff is "not so profund"?

Jethro Tull is also not too profound compared to nowadays musicians ;)

Lyle Lovett, Merle Haggard, Jackson Browne, Chuck Berry, hey not profound but cetainly prolific, Brian Wilson, Paul Simon, Willie, Sting, this list could go on forever, their are alot of good songwriters, I wouldn't take anything away from Segovia, but how did he wind up in a songwriter list? A transcriber of great works, which is an artform in it's self for sure, but I don't recall him writing any songs which is kind of essential to being a songwriter, I know I'm just being a pain.What qualifies one as being a Great Songwriter anyhow, is it popularity, or profoundness, quanity or quality, or does personal preference have alot to do with it, the reason I ask is because I see C.C. Deville mentioned(and others) and no one comments about a lack of profundity, but Hendrix is called overrated, I'll pick Burning of the Midnite Lamp or If 6 was 9, or anything off of Electric Ladyland over Unskinny Bop, if it's just about Hits, why didn't anyone mention Brooks and Dung, they crank out about 2 or 3 pieces of commercial tripe a week...

I don't know if there could be an "all-time Greatest" songwriter...It depends on taste...Lennon and McCartney have to rank because of success, but I'm not a big Beatles fan...Zappa was a bit strange but his guitar"isms" and songs had many moments of genius. (When asked once, Vai said "Frank Zappa invented the Steve Vai"!) There are too many great blues songwriters to mention if that's what you dig. (Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson should be considered because of the influence that is still notable.)
Clapton has been a successful and very eclectic songwriter covering many different musical eras and styles..

Blues and Jazz are my fav kinds of music and that's how I make my living, but I grew up in the 80's so most of my early influences are the Hard Rock and Metal guitarists from that era..I'm a bit partial to those dudes...John Sykes is probably my favorite guitarist/songwriter (since he's the reason Whitesnake enjoyed their worldwide fame!)

VooDew5
http://www.LAGroove.cc

I hate to be the one to tell you but Hendrix is somebody,
for the past three years rinning he's been voted "best guitarist ever" does it matter that his words weren't amazing? NO!

I liked Hendix's lyrics...He wrote some cool lyrics

'Scuse me while I kiss the sky'
Awesome line, sorry, but it's totally cool!

Hendrix= over-rated guitarist.
Eddie Van Halen by the way, IS A LEGEND.

I think too many other "Legends" would disagree with that statement, I've never read one comment by any of the guitarists who were at the top when Hendrix got his start, that said anything else but how amazing they thought his playing was, he must have had something that made him stand out, almost 33yrs after his death people are still talking about him, buying his records, learning his licks and covering his songs, not bad for being overrated.......

That's because most people hop on bandwagons and adhere to the status quo. Don't get me wrong, I loved his playing but to say he's the all time great is a gross overstatement. Think about it. Was his playing at the time any better than that of Clapton or Beck?

Better is a difficult term, but certainly different and I think thats what got the attention of the English Blues Rockers, I think his approach to ryhthm separated him from the others, and his blurring of the line between lead and ryhthm I don't hear in the playing of his contempararies, I think Hendrix was also thought of as being closer to the blues, he was a black American among alot of white British guys that idolized the blues players they for a large part had only heard on records. As an afterthought, I think if you listen to any of the Cream records, the first Led Zep and Jeff Beck albums, and then hear Are You Experienced, Hendrix stands out as something different.......

Lennon and Mcartney are the greatest song writers of all time . Any people that can create Sergeant Pepper and Revolver and Abbey Road and...