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Who is it? What do you like about how that person constructs and/or performs a song?

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Without a doubt my favorite songwriter is Kevin Welch. The funny thing about this is that until I retired from corporate America in 2007, I'd never heard of Kevin. His words and music, not to mention fantastic voice, seem to always come from the heart. Whether it is heartbreak or heart happy, heart uncertain or heart unknown....the songs are always heartfelt. They're constructed in a way that renders each song unique, unlike any other and they are singable...in other words, I can sing along to MY heart's content. Many of the Kevin's words are so clever and cause me to actually think more on a subject than I would have without Kevin's song, i.e., "Saints are just sinners who never stop tryin', losers are winners who just picked the wrong day, we're all beginners when it comes time for diein, so you can rest your mind easy, you'll die anyway." There's something to these words other than the rhyming. They inspire HOPE and caution the listener to live in the moment gratefully. That's just one example of the words from many, many excellent songs written by Kevin Welch. Prior to knowing Kevin's music, I'd have to say I favored Jackson Browne as a song writer. No more. Now I know about John Prine, Bob Childers, Eliza Gilkyson, Gretchen Peters and a huge host of other talented and skilled song writers. The number grows daily but Kevin Welch is always at the top of the list. Blessings,

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I really can't pick a favorite.  

I LOVE playing the song sharing game, where you sit down with another song writer and go song for song;  its such an intimate way to peer into another persons soul.

I mean, there is a special place in my heart for Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, Beck, and a number of mainstream successes whose music is on my computer, but I evaluate them in a completely different way from individuals I meet face to face and have a musical bonding experience with.

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I have many but one who really surprised me was Tom Cochrane. I didn't really dig all of that older Red Rider stuff or even his rockin' "Life Is A Highway" stuff too much but he has an acoustic album called "Songs Of A Circling Spirit" that floored me. Lots of those same rock songs done acoustically really well. It's great to hear someone use an acoustic guitar in a way that's really different from the traditional folk/country style. It's a great album and I'd like to recommend that you give it a listen. I now have a whole new respect for Tom. I still wouldn't say he's my favourite but that particular album is really good. Go check it out.

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Recently (in the last year) I've discovered Richard Shindell; an American songwriter who's been going for a good long time. He's a good all-rounder when it comes to songwriting - with a knack for a melody that you think you already know, but don't, a very underrated guitarist (I've started learning some of his songs, and what he plays is often very tough stuff). Most importantly though, he writes great lyrics - deceptively simple, very often very pared down, and very often very moving.

His subject matter covers love and loss, and he has a penchant for trucking songs and American history, but he also picks a lot of original and surprising subjects and creates beautiful songs from them.

I'd recommend these for starters:

You Stay Here



There Goes Mavis



The second song had me puzzled for a while. Why a song about a sandcastle and a canary? Actually it's about the little girl and her growing up and leaving her mother!

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Very nice indeed Martin. I'm always amazed at the number of great writers/players that I've never heard of.

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Here's one of the Tom Cochrane songs I was talking about.

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This girl, Sarah Harmer has been impressing me for several years now. Great voice, great songs that mean something. She has been working hard to help protect the Niagra Escarpment which is threatened by development. That's what this song is about but everrything she does is great.

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I love this guy. This album was produced by steve earl who I also love

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Haven't listened to Mr. Cochrane before. Good song. His voice, especially in the first verse is uncannily like Tom Petty's.

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Who is the finest song writer I know?  I'm going to take this as know personally.  Would have to be my big brother Andrew ....  

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Well that didn't work.  How about this ....  

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Ah, I'm likin that, Michael. Thanks. =;-)

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A songwriter whose lyrics instantly resounded with me is Ger Wolfe.

There is one star left in the window,
Saying, “sweetly close your eyes,
Put your prayer under your pillow
And your dream behind your eyes”,
And the songbird sings in the garden,
“ Let the river softly flow,
And the world go on regardless,
In the things you don’t yet know,
In the things you don’t yet know..”

I hope you sleep in the deepest dream-song
And you wake to the early Morning,
I hope you sleep in the deepest dream-song,
And you wake to the early morning.

There is one dance left in the dancer,
All the notes are gone to seed,
And each footstep lasts forever,
In the only dance you need

And one flower colours your journey
From the cradle to the sun,
And the song you sang in season,
Is not only but begun
Is not only but begun.

© Ger Wolfe 2005.

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