My favorite singer/songwriters are about to be named. At the top of the list will be a few giant favorites, then, some others I greatly appreciate. No doubt, some great ones will not be listed, though I could go on and on listing. PAUL McCARTNEY is at the top. I love the package that includes the lyrics (though, bonehead after bonehead will line up to believe he is not a great lyricist). Get over it, his lyrics can be splendid. His vocals are fantastic, a man of several distinct voices. His musicianship is great. I love that he writes and performs on piano, acoustic guitar, bass, electric guitar, and drums (yes, creating drum parts, even singing from behind the kit in some rare instances). Please stop comparing him to one specific rock artist from long ago. His work STANDS ON ITS OWN. JOHN FOGERTY is way up there with me. I love his songwriting, voice, musicality. He has written great songs in the latter part of his career. I hope folks do not ONLY know his twenty-something work, which WAS often great. Like McCartney, his work that attracts me does not end with his first legendary band breaking up. JOHN LENNON died at 40, though his body of work consists of some of the greatest songs pop music ever offered. He was a tremendous influence on me. STEVE EARLE may be my brother-in-law, but, his songwriting from his first four albums is among the greatest songs I know. Later, there would be gems, and some people prefer later work of his. But, the first four albums are the high bar for me. Those all, seriously, influenced my output. Hurtin’Me, Hurtin’ You is my favorite, and it came a bit later. He played it for me the day I met him. He, in fact, came into my kitchen to show me his newest song (it was sure to be raining outdoors!). I played on it with him, once I was in his band. ROBERT JOHNSON mesmerizes me. His early, disturbing death cut short no-telling how great of a career. His songs, filled with earnestness, vocals, and guitar playing draw me in like no other. It is just as tragic what happened to him as what happened to John Lennon. Some of Robert’s creations are among the most unique in the modern history of recorded music. I do not tire of hearing the tracks. GUY CLARK is as pure of a songwriter as I have heard. It was due to his diligence in craftily perfecting his lyrics. Once we heard them on a release the songs had gone through a meticulous process by the master writer. His guitar playing and singing was always very soulful. I am inspired ANY time I hear him. The Randall Knife is the gold standard of a lyrical song. Boats To Build is a masterpiece, too. I used to cover Baton Rouge, as feel-good of a song as you will hear. STACEY EARLE-yes, she is my wife! Her songs, most of them, I was around for the development. I heard her genesis of them, the process she went through, and, oftentimes knew the subject matter firsthand. Her guitar style is one-of-a-kind, a percussive orchestra from a wooden box of strings. I tried to play minimal accompaniment to her over the THOUSANDS of performances we did together. Why is her songwriting not more revered? Her greatest pieces are just that-great. The overshadow factor of her brother is a tragedy. Do yourself a favor: get him out of your head and listen to her songs, not two or three, but 15 or 20 of them. BOB DYLAN (Robert Zimmerman), like many say, is a huge influence for me. I prefer his first four albums more than anything. The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll is unbelievable and forces me to get up from a chair and want to fight for social change. His later career song, Po’ Boy is a favorite. And, I have to re-dissect A Simple Twist Of Fate once a year. I keep finding new things in it. He is what they say he is-a great songwriter. By the way, I learned a lot of guitar from studying him. CHUCK BERRY. There is a reason he is called the “Shakespeare of Rock and Roll”. His songwriting set a standard in the rock pantheon that few could attempt to match. Without all those well-written lyrics to coincide with the string-bending licks on his guitar, the power chords, the country music-inspired vocals, rock music would have been a much lesser platform of musical art. He lifted it up, it has stood the test of time, he influenced millions. The craftiness, like Guy Clark, is to be noted. Funny, my first time to meet Guy was at a small stage where he wanted me to jump up onto the stage and play “some Chuck Berry”. Sadly, I had no guitar with me that day. Years later, I would play a bit with him on HIS tunes. CHUCK BRODSKY is a fellow folk/Americana singer-songwriter. We play all the same festivals, house concerts, theaters, coffeehouses, etc. He is a good friend, too. His lyrics are as good as it will ever get. Countless songs of Brodsky’s are masterfully-written and leave a stir inside you during your experiencing them. I urge anybody to delve into his body of work, especially if you have a taste for the singer-songwriter type of artist. He is incapable of having a weak link in his lyrical pieces. I can hear his Lili’s Braids in my head right now. Moving. Touching. JOHN PRINE was a discovery that changed my songwriting. Once I bought his first album, and soaked up every track, I pivoted my lyrical approach in a way few could cause such a pivot. I learned some guitar from him, though he had a slightly clumsy execution of playing. Sometimes, humor found its way into his songs, when other writers would be too stiff to go there. Then, the darkest of dark could emerge. Place his Let’s Talk Dirty In Hawaiian in front of Sam Stone and see what I mean. I will stop here in listing. I DO love other singer-songwriters. Merle Travis, Tony Joe White, Dave Olney, George Harrison, Carole King, Buddy Holly, Woody Guthrie, Lonnie Wayne Flemmer, Merle Haggard, Roger McGuinn. They are artists I would love to go on and on about. Are any of these listed a surprise to anyone?