Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
ACOUSTIC EXPO 2013: We have to say, choosing only 15 singer-songwriters for this lighthearted game of Top Trumps turned out to be heartache – we may well have to run a part two soon! However, we had an entire Expo's worth of content to put together for you so the rather generous list we started out with had to be whittled down to something more manageable.
You may notice a few classic names missing (we went back and forth over Nick Drake a lot), but in the end we decided to be a tad selfish and feature our absolute favourites. Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and more all feature in our legends gallery, so dive on in and reacquaint yourselves with some of the most prodigiously talented, acoustic guitar wielding singer-songwriters music has to offer.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Johnny Cash
Genre: Country, rock 'n' roll
Number of studio albums: 55
Most popular songs: A Boy Named Sue, I Walk The Line, Folsom Prison Blues
Songwriting prowess: 9
Lyricism prowess: 7
Legacy rating: 10
Universally acclaimed as one of the most influential country artists ever, quick-tempered Johnny Cash is a member of not one but three Hall of Fame’s: Country Music, Rock and Roll and Gospel. Nicknamed The Man in Black, Cash often sang of love and sorrow and racked up a whopping 13 US No 1's including I Walk The Line and Folsom Prison Blues. With stacks of compilation, live and studio albums to his name, plus a slew of guest appearances, Cash was the quintessential troubled icon. Sealing the deal of his legendary status, he nurtured artists like the mighty Bob Dylan, meaning not only was he a superstar in his own right but he created stars too.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Bob Dylan
Genre: Rock, country, blues, folk
Number of studio albums: 35
Most popular songs: Like A Rolling Stone, Desolation Row, Subterranean Homesick Blues
Songwriting prowess: 8
Lyricism prowess: 9
Legacy rating: 9
Multi award-wining Bob Dylan has influenced songwriters for over five decades; writing in multiple genres from folk and country to rockabilly and jazz. Covered by everyone from Rage Against The Machine to Norah Jones, in his time Dylan has worked with other greats like George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Roy Orbison. Such is his massive social reach, he was even issued the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama. Highway 61 Revisited, arguably Dylan's best album, showcased his flare for story-telling; painting pictures with words and ensnaring the senses with hypnotic melodies. A brave writer driven by social and political comment (just listen to Desolation Row and The Times They Are A Changin'), Dylan's song-writing shoes have become so big it's possible no-one else could ever fill them.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Joni Mitchell
Genre: folk rock, folk jazz, pop
Number of studio albums: 19
Most popular songs: Case Of You, Big Yellow Taxi, River
Songwriting prowess: 8
Lyricism prowess: 9
Legacy rating: 8
At times delicate and ethereal-sounding, other times raucous and downright cheeky, Joni Mitchell is a woman of many masks on and off-stage. Over the years her song-writing style has matured along with her husky tone, giving life to classics like California, River and Both Sides Now. One of music's most-aped artists, Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi has been covered 223 times. Delving into a world of jazz rhythms and pop textures, she is best known for her open tuned guitar and piano compositions of harmonic and rhythmic complexity. A folk genius inspiring the likes of Laura Marling and Gabrielle Aplin, Mitchell created her own chords in a signature open tuning she called “Joni’s weird chords”. A profound lyricist, in every Mitchell song there are jewels to behold – A Case Of You has 42 lines full of them.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: John Lennon
Genre: Rock, pop, experimental
Number of studio albums: 8
Most popular songs: Imagine, Give Peace a Chance, (Just Like) Starting Over
Songwriting prowess: 10
Lyricism prowess: 8
Legacy rating: 9
We're pretty sure that if the world was polled to find the greatest songwriter ever, the man who founded (what would later become) The Beatles would be first on their lips. A massive success as a solo artist too, the inimitable John Lennon achieved 25 No 1 singles in the US as writer, co-writer or performer, with three of his eight studio albums reaching number the top spot. One of the most iconic songs of all time, Imagine was Lennon's love letter to a world that will never exist; a true heart-on-the-sleeve moment that captured the masses collective imagination, hopes and dreams. An ardent social and political commentator like Dylan, Lennon's Give Peace a Chance (released while he was still a Beatle) became an anthem of the American anti-war movement in the 1970s.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Tom Petty
Genre: rock ’n’ roll, heartland rock
Number of studio albums: 12
Most popular songs: I Wont Back Down, Free Falling, American Girl
Songwriting prowess: 9
Lyricism prowess: 7
Legacy rating: 8
Whether playing with The Heartbreakers, The Travelling Wilburys or on his own, Tom Petty's Americana rock breathes light into the darkest of musical times. In the late 80s, against a back-drop of Lisa Stansfield, Milli Vanilli and New Kids On The Black, came Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers with Free Fallin. Featuring one of the most instantly recognisable song intros, with just a few humble chords Petty shot to No 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. His music has been used in films like Jerry Maguire and The Silence Of The Lambs, and covered by artists like John Mayer and Taking Back Sunday. Since his fledgling guitar lessons with Don Felder (The Eagles), Petty has gone on to sell over 60 million albums worldwide; his most recent, Mojo, won rave reviews in 2010.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Dolly Parton
Genre: Country, pop
Number of studio albums: 58
Most popular songs: Jolene, 9 To 5, Here You Come Again
Songwriting prowess: 8
Lyricism prowess: 7
Legacy rating: 8
While many chalked her up to just a pretty face and sweet soprano vocals when she first hit the country music scene back in 1967, Dolly Parton has out-lasted many of her peers. Having composed over 3,000 songs and earned a jaw-slackening 26 No 1's, no one can argue her stamina or talent. With great American classics like Jolene, 9 To 5 and I Will Always Love You under her sequin-studded belt, Parton has blazed stages the world over; gaining fans of all ages with her heartfelt lyrics and foot-stomping rhythms. Racking up duets with stellar talents such as Chet Atkins, Norah Jones and Melissa Etheridge, and having been flattered with covers by Whitney Houston, Queen Adreena and The White Stripes, Parton proves that a truly great songwriter transcends genre and generation.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Neil Young
Genre: Folk, country, rock
Number of studio albums: 37
Most popular songs: Harvest Moon, Heart of Gold, Rockin’ In The Free World
Songwriting prowess: 9
Lyricism prowess: 9
Legacy rating: 9
By the time Neil Young released his first solo album in 1968 he had already left an indelible mark on the burgeoning Laurel Canyon music scene thanks to his work with Buffalo Springfield, penning more heartfelt tunes in two years than many artists manage in a lifetime. Since then he has gone on to release a staggering 37 studio solo records, gifting the world with Heart of Gold, Sugar Mountain, Rockin’ In The Free World and scores more. Young also holds the honour of having been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once, but twice – first as a solo artist and then as a member of Buffalo Springfield. Not bad, not bad at all.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Van Morrison
Genre: pop, folk, blues, rock
Number of studio albums: 34
Most popular songs: Brown Eyed Girl, Have I Told You Lately
Songwriting prowess: 9
Lyricism prowess: 8
Legacy rating: 9
Bio: Equally adept at penning straight up pop r'n'b as he is laying his Celtic roots on the table for all to hear, the notoriously prickly Van Morrison is a true artist in every sense of the term. The Belfast-born songsmith's ear for a tune can be seen in hits such as Jackie Wilson Said and Brown Eyed Girl, the latter giving Van Morrison a US Top Ten with his debut solo single. In the 44 years since then he has racked up an impressive 34 albums, with a career second wind seeing ten of his 17 albums released since 1990 land in the UK Top Ten.An inductee of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Van Morrison forays into everything from rock and pop to blues and jazz via soul, r'n'b and folk (and that's just the tip of the iceberg) have brought acclaim at every turn.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Carly Simon
Genre: pop, rock, folk
Number of studio albums: 25
Most popular songs: You’re So Vain, Nobody Does It Better
Songwriting prowess: 8
Lyricism prowess: 7
Legacy rating: 8
For cast-iron proof of Carly Simon's incredible songwriting prowess (as if any were needed) we need only look at the record books. Her 1988 contribution to the soundtrack for the movie Working Girl, Let The River Run, scooped a Golden Globe, Academy Award and a Grammy - the first song to ever win all three. There's also the fact that with You're So Vain she penned the ultimate revenge song (we're still guessing who it's about, but the smart money seems to be Warren Beatty), a song that has gone on to be covered by everyone from Queens of the Stone Age to Taylor Swift.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Sixto Rodriguez
Genre: Folk, rock
Number of studio albums: 2
Most popular songs: Inner City Blues, Sugar Man
Songwriting prowess: 7
Lyricism prowess: 7
Legacy rating: 7
He may have only put out two studio albums (the last of which came in 1971), but today Sixto Rodriguez is finally tasting the worldwide acclaim that his brand of psych-influenced folk rock always deserved. After four decades out of the music world (despite being, completely unbeknownst to him, huge in South Africa), Sixto was thrust back into it thanks to 2012 documentary Searching For Sugar Man. All of which means that the beautiful lyrics and soulful delivery of tracks like Crucify Your Mind have, at last, found their audience. Even better, new material is said to be on the way.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: James Taylor
Genre: Folk, country, rock
Number of studio albums: 16
Most popular songs: Mockingbird, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), You’ve Got A Friend
Songwriting prowess: 9
Lyricism prowess: 8
Legacy rating: 8
An acoustic-wielding folk master whose studio output spans five glorious decades, James Taylor is perhaps the definitive folk rock singer songwriter, with his sublime finger picking and emotive, soulful rasp winning the Boston native a legion of fans. With a darn impressive five Grammy Awards under his belt, Taylor may perhaps be best known for the Carol King-penned You’ve Got A Friend, but he has plenty of self-written A Grade tunes up his sleeve, too – Fire and Rain and Sweet Baby James for starters. Oh, and ten US Billboard Top Ten albums isn’t to be sniffed at, either.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Joan Armatrading
Genre: pop, folk, rock, blues
Number of studio albums: 18
Most popular songs: Love and Affection, Drop The Pilot
Songwriting prowess: 8
Lyricism prowess: 7
Legacy rating: 7
Saint Kitts born, Birmingham raised from the age of seven, it took Joan Armatrading three albums to really hit her stride, but with her 1976 self-titled record showed her incredible ability to connect with her instrument, lyrics and audience. The enduring Love and Affection is a bright spark not just for the album but for Joan's career as a whole, an absolute classic which packs a passion that few artists manage to get down on tape – a sure mark of a master of the trade.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Neil Diamond
Genre: pop, rock, folk
Number of studio albums: 31
Most popular songs: Cracklin' Rosie, Sweet Caroline, Cherry Cherry
Songwriting prowess: 9
Lyricism prowess: 8
Legacy rating: 8
If there's one songwriter here who owns more sequin shirts than Dolly Parton it's this New York native. Boasting a talent that's gifted over 125 million album sales, according to Billboard Neil Diamond is the third most successful contemporary adult artist behind Elton John and Barbara Streisand. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1984, Diamond has thrilled fans for decades with karaoke favourites including Sweet Caroline, Song Sung Blue and America. For the 1980 remake of The Jazz Singer, he wrote (and co-wrote respectively) chart-whoppers Hello Again, Love On The Rocks and America. Having worked with legendary producers and artists alike, Diamond is one of the most well respected acoustic singer-songwriters in the business.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Richard Thompson
Genre: Folk, electric folk, rock
Number of studio albums: 14 (solo), 5 (Fairport Convention), 6 (Richard and Linda Thompson)
Most popular songs: I Feel So Good, Beeswing, Vincent Black Lightning 1952
Songwriting prowess: 9
Lyricism prowess: 8
Legacy rating: 8
No-one sings a tale quite like Ivor Novello award winner and OBE Richard Thompson. If you're a geek like us and love poring over lyrics, you'll know his offerings are akin to short stories; dripping with colour, emotion and action (hear Vincent Black Lightning 1952). Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz is a fan, as well he would be considering how Duritz himself has the same flare for poetry and story-telling. From his time with folk mothership Fairport Convention all the way through his heady solo career, Thompson's yarns have been spun over a mixture of spell-bending fingerpicking and barn-storming strumming. His impact on the modern folk pack is mammoth and songs like Dimming of The Day – arguably his most beautiful love song – will see his name carried forward by the next generation again.
Singer-songwriter Top Trumps legends
Artist name: Paul Simon
Genre: folk, pop, folk rock, world music
Number of studio albums: 11 (solo), 5 (Simon & Garfunkel)
Most popular songs: Loves Me Like A Rock, Mrs Robinson, 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
Songwriting prowess: 9
Lyricism prowess: 10
Legacy rating: 9
'The Mississippi delta was shining like a national guitar'. The opening line from Paul Simon's most beloved solo work, Graceland (1986), set the tone for an immaculate album that soared in its lyricism, rejoiced in its musicality and glittered in its production. But it was a natural progression to perfection from a man who penned some of the biggest hits music has ever known. As part of Simon & Garfunkel and on his lonesome, Simon carved out a piece of forever among the song-writing fraternity. Worshipped by millions and interpreted by bands like Vampire Weekend, his songs stand up whether they're stripped back to the basic chords or unleashed in all their technicolour sonic glory. No small wonder Simon's considered to be the Great American Songbook.