Who is the Great American Songwriter?
 

The person who best embodies the unique American experience through his original music? The person whose ballads define an era?

3 people come to mind off the top of my head.

Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan.

Aaron Copeland? Not ballads, but he certainly captuired a slcie of Americana.

I'm talking more of a minstrel. The one guy who is the musical experience. not a songwriter in the formal sense (i.e. the person who writes Chicago's hit songs). or a composer/conductor.

How about Woody Guthrie?

Or Hank Williams?

I would subtract Springsteen, the other two I agree with. Another angle here is that Dylan and Simon are really very serious poets in their own right as well even if you substract the music.

What's wriong with Springsteen?

I take it you mean in addition to Eliza R. Snow?

I make a distinction between songwriters and composers. Great American songwriters would include Irving Berlin, Gershwin, Frederick Loewe, Dylan, Simon, Wilson and Springsteen.

In my humble opinion, Creekster is right on - Copeland is far and away the greatest American composer.

I think you may be selling Woody Guthrie a little short in the minstrel area, which is what Waters described. His songs remain evocative of his era and are the aural equivalent of WPA murals for that time period

I can't comment on the poetic quality of their work, but I like Springsteen's music better.

Agreed - my bad.