Another snappy title, will they all be like this? Who Knows! Today I will be discussing who I feel are some of the greatest guitarist song writers in music! Much like my last blog post about The Greatest Guitarists of All Time (thank you to everyone who gave it a read!) there likely isn't any definitive best song writer nor guitarist in the world, but a collection of personal favourites for each individual! That aside, sharing our personal feelings about music is always a great way to get to know how someone thinks, so with that said, here are my top 10 choices (in no particular order) for some of the greatest guitarist song writers and song writing duos and groups!
10. Taylor Swift
This might come as a surprise to some but I honestly think Taylor Swift is a brilliant song writer, often seen with guitar in hand through out her career! A song writer in the truest sense, telling stories of personal experiences and putting it out there for all to see and hear. When album after album breaks charting records it's hard to deny Swift's ability to craft songs that the music loving public can't get enough of! I know countless fans of hers from all corners of the music world, metal heads and pop fans alike!
9. Nile Rodgers
Nile Rodgers is a funk guitar master with an unbelievable songwriting back catalogue that leave most people awestruck! From writing for his own band Chic to collaborative songwriting alongside the likes of The B-52's, Daft Punk, David Bowie, George Michael, Adam Lambert, Christina Aguilera, Duran Duran and Mick Jagger to name but a few! Groove is this man's middle name and that fact is evident in each and every song he has ever touched!
8. Tom Searle
For the uninitiated, Tom Searle was the lead song writer and lyricist for metal titans Architects, reinventing their sound several times through out their career displaying his diversity even within the confines of metal and hardcore music. From blistering mathcore shredding in the band's early days, soft but powerful rock on their album 'The Here and Now' before setting the new standard of what it is to be a metalcore band with 'Daybreaker', 'Lost Forever // Lost Together' and 'All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us'. Sadly, in 2016 Tom passed away after a battle with cancer, leaving his final song 'Memento Mori' as the perfect swan song of an artist taken too soon.
7. Phoebe Bridgers
A recent one for me, a student of mine asked to learn a Phoebe Bridgers song 'Kyoto'.
I was hooked very quickly as a result of Bridgers' heart on sleeve emotional lyricism and story telling coupled with her incredible voice! Coupling delicate finger picking patterns with lush chords, Phoebe has cemented herself as a modern indie mastermind. Alongside her two massively beloved albums 'A Stranger In The Alps' and 'Punisher', since 2014 Bridgers has developed herself as a collaborative songwriter and producer and record label owner!
6. Ray Toro & Frank Iero
Here is our first song writing duo of the list! Ray Toro and Frank Iero are the guitarists for alternative rock icons My Chemical Romance as well as established solo artist songwriters in their own right. From modest beginnings in hardcore punk and rock bands, forming an unassuming emo band with their friends the release of My Chemical Romance's debut album 'I Brough You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love', the band were propelled to stardom releasing mainstream rock classics 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge' and 'The Black Parade'. These albums exemplify the duos skills as song writers, layering guitar upon guitar to create powerful sound scapes.
5. Laura Jane Grace
Laura Jane Grace is best known as the singer, guitarist and songwriter for punk rock legends Against Me! Each song is highly expressive and emotive telling a story you truly feel deep down to your core. Brilliant catchy riffs that flow seamlessly together alongside catchy hooks sang with an incredibly powerful voice, it is no wonder that she has risen to a modern day punk rock icon in recent years.
4. Dave Grohl
It's hard to imagine someone that has been in more rock bands (incredibly popular ones at that) than Dave Grohl. From Nirvana to Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age to Tenacious D, Dave Grohl has been highly instrumental (pun fully intended) in the success of a great deal of projects. He adds a raw energy and visceral passion to every song he touches, from the aggressive trashing drums of 'Endless, Nameless' to the beautiful and touching vocals and guitar line of 'Everlong', it's understandable why Grohl is held in such high esteem in the minds of music lovers across many genres.
4. Paul McCartney, George Harrison & John Lennon
Sorry Ringo, we still love you, but this one goes to the strings-men of The Beatles. It is hard to put into words what The Beatles did for modern music, between bringing rock music to the masses with their earlier more straight forward (by today's standards anyway!) songs to the immense amount of experimentation they went through on their later albums, bringing sonic ideas that none had thought possible before.
Then, when the band was done, they all went on to have incredibly prosperous and acclaimed solo careers. I remember watching 'Get Back' and being blown away by how quickly basic, off the cuff ideas would transform into these classic songs so many have come to know and love!
2. Freddie Mercury & Brian May
Many associate Freddie Mercury with the piano but he often fleshed out ideas on guitar too, alongside guitar hero Brian May. There is no denying that Queen were an absolute song writing power house, create countless classics, both massive mainstream hits and incredibly written album track deep cuts. Despite every member of Queen's unique approach to song writing, there was always something that was immediately identifiable as Queen, a trait so many artists crave and seek but came so naturally to the band.
1. Kurt Cobain
And last but by no means least we have the legendary Kurt Cobain, frontman, singer, guitarist and song writer for grunge titans Nirvana. Despite the fact that it sounds hard to believe, countless people from the music industry working at the time have stated time and time again that when Nirvana's sophomore album 'Nevermind' was released, everything changed overnight. The impact of that album and Kurt's song writing prowess can not be understated, influencing countless young musicians, from the early 90s to today! Not only were Cobain's songs standout pieces of expressive art, they were incredibly varied on a sonic level, from the simple and calm 'Something In The Way' to the chaotic aggression of 'Breed' and everything in between, Kurt Cobain's songwriting had it all.
Before I go, I would like to mention some other great guitarist songwriters including; Julien Baker, Taylor York, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ed Sheeran, Sam Cooke, Gary Moore, Jeremy DePoyster, Kyle Sipress, David Bowie, Mitch Stark and Marc Bolan!
I'd also like to give a special mention to Stevie Wonder, one of the greatest song writers of all time in my opinion, but not a guitarist!
If you made it this far into the blog, thank you, it seriously means a lot! Who are your favourite guitarist song writers? What do you think of the ones I picked? I would love to know! In the meantime, play loud and stay safe!
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