Editing Singer-songwriter (section)

== History ==
[[File:HankWilliams1951concert.jpg|thumb|[[Hank Williams]], 1951]]
The concept of a singer-songwriter can be traced to ancient [[bardic poetry|bardic]] oral tradition, which has existed in various forms throughout the world. Poems would be performed as chant or song, sometimes accompanied by a harp or other similar instrument. After the invention of printing, songs would be written and performed by ballad sellers. Usually these would be versions of existing tunes and lyrics, which were constantly evolving. This developed into the singer-songwriting traditions of folk culture.

Traveling performers existed throughout Europe. Thus, the folklorist [[Anatole Le Braz]] gives a detailed account of one ballad singer, Yann Ar Minouz, who wrote and performed songs traveling through Brittany in the late nineteenth century and selling printed versions.<ref>Anatole Le Braz, "The Pardon of the Singers", ''The Land of Pardons'', London, Methuen, 1926, pp. 45–104.</ref>

In large towns it was possible to make a living performing in public venues, and with the invention of phonographic recording, early singer-songwriters like [[Théodore Botrel]], [[George M. Cohan]], and [[Hank Williams]] became celebrities; radio further added to their public recognition and appeal.

During the period from the 1940s through the 1960s, sparked by the [[American folk music revival]], young performers inspired by traditional folk music and groups like the [[Almanac Singers]] and [[the Weavers]] began writing and performing their own original material and creating their own musical arrangements.<ref>Cohen, Ronald D.  [https://archive.org/details/rainbowquestfolk00cohe ''Rainbow Quest: The Folk Music Revival & American Society, 1940–1970'']. Amherst: [[University of Massachusetts Press]], 2002.  {{ISBN|1-55849-348-4}}</ref>

In the early 21st century, the digital audio workstation [[GarageBand]] has been utilized by many aspiring singer-songwriters to compose and record music.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Charness|first=Dan|date=13 May 2011|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/05/why-garageband-cant-make-you-a-rock-star/238851/|title=Why GarageBand Can't Make You a Rock Star|magazine=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=21 August 2020}}</ref> Singer-songwriters who have composed music professionally with GarageBand include [[Erykah Badu]] (for her 2008 album ''[[New Amerykah Part One]]'')<ref name="Warren">{{cite web|last=Warren|first=Tamara|url=http://www.venuszine.com/articles/music/features/4000/Erykah_Babu|title=Erykah Badu|work=[[Venus Zine]]|publisher=Venus Holdings|date=1 June 2008|access-date=22 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409104838/http://venuszine.com/articles/music/features/4000/Erykah_Babu|archive-date=9 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Bilal (American singer)|Bilal]] (for his 2010 album ''[[Airtight's Revenge]]'').<ref name="baller">{{cite web|title=Q&A With Bilal: The Return & Revenge of a Genre Blender|date=18 October 2010|website=BallerStatus.com|url=https://www.ballerstatus.com/2010/10/18/qa-with-bilal-the-return-revenge-of-a-genre-blender/|access-date=20 August 2020}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>