No. As long as the person established his/her reputation as a writer first. Many many of these individuals also went on to record their earlier songs too.
On That Note - I Write (and Sing) the Songs
- Thread starter MeanDean
- Start date
Neil Diamond
As songwriter: I'm a believer
As a performer: ( Well, you know)
As songwriter: I'm a believer
As a performer: ( Well, you know)
I think Willie Nelson had recorded both songs I put above, in 1961, but he was pretty much a nobody at the time.
See "Hugh" Nelson reference per that NPR podcast (now "Willie"). Also the informational YouTube of him and Faron Young I think is mostly them joking at how he wanted Faron Young to buy the song for $500, Young refused, and Nelson made something like $20,000 that first year in royalties (IIRC). Faron Young was a big star then. Per NPR, they also didn't know at the time Patsy Cline's "Crazy" was going to be a big hit.
Furthermore, that 1962 album by Willie is about songs he wrote, consistent with the name of the album. It is also consistent with that introduction in 1965 at the Grand Ole Oprey. Not sure, but I would guess that was his first performance there (possibly televised, as there is footage of it).
Side note, Patsy Cline had died already in a plane crash (1963) by the time of Nelson's Grand Ole Oprey performance, if the 1965 note in the YouTube video is correct. I think a different YouTube of it had 1962 in the YT title, but that is when that album was released, so I'm guessing the 1965 is correct.
Another side note, the Wikipedia about him performing Whiskey River on the very first "pilot" episode of Austin City Limits mentioned how he hated performing on TV-- but turned out he liked the more informal aspect there. I guess they liked the pilot, and Austin City Limits began production as a regular program a year or two later.
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Sing the lyrics to Fresh Prince to the tune of Runaround Sue and you'll never sing it the right way again.
His poetry books (Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light In the Attic) were favorite nightly reading for my boys when they were small. I would be willing to bet they can both recite "Sick" from memory still (and they're in their 40s!).
Did not know he performed as well. The more you know...
Harper Valley PTA......written by Tom T. Hall at the start of his career.
His poetry books (Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light In the Attic) were favorite nightly reading for my boys when they were small. I would be willing to bet they can both recite "Sick" from memory still (and they're in their 40s!).
Did not know he performed as well. The more you know...
Silversteen also wrote "Cover of the Rolling Stone" by Dr. Hook:
And "One's on the Way" by Loretta Lynn:
Just a couple (of many) Carole King wrote and one she sang
Loco-motion
Go Away Little Girl
So Far Away
Loco-motion
Go Away Little Girl
So Far Away
Obscure but...
Jeffrey Lee Pierce was a music writer who contributed to Slash magazine in the late '70s and early '80s. He would later form the band The Gun Club. He qualifies by writing the title track to the Circle Jerks hardcore punk rock classic, Group Sex before forming The Gun Club and becoming a full time musician.
Jeffrey Lee Pierce was a music writer who contributed to Slash magazine in the late '70s and early '80s. He would later form the band The Gun Club. He qualifies by writing the title track to the Circle Jerks hardcore punk rock classic, Group Sex before forming The Gun Club and becoming a full time musician.
Paul Overstreet wrote many songs, he won songwriter of the year 5 years in a row. This hit by Randy Travis in one he wrote.
He later had a few hits as a singer. Daddy's Come Around reached number one on the country charts.
He later had a few hits as a singer. Daddy's Come Around reached number one on the country charts.
Edit: I didn’t see that the Garfunkel song performed by Webb, and part of an album by Webb, was the sixth one listed in your post, since it was the sixth one. The limit for it to appear on this board is 5 YouTube links per post. It appears in my quoted part above, since I deleted the first five. I was not previously aware of what was linked there. I figured the link was to another song Webb had written but not performed.
But to go on with what I’d already written . . .
I know of a nice performance of another song of his on Letterman, where along with Paul Shaffer, he played keyboards, and Letterman gave him big props at the end.
I guess no one wanted to record MacArther Park, because the lyrics and song were unusual, and it was much longer than any song on AM radio. Without looking it up again, I think it relates to his breakup with Sally Field who, like Jimmy Webb, I believe was still basically unknown at the time, though she was a rising TV star (Gidget, then The Flying Nun) and later, a movie star. I believe MacArthur Park is an actual park in Los Angeles. So the lyrics are based on experience. Eventually British actor Richard Harris picked it up and it was a big hit.
Here is that performance on Letterman, with Jimmy Webb on keyboards
Jimmy Webb was clearly one of the best popular songwriters of all time.
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I guess Barry Manilow would fit into this category.
At 21 he was asked to arrange a couple of songs for a musical and instead wrote an entire score which played off Broadway for about 10 years.
The he wrote jingles for TV commercials before he started his recording career.
At 21 he was asked to arrange a couple of songs for a musical and instead wrote an entire score which played off Broadway for about 10 years.
The he wrote jingles for TV commercials before he started his recording career.
