Singer/Songwriters in the ’70s

Emerging in the late 1960s, the singer/songwriter movement changed popular music in that it introduced deeply personal topics set in sparse arrangements.  The singer merged with the composer, transforming into a storyteller who revealed emotions concerning love, loss, confusion, and sensitivity.  Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Cat Stevens represent just a few examples in the genre.  However, its origins date back to the early 1950s and derive from genres such as folk and country.

Part one of this two-part course will closely examine the beginnings of the singer/songwriter movement, demonstrating how country artists such as Hank Williams, Sr. set the template for confessional lyric writing.  Bob Dylan transformed folk music by shifting from protest to the personal, with albums such as Bringing It All Back Home (1965) exploring themes concerning heartbreak and turmoil.  Early artists such as Taylor, Laura Nyro, and Leonard Cohen forged the sound, which would become a dominant force in the 1970s.

Multimedia presentations and discussions will study the origins of the genre, previewing the height of the movement.