Totally agree with you definition. Here's my suggestions.

Canada. Joni is a solid choice, but Gordon lightfoot, Murray McLaughlin, Bruce Cockburn and Stompin Tom conners all have a case to be made.
USA. You have go consider Pete or arlo Guthrie.
UK. Dean McCool hands down.
Australia. Although not native born, Eric bogle gets my nod.

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Jim
"In dog beers, I've only had one"
http://www.shakercolonial.com/
Creating custom made furnishing to your requirements

That’s because she grew up in Nashville and here, 99% of songs are written by committee.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Speaking of which, I got in my annual does of Alice's Restaurant this afternoon.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Just heard an interview with Alice Brock the real Alice from the song. She is 80 and has fallen on hard times. They started a go fund me for her.
https://www.npr.org/...anksgiving-song-fame
Another vote for John Prine for USA

Your definition sucks.

Do they sing? Do they Write?

Oh and for the US by my definition of singing and writing songs I’d go with Prince. Dude wrote practically everything.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

His definition may suck, but it's also the common definition. If you want to talk about the greatest singers who write their own music, you can do that as well, but it's not the same thing.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Nick Cave, Paul Kelly & Don Walker are all great contenders.

BTW, one of my all time fave concerts was Paul Kelly & Neil Finn, singing their and each others' songs.

Muster Funn is surely near the top for NZ.

Sadly, not familiar with Jacques Brel...but for Belgium, I would put a vote in for Stromae.

I'm pretty sure if we asked any of the names mentioned who they thought of first, it would be Bobby Dylan by a WIDE margin.

how about Bono (Hewson) and the Edge (Evans) for Ireland? Those albums from the early 80s through "all that you can't leave behind" in 2000 have some good songs that are ageing very well.

......and the UK may want Sir Van back (i have no idea how he feels about the issue) so it is good to have an alternative.

My UK vote would be for Ray Davies from the Kinks. Maybe lacking a bit in volume compared to Elton and Paul McCartney but there are some great "British" songs on those albums from the 60s and early 70s. Waterloo Sunset is a masterpiece. Honorable mention to Pete Townsend (although he doesn't sing lead vocal most of the time) and Paul Weller.

Yeah, Van has lived more of his life in the UK and the US than Ireland.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

and is from Belfast.

"Enlightenment" was playing in the background when i met my wife 30 years ago. One of those associations that will never be separated. She tells me how much she dislikes Van Morrison's music every time she hears the guy sing.

Agreed

He couldn’t really play instruments and didn’t know how to read music. But yes he sang and wrote songs.

Prince wrote for himself and also for many other artists. And he was an awesome guitar player.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Didn’t he leave Ireland when he was a baby?

He has a house in Northern California and he used to come into my friends Irish pub. The man at that time (don’t know about now) had a serious drinking issue. In fact his parents moved to Northern California at some point. His daughter Shana was born there and still lives in Marin County.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Here's another one:

Guyana: Dave Martins....legendary Caribbean singer/songwriter, cultural icon and founder of the Tradewinds.
THE TRADEWINDS - Not A Blade of Grass - YouTube

@Kid

an angry and grumpy man of the world.

Manfred Mann's version of "Blinded By The Light" went to #1 (he gets songwriter credit for that)

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

She's from Pennsylvania; didn't move to Nashville till later (she was 16 or so?)

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I'm gonna swap out Van Morrison for Elvis Costello as the representative from Ireland

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

 

For the UK I would put Spinal Tap above Lennon/McCartney.

.

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Once, I was fast. But I got over it.

> Tay tay has the voice of an auto tuned angle.

And, she’s acute.

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3SIXTY5cycling.com

She was 13.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Really, I thought she was older?

I guess you're never too young to get out of Reading (PA)

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin