Brian Wilson was very good, once upon a time.
Lyle Lovett deserves a mention as well.
Warren Zevon
And Bob Dylan. I don’t know how much of other people’s songs he’s done, but he’d have to totally revise it to match his voice.
Roy Orbison.
People like Buffett, Simon, Bob Dylan & Kurt Cobain have proven that if you can write good enough songs, you don’t need to know how to sing.
As for Freddie Mercury, he definitely counts but keep in mind he only wrote 1/4th of Queen’s material.
How about Van Morrison? He may not be the world’s greatest songwriter, though he can be pretty good, but he is an absolutely amazing singer. I don’t think he has a peer. Not a conventionally good voice (and an acquired taste, I guess), but it is incredible how much he can express with it.
Brad Paisley. Great songwriter, great guitarist, pretty good singer.
Add Neil Young to that list of great songwriters who aren’t very adept at singing.
I’m a huge NY fan BTW.
My vote is also for Joni Mitchell.
Not only is she a fantastic song writer, but she’s a great guitarist and vocalist.
IMO she has never received the recognition she deserves. Too much Dylan, not enough Mitchell.
Laura Nyro.
While on neither mine nor most others’ ‘best’ list, I always had certain amount of respect for Mariah Carey for singing/writing/co-writing/producing etc. all those gazillion-selling hit singles and albums in the '90s.
Jeez, bunch of olds in here.
Ones I like: Adele, Dido, Imogen Heap, Kate Nash, Beth Orton, Vanessa Carlton. Norah Jones.
Hoagy Carmichael was one of the best for his generation. Johnny Mercer too, though he usually just wrote the lyrics.
Seconded. Lots of honorable mentions already covered here, but I’ll add Doug Sahm, Jesse Winchester, and J.D. Souther.
Jesse Colin Young
Not my personal favorite but I think James Taylor fits this bill, too.
Another vote for Joni Mitchell.
12 Points for Gordon Lightfoot…
and 2nd: Joe Henry
John Fogerty
Paul Westerberg
Nick Drake