It’s not that difficult to write about great music or the artists that make it, especially when it comes to the fabulous 1970s. You have to recognize that in doing so, not everyone will agree with any choices you make in a list.
They’ll have better suggestions and 101 reasons why some of the names, songs, or albums you mention aren’t worthy enough. I can live with that, it’s all part of the fun of writing and reading many music articles.
Sometimes, the real difficulty is defining what you mean when you create a list of a certain group of musicians. I’ll admit I struggled to explain this one, so bear with me as I try. This isn’t about seven hidden gems of the 1970s or lots of artists you’ll not know already.
7 singer-songwriters of the 1970s we want to hear more from
Many of you will likely know several, maybe even all, of them. It’s not all about one-hit wonders or artists who didn't have any hits or success.
This is a list of seven top musicians, singer-songwriters who had success and were critically acclaimed. They had hit records and shone brightly at times, sometimes outside of the 1970s, too. But for a variety of reasons, their reach as solo artists wasn't always widespread, or the success wasn't as bright or prolonged as it could and should have been.
For a few on the list, a tragic early death adds a shadow and a reason. Whatever the cause, I’d ideally have liked more listeners to have heard much more music from these seven artists in their own right, bringing them greater solo success.
John Martyn
Let’s look at John Martyn as someone who deserved greater and wider success. To be fair, he did record a lot of music. That includes 23 studio albums and countless live and compilation releases. So there is plenty of his work to hear and enjoy.
Martyn’s folk rock with blues and jazz flavors received lots of acclaim. He is in an ‘if you know you know’ category. People will rave about his work and his guitar playing. Others will ask who? Or what songs might they know? He didn't make a huge impact across the Atlantic, but I am sure many knowledgeable US readers will be aware of him despite that.
His guitar playing inspired many artists. Especially as one of the early pioneers of the looping pedal, creating his own accompaniment and backing tracks. Both Ed Sheeran and The Edge have cited Martyn as a huge influence on their guitar styles.
He was one of many artists who struggled through later life, substance abuse being one of several contributors to that. He died aged just 60 in 2009, cutting short any possible renaissance in his musical career.
Even if you don’t know of his work, you may well still recognise songs like “May You Never,” “Don’t Want To Know,” all from his 1973 album Solid Air, the title track too is a classic Martyn song.
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