I did not intend to contribute to this thread, but I am impelled by the throwaway idiocy of the last posting. I am not a singer, nor a songwriter, nor a musician, but I am a record collector of long standing and a lover of good music. In my collection, I have dozens and dozens of albums by fine songwriters who sing their own material and who have given me endless pleasure. In addition to the Stan Rogers, Archie Fishers, Gordon Boks and others mentioned above, these include John Gorka, Richard Shindell, Leonard Cohen, John Prine, Nanci Griffith, Fred Neil, Billy Joe Shaver, Terry Allen, Butch Hancock, Jimmy Dale Gilmore, Kate Wolf, Jim Ringer, James McMurtry, David Massengill, John Tams, Tom Russell, Ian Tyson, Mark Germino, Bob Neuwirth, Dick Feller, Mary McCaslin, Tom Rush, James Talley, Steve Young, Steve Earle, Jesse Winchester, Phil Ochs, Claire Lynch etc etc. As Frank said above, what matters is the quality of the music.