There are thousands of truly gifted singer-songwriters enchanting the ears of listeners all over the world. So, how is it even possible to come up with a short list of just 50 artists you should know? Short answer… it’s not. Please consider these 50 gifted singer-songwriters as just a start. A good start, but just a start.

How did we come up with these particular 50? We didn’t use record sales, ticket sales, social media stats, or any of the other metrics typically used when putting lists like this together. So how did we do it? With a “little help from our friends.”

Every singer-songwriter featured was highly touted as a “singer-songwriter you must know” by other singer-songwriters. Who better to curate this collection?!

Our hope, of course, is that you’ll be as blown away as we are by the talent you’ll find in the latest issue of our e-magazine, Riff Journal.

Enjoy their music, visit their websites, jump into their social network, and see them in concert — join the celebration of song!