Considering that the singer-songwriter dominates American roots music these days, it can be hard to recall that it wasn't too long ago when the people who wrote the songs and the people who made the music were in completely different fields. What brought the singer-songwriter into the mainstream? Certainly the influence of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, the rise of Bob Dylan, and the way artists in the baby boomer generation helped to democratize modern music-making played a large part. This issue digs deep into the evolution of the job of singer-songwriter, exploring the influence of those pioneers and the ways that younger folks are at once carrying on the tradition and pulling it into another century.Included in this issue: Bob Dylan / Willie Nelson / Janis Ian / Ani DiFranco / Eliza Gilkyson, Mary Gauthier, and Gretchen Peters / Chris Hillman / Colin Hay / The Avett Brothers / Josh Ritter / Iron & Wine / Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams / Jolie Holland & Samantha Parton / Lori McKenna / Allison Moorer & Shelby Lynne / Emily Saliers / Chastity Brown / Samantha Crain / Leeroy Stagger / Susan Werner / Caspar Babypants / River Whyless, and more.