Singer-songwriter is a term which refers to performers who write, compose, and sing their own material including lyrics, melodies, often providing the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song. This form of artistic expression is very common among performers that are less well-known than pop artists. Some of these artists depend on word of mouth and extensive touring to garner a fan base and commonly appear at house concerts, coffee houses, folk clubs, and festivals.

The origins of the singer-songwriter in North America can be traced back to folk singers who created original works in the folk music style. The best known early singer-songwriters include Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and Pete Seeger, along with members of The Weavers (Seeger performed solo and as part of the Weavers). This movement often focused around labor unions, but also included other topics that affected the common person of the times. Seeger became a popular advocate for a number of causes, and used his popularity to not only promote his own causes, but also to introduce his audiences to the songs of many of the newer singer-songwriters, such as Bob Dylan, Fred Neil, Cat Stevens, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, and Harry Chapin.

The first popular recognition of the singer-songwriter in English-speaking North America and Great Britain occurred in the 1960s and early 1970s when a series of folk and country-influenced musicians rose to prominence and popularity. These singer-songwriters included Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Neil Young, John Denver, Gene Clark, Jackson Browne, Dave Mason, Jim Croce, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Donovan, Randy Newman, Gordon Lightfoot, Nick Drake, Fred Neil, Tom Rush, Phil Ochs, Eric Andersen, Carly Simon, Cat Stevens, Bruce Cockburn, Van Morrison, Townes Van Zandt, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, Loretta Lynn and Johnny Cash. People who had been primarily songwriters, notably Carole King, also began releasing work as performers. In contrast to the storytelling approach of most prior country and folk music, these performers typically wrote songs from a highly personal (often first-person), introspective point of view. The adjectives "confessional" and "sensitive" were often used (sometimes derisively) to describe this early singer-songwriter style.

It can be argued that some bands of the era - most notably the Beatles and the wave of artists on both sides of the Atlantic that followed in their wake - fit the definition of singer-songwriters, with most or all of their members taking an active role in the songwriting process. While there is some debate over the claim, it is worth noting that many former bandmembers (including Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Peter Frampton, and later Don Henley and Glenn Frey) found success as singer-songwriters in their later careers.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s the original wave of singer-songwriters had largely been absorbed into a more general pop or soft rock format, but some new artists in the singer-songwriter tradition (including Bruce Springsteen, Mark Heard, Lucinda Williams, Patti Smith, Stevie Nicks, Cheryl Wheeler, and Warren Zevon) continued to emerge, and in other cases rock and even punk rock artists such as Peter Case and Paul Westerberg transitioned to careers as solo singer-songwriters.

In the late 1980s, the term was applied to a group of (predominantly female) artists, beginning with Suzanne Vega with her first album selling unexpectedly well, followed by the likes of Tracy Chapman, Nanci Griffith and K.D. Lang. Likewise, the success of Tori Amos in the United Kingdom lead to her success in her home market. By the mid-1990s, the term was revived with the success of Canada's Alanis Morissette and her breakthrough album Jagged Little Pill. It had grown to encompass fellow-Canadian Sarah McLachlan, who started the Lilith Fair, along with other artists associated with that event, such as American artists Sheryl Crow, Victoria Williams, Patty Griffin, Jewel, Lisa Loeb, Natalie Merchant, and Joan Osborne. Also in the 1990s artists such as Dave Matthews and Elliott Smith borrowed from the singer-songwriter tradition to create new acoustic-based rock styles. In the 2000s, a quieter style emerged, with largely impressionistic lyrics, from artists such as Iron & Wine (a solo artist), Ray LaMontagne, Jolie Holland, and Richard Buckner.

Recording on the professional-grade systems became affordable for individuals in the late 1990s. This created opportunities for people to independently record and sell their music. Such artists are known as "indies" because they release their records on independent, often self-owned record labels, or no label at all. Additionally the Internet has provided a means for indies to get their music heard by a wider audience. Examples are: Jann Arden, Dar Williams, Ani DiFranco, Richard Shindell, David LaMotte, Willy Porter, David Wilcox, Annie Gallup, Patty Larkin, Pierce Pettis, Peter Mulvey, Jennifer Kimball, Ellis Paul, Alison Breitman, Brooks Williams, and Christopher Williams. Examples of emerging artists getting notice on the folk circuit of the mid-2000s are: Ralston Bowles, Jonathan Byrd, Antje Duvekot, Michael Bowers, Juliet Wyers, and Anais Mitchell, all of whom were recognized as Kerrville New Folk Finalists in the last few years. Other notable contemporary singer-songwriters include Todd Snider, Josh Ritter, John Francis, and Bill Mallonee.