Singers and Songwriters was a 19-volume album series issued by Time-Life in the US, during the early 2000s, spotlighting songs from the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. There was an identically-named 29 volume series available in the UK and Europe, with different track listings and different, but similar artwork. Songs on the series included music written and performed by an artist, and artists who covered a well-known songwriter's material; as such, a large majority of the music was stylistically similar to what was heard on soft rock and (sometimes) contemporary hit radio stations during the 1970s and early 1980s.

Much like Time-Life's other series chronicling popular music, volumes in the "Singers and Songwriters" series covered a specific time period, including two-year spans in some volumes and parts of a given decade in others. Each volume was issued on a compact disc or cassette. Individual volumes generally contained two albums of 12 tracks each (24 songs per volume), and represented the highlighted time period's most popular and noteworthy tracks. The UK/European series had 15 tracks per disc making 30 tracks per volume. Also included was a booklet, containing liner notes written by some of the most respected historians of the genre, photographs of the artists, and information on the songs (writers, performers and peak position on Billboard magazines Hot 100 chart).

History "Singers and Songwriters" was first issued in the US in the winter of 2000, with the first volume in the series titled Singers and Songwriters: 1972–1973. As was the case with Time-Life's other series, "Singers and Songwriters" was advertised in television and magazine advertisements. The series was available by subscription (by calling a 1-800 number); those who purchased the series in that fashion received a new volume roughly every other month (on the format of their choice), and had the option of keeping the volumes they wanted.

Each volume was also offered for individual sale. When the series was fully issued, a customer could purchase the entire series at once (or a group of albums, as packaged by Time-Life as part of a promotion), often at a discounted price.

New volumes continued to be issued through 2002, the final one being a volume titled Singers and Songwriters: Hard to Find Hits; an additional single-disc volume not included in the subscription series (but available for sale) was titled Singers and Songwriters: The Classics. Time-Life continued to offer "Singers and Songwriters" through the latter half of the 2000s.

All told, the US series had 432 tracks (429 songs with three titles repeated on various volumes). The UK/European series was much more expansive, finally comprising 870 tracks.

However, due to licensing restrictions, some of the songs in the original series were replaced with other songs instead, Artists like Gilbert O'Sullivan, Bob Seger, Neil Young, and some of the familiar songs from James Taylor, including "You've Got A Friend", "Shower the People", and the more familiar songs from Joni Mitchell, including "You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio", and "Help Me", and Paul Simon, including "50 Ways to Leave your Lover", and "Mother and Child Reunion", and "Loves Me like a Rock" could not be included, due to the demands and high expenses imposed though the publishing companies The Gilbert O'Sullivan song "Alone Again Naturally" was omitted in the later collection due to the licensing restrictions issues. The song "Fool, If you think it's Over" by Chris Rea, is a different version of the song. In the original version Rea's voice was sped up. Rea was never happy with that recording and although a hit in the US wanted the original version buried. The re-recording is Rea singing in his normal voice. The Stevie Nicks song, plus the songs that Nicks did with Fleetwood Mac, could not be used in this collection, due to the same licensing restrictions.

The US series As with many of Time-Life Records' multi-volume releases, the volumes were not issued in a logical, sequential order by date or era of the subject; that is, issuing volumes covering the 1960s before progressing into the 1970s. In the track information section, the volumes will be listed sequentially by era; the following list is the order in which the volumes were released. Also, unlike their other compilation series, Singers and Songwriters includes the album versions of songs rather than the single or radio edits.

2000 Singers and Songwriters: 1972–1973 Singers and Songwriters: 1970–1971 Singers and Songwriters: 1974–1975 Singers and Songwriters: 1976–1977 Singers and Songwriters: 1978–1979 Singers and Songwriters: The '60s

2001 Singers and Songwriters: 1980–1982 Singers and Songwriters: The Mid '70s Singers and Songwriters: The Early '70s Singers and Songwriters: The Late '70s Singers and Songwriters: 1970–1974 Singers and Songwriters: 1975–1979 Singers and Songwriters: 1979–1989 Singers and Songwriters: 1964–1969 Singers and Songwriters: The '70s Singers and Songwriters: 1969–1972 Singers and Songwriters: The Classics

2002 Singers and Songwriters: 1973–1975 Singers and Songwriters: Hard to Find Hits

2004 Singers and Songwriters: Lady Writers

2010 Singers & Songwriters: TroubadoursThe UK/European SeriesAll of the European series had the prefix TL SSW/nn where nn is the catalogue number. There were 28 titles in the series plus a Christmas album with a different catalogue number. They were all double CDs with 15 tracks on each disc, making a total of 870 tracks, double the total number of the US series.2001TL SSW/01 – Singers and Songwriters 1973–1976

TL SSW/02 – Singers and Songwriters 1970–1972

TL SSW/03 – Singers and Songwriters 1977–1979

TL SSW/04 – Singers and Songwriters 1965–1969

TL SSW/05 – Singers and Songwriters 1980–1983

TL SSW/06 – Singers and Songwriters The Classics

TL SSW/07 – Singers and Songwriters Late 60s

TL SSW/08 – Singers and Songwriters Early 70s

TL SSW/09 – Singers and Songwriters Late 70s2002TL SSW/10 – Singers and Songwriters Early 80s

TL SSW/11 – Singers and Songwriters 1970–1974

TL SSW/12 – Singers and Songwriters 1975–1979

TL SSW/13 – Singers and Songwriters 1964–1969

TL SSW/14 – Singers and Songwriters 1980–1986

TL SSW/15 – Singers and Songwriters The Originals2003TL SSW/16 – Singers and Songwriters The Folk Years

TL SSW/17 – Singers and Songwriters Diary

TL SSW/18 – Singers and Songwriters Storytellers

TL SSW/19 – Singers and Songwriters All Through The 89s

TL SSW/20 – Singers and Songwriters Mavericks

TL SSW/21 – Singers and Songwriters Made In Australia (released 2002)

TL SSW/22 – Singers and Songwriters 1960–1964

TL SSW/23 – Singers and Songwriters Protest Songs

TL SSW/24 – Singers and Songwriters Pure and Simple2004TL SSW/25 – Singers and Songwriters Allstars

TL SSW/26 – Singers and Songwriters Lady Writers

TL SSW/27 – Singers and Songwriters Once Upon A Time In The West

TL SSW/28 – Singers and Songwriters Country USA

TL XXD/08 – Singers and Songwriters Christmas

Track listings (US versions)

Singers and Songwriters: The '60sDisc 1 "(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay" – Otis Redding "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" – The Byrds "Monday Monday" – Mamas and The Papas "Daydream" – The Lovin' Spoonful "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" – Scott McKenzie "Get Together" – The Youngbloods "You Were on My Mind" – We Five "A Beautiful Morning" – The Rascals "Abraham, Martin and John" – Dion "Both Sides Now" – Judy Collins "Gentle on My Mind" – Glen Campbell "The Weight" – The BandDisc 2 "Mr. Tambourine Man" – The Byrds "California Dreamin'" – Mamas and The Papas "Elusive Butterfly" – Bob Lind "Brown Eyed Girl" – Van Morrison "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)" – Janis Ian "Something in the Air" – Thunderclap Newman "Everybody's Talkin'" – Harry Nilsson "Different Drum" – The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Rondstadt "Solitary Man" – Neil Diamond "Catch the Wind" – Donovan "Early Morning Rain" – Gordon Lightfoot "To Ramona" – Bob Dylan

Singers and Songwriters: 1964–1969Disc 1 "Laugh, Laugh" – Beau Brummels "Ballad of Easy Rider" – The Byrds "Someday Soon" – Judy Collins "Creeque Alley" – Mamas and The Papas "Ode to Billie Joe" – Bobbie Gentry "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" – Glen Campbell "Red Rubber Ball" – The Cyrkle "One" – Three Dog Night "Up On Cripple Creek" – The Band "Stoned Soul Picnic" – The 5th Dimension "Games People Play" – Joe South "Wouldn't It Be Nice – The Beach BoysDisc 2 "Georgy Girl" – The Seekers "Ruby (Don't Take Your Love to Town)" – Kenny Rogers and the First Edition "Light My Fire" – Jose Feliciano "A Summer Song" – Chad And Jeremy "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" – The Lovin' Spoonful "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" – Harpers Bizarre "Baby the Rain Must Fall" – Glenn Yarbrough "Son of a Preacher Man" – Dusty Springfield "All I Really Want To Do" – Cher "Lalena" – Donovan "If I Were A Carpenter" – Bobby Darin "Wichita Lineman" – Glen Campbell

Singers and Songwriters: 1969–1972Disc 1 "Galveston" – Glen Campbell "Hooked on a Feeling" – B. J. Thomas "Beautiful Sunday" – Daniel Boone "Montego Bay" – Bobby Bloom "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" – Marvin Gaye "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" – The Temptations "Take A Letter Maria" – R. B. Greaves "Patches" – Clarence Carter "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" – Jackie DeShannon "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" – Mac Davis "Knock Three Times" – Dawn featuring Tony Orlando "Never My Love" – The 5th DimensionDisc 2 "Build Me Up Buttercup" – The Foundations "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" – Robert John "Put Your Hand in the Hand" – Ocean "Rings" – Cymarron "One Tin Soldier (The Legend Of Billy Jack)" – Coven "Precious and Few" – Climax "Jean" – Olliver "Watching Scotty Grow" – Bobby Goldsboro "How Do You Do?" – Mouth & MacNeal "House at Pooh Corner" – Loggins & Messina "Truckin'" – The Grateful Dead "Sunday Morning Coming Down" – Johnny Cash

Singers and Songwriters: The '70sDisc 1 "Tiny Dancer" – Elton John "Only Love is Real" – Carole King "Reason to Believe" – Rod Stewart "Sail On" – The Commodores "Save It for a Rainy Day" – Stephen Bishop "Sitting" – Cat Stevens "Stir It Up" – Johnny Nash "The Tin Man" – America "Muskrat Love" – The Captain & Tennille "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" – Chris Rea "Lady Blue" – Leon RussellDisc 2 "Never Been to Spain" – Three Dog Night "Sharing the Night Together" – Dr. Hook "Dreidel" – Don McLean "Hummingbird" – Seals & Crofts "I Love" – Tom T. Hall "Love Is a Rose" – Linda Ronstadt "Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.)" – Glen Campbell "It Don't Matter To Me" – Bread "It's Sad to Belong" – England Dan & John Ford Coley "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" – Eric Carmen "(Hey, Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" – B. J. Thomas "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady" – Helen Reddy "A Little More Love" – Olivia Newton-John

Singers and Songwriters: 1970–1974Disc 1 "It Never Rains in Southern California" – Albert Hammond "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" – Lobo "We Gotta Get You a Woman" – Todd Rundgren "Use Me" – Bill Withers "It's All Over Now" – Ry Cooder "Make It With You" – Bread "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)" – The New Seekers "We May Never Pass This Way (Again)" – Seals & Crofts "I Just Can't Help Believing" – B. J. Thomas "One Toke Over The Line" – Brewer & Shipley "Love Song" – Anne Murray "Amazing Grace" – Judy CollinsDisc 2 "You Wear It Well" – Rod Stewart "Dixie Chicken" – Little Feat "Friend of the Devil" – The Grateful Dead "Never Ending Song of Love" – Delaney and Bonnie & Friends "Danny's Song" – Loggins & Messina "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" – Jim Croce "An Old Fashioned Love Song" – Three Dog Night "I Honestly Love You" – Olivia Newton-John "I Need You" – America "Castles in the Air" – Don McLean