The best singer-songwriter of the 20th century, according to Jack White
Music’s subjectivity is a core part of what makes it the most popular art form in the modern world, and since the beginning of his journey to garage rock heroism, Jack White has never shied away from exemplifying that subjectivity by making his own musical opinions widely known, including the figure he cites as the greatest singer-songwriter of the 20th century.
Immediately, before you even know who the former White Stripe is talking about, that is a rather bold claim. After all, the 20th century was the age of the singer-songwriter, spanning the spectrum from Woody Guthrie to Björk, not to mention the plethora of singer-songwriters who emerged during the era of counterculture, spurred on by the transformative folk stylings of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Joni Mitchell.
Despite coming from the school of punk rock, worshipping the likes of The Stooges and The MC5, though, White has always boasted quite an extensive knowledge of American singer-songwriters. After all, his Third Man Records label has supported, introduced, and reissued a plethora of those figures over the decades, and White has worked alongside his fair share of artists, too.
It was one such collaboration in 2004, in fact, that allowed White the opportunity to work alongside one of his more unlikely heroes, Loretta Lynn. One of country music’s defining figures, and certainly one of its most enduring success stories, Lynn’s discography might have been worlds away from the garage rock adrenaline of The White Stripes, but that didn’t stop Jack White from being outspoken in his adoration of her output.
Following Lynn’s death back in 2022, at the impressive age of 90, White shared a heartfelt tribute to his country music hero, recalling, “I said when I was first asked about her what I thought and I said years ago that I thought she was the greatest female singer-songwriter of the 20th century.”
Adding, “I still believe that.”
A bold claim indeed, but one which White was quick to back up. “Loretta used to say to make it in the business, you had to either be great, different, or first,” he explained. “And she thought that she was just different and that’s how she made it, but I think she was all three of those things and there’s plenty of evidence to back that up too.”
The extent of Loretta Lynn’s brilliance became abundantly clear to White when the pair crossed paths in 2004, with the Third Man Records boss heading up production duties of Lynn’s late-period masterpiece Van Lear Rose, which is awash with the youthful influence of White and the extensive experience of the country star.
“She was such an incredible presence and such a brilliant genius in ways that I think only people who got to work with her might know about,” White recalled of that joint venture.
Ultimately, it is difficult to dispute White’s declaration of Lynn’s genius. There were, of course, thousands of incredible singer-songwriters operating throughout that transformative century but, admittedly, few had quite the same staying power, or sheer volume of masterpieces, as Loretta Lynn – so much so that many are still being discovered hiding in the depths of her extensive discography.
