Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen Top ‘NYT' Readers' Poll for Greatest Living American Songwriters

The New York Times unleashed its official tally of the greatest living American songwriters in April, but the publication decided to also ask the public for their thoughts. The publication’s original list used data from more than 250 music insiders and six Times critics, but some readers weren’t happy with the picks, so the publication decided to let them vote.

Now, the New York Times has released a special readers’ choice tally of the 100 greatest American songwriters. “As soon as we decided to make a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters, we could guess how readers would respond to the results: with a combination of enthusiasm and outrage, quickly letting us know which of their favorites we had unconscionably forgotten,” they stated in the piece.

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The publication added: “We didn't want all that passion to go undocumented. So we invited readers to assemble their own list - with a formal poll.”

More than 25,000 ballots were cast to vote in the new poll, and that created around “12,000 distinct choices,” according to the outlet. Then, those picks were condensed to 100 musicians.

Coming in at No. 1 on the tally is Bob Dylan, followed by Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen. Carole King and Billy Joel round out the top five, respectively. “A full third of all voters included Dylan on their ballots,” the publication noted.

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Bands and artists who appear that didn’t make the first list include R.E.M. at No. 25, Jack White at No. 49, Pearl Jam at No. 52, Beck at No. 56 and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails at No. 83. All of these artists are legendary in their genres, and it’s great to see them recognized after being snubbed.

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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 1:31 PM.