Houston was a talented performer but wrote next to nothing. Aretha same thing. Love Joan Jett and she is talented but you can't tell me her music is a higher level that Swifts. Also it's hard to find a writing credit where there wasn't a co-writer. Fitzgerald, like Houston, was a singer and didn't really compose.

Mentioning Ann Wilson without mentioning Nancy is almost criminal. One does not exist without the other.

You've got a point with Stevie Nicks but her time has come and mostly gone.

The key to remember is that songwriters hold the trump card talent-wise over mere performers. Songwriters who perform rule the roost from a talent standpoint.