My musical influences run far and wide, I guess. But there are a handful of singer-songwriters I greatly admire. In no particular order,  I respect the following: John Lennon, Mark Linkous, Elliott Smith, Leon Payne, Neil Young, Hall & Oates, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, David Bowie, The Who, Nils Lofgren, Iggy Pop, Mark Everett (aka The Eels), Vic Chesnutt, Tom Waits, Lou Reed, and Bob Dylan. All of these guys have several qualities in common - visionary, culturally important, and superb song craft. But above all, I think that there music has an other-worldly quality that touches the heart, the emotions, and the soul. There's a sadness in the vocal delivery of  Linkous, Lennon, and Smith that is hard to shake.