Steve Wynn

After making a spash as the leader of the pioneering neo-psych group the Dream Syndicate in the early 1980's, Steve Wynn has matured into one of the canniest songwriters in rock, penning smart, flinty lyrics that tell perceptive tales of human behavior both noble and otherwise. He launched his solo career with 1990's Kerosene Man and 1991's Dazzling Display, both of which found him working with an impressive variety of collaborators. From the '90s onward, Wynn would follow his muse down a number of creative paths, and while his early work often revealed the influence of Lou Reed and Bob Dylan, his more recent material (as evidenced by 2001's Here Come the Miracles, 2010's Northern Aggression, and 2024's Make It Right) showed he had grown into an unsung heir to their place in rock songwriting.