Sooo many, most of whom have been mentioned (e.g. Joni Michell, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Tori Amos, Neil Finn, Nick Cave, Laura Marling)...
One who hasn't yet been mentioned, I don't think, is Sia. I've loved her since the Zero 7/Colour the Small One days, but her output keeps morphing, and I think everything she does is amazing (except that stupid bloody "Diamonds" song by Rihanna, which I hate!), and lately I've got quite obsessed. I listened to Chandelier about a thousand times in the last year, and now I can't stop listening to "Elastic Heart". And aside from the songwriting, I think her personality is awesome. I love the fact she's not fame hungry, but loves putting music out there. I love that she doesn't really "fit the mould" but she's doing it anyway. I love that her vulnerable side comes through in her music. And also, whilst she has been in the music business since her teens/early twenties, she hasn't really started making it "big" until recently, in her 30s, so I find that inspiring. I guess in every sense of the word, she is my guru!
And then I guess there are other songwriters who perhaps would be my gurus if I took the trouble to find out who they are. For example the Motown and other soul songwriting teams of that era.... But I don't; I just listen to the music and enjoy it.... "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes is one of my all time favourite songs because of how it can make me feel joyful no matter what mood I'm in... So I guess Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert (thanks Wikipedia) ought to be my heroes, but I don't actually have a clue of anything else they may have written. But for that song alone, they are awesome! And there is sooooo much great stuff from that era and genre of songwriting where the songwriters aren't the famous ones.
