Original writer's/performers of popular songs....

[Mithrandir]

Not nearly as famous (probably) as some of the others mentioned here, but check out the original "Breadfan" before Metallica turned it into a single.

Budgie (Welsh band from the 1970s) doing Breadfan.



....and Metallica

I love the Mercyful Fate covers done by Metallica on this cd.

Three Dog Night may have been the masters of the pop cover songs. They used songs from tons of bands, from The Band to Free.

That puts me in mind of one of my favorite relatively "unknown" songwriters, Hoyt Axton. His compositions ranged from "Heartbreak Hotel" (Elvis) and "The Pusher" (Steppenwolf) to "Joy To The World" (Three Dog Night).

[BuckyBuckner]

Not nearly as famous (probably) as some of the others mentioned here, but check out the original "Breadfan" before Metallica turned it into a single.

Budgie (Welsh band from the 1970s) doing Breadfan.



....and Metallica

I didn't think I'd ever see anyone post a Budgie song. I love it.

[heyelander]

Then of course there's that hack Elton John ripping off William Shatner's classic "Rocketman"

nice.

[overkill94]

"Red Red Wine" is my favorite surprising cover song - I think both versions are awesome.

Some others people might not be aware of:

"Hard to Handle" - made popular by The Black Crowes but originally done by Otis Redding
"Tainted Love" - megahit by Soft Cell in the early 80's, but actually a Gloria Jones song
"Sweet Jane" - I actually heard the Velvet Underground original first, but the Cowboy Junkies version is the most popular
"I Love Rock 'n Roll" - somebody already mentioned Joan Jett, but few know that her signature hit is also a cover, originally done by The Arrows
"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" - while Led Zeppelin took a lot of flack for all their ripped-off blues songs, this one was an actual cover of a Joan Baez song, though Zep's version has a far superior arrangement

Then of course there's that hack Elton John ripping off William Shatner's classic "Rocketman"

[schlesinj]

Take Me to the River- Al Green - Talking Heads

Big Mouth Bill Bass

[Gregg]

Get bye with a Little Help from My Friends- Beatles - Joe Cocker

Feelin All Right- Traffic- Joe Cocker

Hey Joe -The Leaves - Hendrix

Blue Suede Shoes- Carl Perkins- Elvis

Take Me to the River- Al Green - Talking Heads

Hallelujah- Leonard Cohen- Everybody

Hendrix, despite being hugely creative, loved cover songs. Everyone knows some of the most well known covers, like "All Along the Watchtower", but Jimi actually covered over two dozen songs originally covered by other artists.

One of my faves is "Hey Joe", written by Billy Roberts and, I think, originally recorded a year or so before Jimi by a band called The Leaves.

[swampdragon]

John Hiatt wrote a lot of songs done by others (as said before) here is a solid example

another version that still rocks

[chancellor]

[cough]And did them better than Dylan.[/cough]

Well, of course. They could sing.

Blondie's Hanging on the Telephone

was originally done by The Nerves

Bowie's early 80 hit China Girl was originally done & co-written by Iggy Pop. I like Iggy's gritty & darker version .

[revo]

Joni Mitchell "Woodstock"

[BuckyBuckner]

The Byrds made their mark almost exclusively with Dylan songs.

[cough]And did them better than Dylan.[/cough]

[revo]

Billy Roberts "Hey Joe"



Bruce Springsteen "Blinded by the Light"

One of the few songs I really like both versions.




Neil Diamond "Red Red Wine"




Neil Diamond "I'm a Believer"




James Ray "I've Got My Mind Set on You"

You see Steve Cropper's name turn up on a lot of songs, as well as John Hiatt.

One of my favorite songs is John Hiatt's original version of "Riding with the King", which most assume was written by or at least for BB King and Eric Clapton when they did their collaborative album.

There are tons of great examples, not only of odd people writing the songs, but there being "old" originals that nobody remembers.