My only point about any of this is explained pretty well by this analogy.

Years ago, when I still played golf, a friend I learned much from (George) could hit the hell out of a golf ball. I could kinda hang with him off the tee, but my middle game was weak and when he was 7 feet away putting for birdie, I was 12 feet putting for par. The however here is that he rarely made that 7 foot putt for birdie and I rarely missed my 12 foot putt for a par, so we both parred the hole.

He had the tee game (singing) and the long game (playing) but he couldn't putt (writing). I had some tee game (playing) and the putting (writing) but no long game (singing).

The players on the PGA tour have all 3 phases. (Playing instruments, singing, and writing.) And those are the players (and music performers) I admire most, the ones who can do it all. As often as I have said this is just my opinion I keep getting told I am wrong because Sinatra didn't write.

I... Me... Eddie... I respect people more when they have, beyond the performing ability, the ability to tell stories with lyrics. I think I am a pretty decent writer, but my performance game is lacking to the degree that I am a fine cardboard cutout behind a front man but I belong in the back as a support beam to which the shiny chandelier is attached. I have no improv skills at all anymore. I can play what is written, but to point to me and say "take it", nope. My brain wants to start thinking about "What should I play?" and what comes out is a shanked 8 iron shot into the water.

Nowhere in there do I say "If you can't write you are a piece of crap and you should sell your gear and get a job at the gas station selling people slushies and microwave burritos." I NEVER said that. I just respect writers MORE because of the expanded skill set it takes. If you have all three facets of the game, all the better. If not, play to your strengths. The thing to remember is that while (pick an one of them to put in a name) Carrie Underwood doesn't write all of her own stuff, I am thankful that they don't all wrote their own stuff or NO songwriters would sell songs. Sadly with music being so soulless and superficial anymore, heartfelt writing has given way to the formula song of exactly 3:34 in length. SO many writers had that ONE big song and the rest were "also ran". Like I was never a big Kenny Rogers guy, but "She Believes In Me" is the kind of song that gets my attention because it's about having a spouse beside you supporting your dream of becoming a songwriter. Written by Steve Gibb who really didn't do much else. However, it was #1 on Billboard Country, #5 on Hot Singles and #1 on Adult Contemporary, and it charted well for an Irish artist so I am pretty sure Gibb made a nice chunk-o-change on that one!