Cantautore is the Italian version of the English term singer-songwriter. The word is the blend of "cantante" (singer) and "autore" (writer).
The term also means all those who compose and then perform their own songs, the term in contemporary Italian refers to Italian popular singers, for example the musicians during the student protests of the 1960s and '70s, who wrote songs that have social or political relevance.
Some of the most famous cantautore artists in Italy are Lucio Battisti, Francesco Guccini, Claudio Lolli, Lucio Dalla, Francesco De Gregori, and Fabrizio De André. A few of the more recent cantautore artists are Samuele Bersani, Daniele Silvestri, Jovanotti, Luciano Ligabue and Vinicio Capossela.
The term may also apply to non-Italian singer-songwriters, e.g. Bob Dylan is an American "cantautore".