As I delve into the captivating tale of the enigmatic songwriter, Chris Souther, I find myself utterly mesmerized by his unique journey. A man who lived through the golden era of music, yet maintained an air of humility and simplicity that sets him apart from many others in the industry.
78-year-old JD Souther, a renowned singer, songwriter, and actor who collaborated on several Eagles’ chart-toppers like “New Kid in Town” and “Best of My Love,” passed away peacefully at his home in New Mexico on Tuesday. The cause of death was not disclosed, but his representatives at Solters PR confirmed the news.
Souther was set to step out on a series of shared concert performances this autumn alongside Karla Bonoff, a fellow stalwart from the 1970s Los Angeles singer-songwriter community. As recently as five days prior, he took the stage for a performance.
In addition to “New Kid” and “Best of My Love,” there are other songs penned by Souther that made it onto Eagles albums, such as “Heartache Tonight,” “Victim of Love,” “James Dean,” “Doolin-Dalton,” “The Sad Cafe,” “You Never Cry Like a Lover,” “Teenage Jail” and “Last Good Time in Town.” He was the sole author of “How Long,” which the Eagles released as a cover in 2007, originally appearing on Souther’s solo album in 1972. His bond with Don Henley led to collaborations on songs like “The Heart of the Matter” and numerous other tracks found on Henley’s solo projects.
Despite his solo career not quite reaching the same level of popularity as his songs written for or performed by famous musicians during that era, Souther still achieved notable success. In 1979, he made it to the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the Roy Orbison-inspired ballad “You’re Only Lonely,” which also held the No. 1 position on the adult contemporary chart for five consecutive weeks. He narrowly missed another top 10 placement when his 1981 duet with James Taylor, “Her Town Too” (a single that reached No. 5 at AC), peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100.
Apart from his time with the Eagles, he was also intimately connected to Linda Ronstadt’s music catalog, having dated her in the 1970s. Some of the songs she recorded during this period include “Prisoner in Disguise” and “Faithless Love.” Additionally, his songs were also performed by artists such as the Dixie Chicks, George Strait, Bonnie Raitt, among others.
At one point, people sometimes asked me, ‘Aren’t you angry that the Eagles are using your songs for their big hits?’ My typical response was, ‘Wouldn’t you like to see the royalties?’ Souther shared in an interview with The Creative Independent. ‘Angry? I couldn’t possibly be angry,’ he continued. Even Glenn Frey, who knew the ins and outs of royalties, once jokingly remarked that one reason JD didn’t have a more successful solo career was because he gave them or Linda Ronstadt many of his best songs. To some extent, this is true. My moment of greatest fame was during the ‘You’re Only Lonely’ era, but I must admit, I didn’t enjoy it very much. It’s somewhat comforting in a way, though it doesn’t come with as large a paycheck.
I stumbled upon an unanticipated profession in the world of television and cinema, beginning with a part on the hit prime-time show “Thirtysomething” back in 1989. However, it was my role in the first season of “Nashville” in 2012 that truly made me a household name. Amongst other roles, you might recognize me from minor appearances in films such as “Postcards From the Edge,” “Always,” “Purgatory,” “Deadline,” and “My Girl 2.
As a passionate cinephile, I’ve found myself on the silver screen not by my own design, but through the gracious invitations of some extraordinary filmmakers. You see, I dabbled in acting during my school years, never envisioning it would become a significant part of my journey. However, legends like Steven Spielberg, Ed Zwick, and Mike Nichols approached me with offers that were too enticing to resist.
Souther was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
After a brief stint in the band Longbranch Pennywhistle, which included Glenn Frey and later resulted in collaborations with The Eagles, Souther was not particularly proud of their one self-titled album released in 1969.
Initially, as a solo artist, he wasn’t particularly productive, but he made a significant debut with a series of albums under David Geffen’s Asylum Records label. This began in 1972 with his first album titled “John David Souther,” which featured the future Eagles hit “How Long.” Since then, he opted to use his initials instead of his full name. He explained this change by saying, “I had been submitting songs under the name JD Souther since 1971. I was inspired by the music of J.S. Bach, which I had seen in books and later at the British Museum. Since there seemed to be no higher musical achievement for me to aim for, I decided to adopt this abbreviation.
During his initial phase as a solo artist, there was a brief pause when he, Chris Hillman, and Richie Furay were brought together to form a highly acclaimed group, known as the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. Regrettably, this band disbanded following the release of just two albums in the mid-1970s, which quickly found their way into discount bins.
In a 2010s interview, Souther shared his transformation into a symbol of country-rock, which he found surprising given his youthful preference for jazz and classical music over country. “During the late ’60s and early ’70s,” he said, “we were heavily influenced by the fusion of rock ‘n’ roll and country music. Artists like Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings were popular. The musicians before me — CSN, The Byrds, Dillard and Clark, Poco, the Burrito Brothers, among others — had successfully blended rock ‘n’ roll with country music to create a powerful sound. Linda introduced me to country music I hadn’t heard before. In fact, I recently discovered that there’s this small vocal habit of mine at the end of lines, and it bugs me because I can’t seem to stop doing it. I thought it was a remnant from our ’70s work, but I realized it was actually influenced by a Louvin Brothers record, and it stuck in my muscle memory. My voice just does that — a tiny yodel-like sound at the end of certain lines. I don’t intend to do it, but I can’t seem to get rid of it!
He explained to this writer that the genre classification of their music, such as Southern California rock, wasn’t deliberate. After all, only Jackson Browne among the group was genuinely from southern California. The rest were from diverse backgrounds – Glenn from Detroit, Henley from Texas, both himself and Linda hailing from Texas, Waddy from New York, Kooch from New York, James from outside Boston, and Warren Zevon seemingly from another planet. Essentially, they were a group of people who had moved to the area from various places, all driven by hunger for success in music. They frequented open-mic nights at the Troubadour, developed friendships, shared a strong belief in the importance of making good music rather than trendy music, and strived to create songs that would stand the test of time. For him, this was his primary motivation.
“There was nothing flippant about what any of us were writing,” he continued. “The group that was hanging out was Don and Glenn and Jackson and Zevon and me and Linda — who, even though she didn’t write, played a huge part in that, because she was such a good ear. She really chose the best of all of our songs to record. She’s just smart as a whip and had a great ear for songs and for what she could sing. And Judee Sill, who doesn’t get mentioned much, because she never sold a lot of records and she died a while ago, but she was very much in my group of friends, too. All those people were just really serious about music. There was some friendly competition about it, even though we were all definitely on each other’s side. Everybody wanted to show up with something that made all the rest of us go, ‘Wow! I wish I had thought of that.’”
After the breakup of the unfortunate Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, he returned to solo work. His first album after this was “Black Rose” for Asylum Records in 1976. Then, he switched to Columbia Records and released “You’re Only Lonely” in 1979 followed by “Home by Dawn” in 1984.
After that, he opted for a 24-year break from his recording career, choosing instead to enjoy the life he’d created in the Hollywood Hills, with ski vacations in New England or stays in Japan, rather than continuing his work in the music industry. “It was paradise,” he said, “Life was as tranquil as it had been since I was a child in Wellington, Texas, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to avoid going back to work forever.
After a long hiatus, he resumed creating albums in 2008 with “If the World Was You,” an LP produced by a jazz band. He then released “Natural History” in 2011, which was primarily his fresh interpretations of popular Eagles and Ronstadt tunes. His subsequent album, “Tenderness,” came out in 2015, featuring entirely new compositions. Although he stopped releasing albums after that, he continued to tour until his passing, which occurred in the ensuing years.
In a 2018 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Souther shared that he maintains friendly relationships with many of his famous collaborators. He mentioned being particularly close to Ronstadt and Jackson Browne, regularly communicating with both. He also mentioned a friendly correspondence with Don Henley, sending each other their usual silly emails. Unfortunately, Glenn Frey, who was his closest friend, partner, and first songwriting companion, he saw the least in recent years. Their loss was deeply felt when Frey passed away.
He almost joined the Eagles when the band was initially formed, but soon figured out that his presence wouldn’t fit after a single audition. In his own words, “I was in the band for a day. David Geffen thought it would be ‘four songwriters, good; five songwriters better.’ So we put together a set and played it at the Troubadour during the afternoon for the management team. I recall them looking down the front line and seeing four of us strumming stringed instruments. To be honest, they didn’t need me. The band was already balanced and complete. I felt we were going to continue writing together anyway, so I believe we all benefited from that situation the most. When I said, ‘No, I don’t think I really want to be in the band,’ I have never seen four guys more relieved. They seemed happier than I was.
Souther explained that there was no clear-cut division of tasks when collaborating with Frey and Henley in their songwriting. Typically, the three of them would work on both lyrics and music together. He mentioned that ‘New Kid in Town’ might have been a slight exception as he had developed the chorus for nearly a year before presenting it to Glenn and Don. Overall, it was always a collaborative effort, even though he usually preferred to write alone. However, when working with exceptional artists like himself, Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon, or Don Henley and Glenn Frey, the pace of work significantly increased because they were so critical of each other’s ideas that only top-notch material was accepted.
During an interview with The Creative Independent, Souther, now a resident of Nashville, remarked, “Glenn Frey had been dwelling in New York for some time before his passing. Meanwhile, Don Henley resides in Texas, and Linda can be found in San Francisco. In truth, we’re all quite scattered across the map these days. Yet, I must admit that era might have been distinctive. These days, I often encounter young musicians who express to me, ‘Oh, how I wish I lived in California during the 70s; it must have been amazing.’ To us, it was just ordinary living. Additionally, there was a great deal of competition among us, especially between Frey, Henley, and myself.
Over the course of many years, his bond with Ronstadt remained strong. When he was preparing to release his final album in 2015, he shared with Arizona Republic that she was always the first one to listen to his new work. He described her as an exceptional listener – intelligent, well-read, and musically gifted. She was also known for her thoughtful nature, spontaneity, and humor. Every time he heard Linda Ronstadt’s voice accompanied by his lyrics and melodies, he felt a deep sense of gratitude. Being able to paint her and collaborate musically with her was a true honor for him.
Souther had romantic relationships with Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, and Judee Sill, the latter who reportedly wrote “Jesus Is a Crossmaker” about him. However, he was reluctant to discuss how these relationships or others influenced his songwriting. He did admit that his 2015 album, released towards the end of his life, mirrored his divorce. As Faulkner said, all fiction has elements of personal experience, but Souther preferred not to disclose specifics. He generally kept his private life private, acknowledging that there’s a fine line between his real life and his artistic creations, but he had no intention of revealing where that boundary lies.
He was comfortable with his level of renown. Henley, he said, is “being paid really well to be on the road in Europe with the Eagles, and I’m being paid less well to sit here on my farm and watch my dogs run around in the field. But I don’t know how I would deal with it the other way around. I always try to be grateful. My father was very insistent on having good manners when people approached me or complimented me or something. But I like the fact that I don’t get made up before I go out of the house or check to be sure my hair looks great. I’ve got on these beat-up old boots right now and some Levi’s with a hole in the knee. I don’t really want to be stopped when I’m in the grocery store and have somebody pay a bunch of attention to me. I’ll be nice if that happens, but it’s not what I want.”
Souther recently played for his largest crowd in years, as he took the stage alongside The Eagles at their concert at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum in January. Overwhelmed with delight, he expressed on Facebook, “Performing these songs I wrote with my closest friends, now standing next to Don and singing ‘Best of My Love’ with him, 50 years after it topped the charts – there’s no way to hide the grin on my face! A big thank you to them, and to all of you.
JD is mourned by his two siblings and his ex-spouse along with her child. Memorial donations in JD’s name may be given to the Best Friends Animal Society, a charity close to his heart.
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2024-09-18 07:18