LAUREL CANYON—On Tuesday, September 17, Singer-Songwriter Country – Rock legend, John David “JD” Souther passed away peacefully in his home in Sandia Park, New Mexico. He was 78. No cause of death has been released.
The following came directly from a Discography on the JD Souther webpage.
“He was born in Detroit [Michigan] when his father, John Souther, was crooning in front of the big bands of his day, under a stage name, Johnny Warren. His mother hated the fact that “Johnny Warren,” wasn’t home and so, the singing father stepped halfway out of the road life going to work for MCA as an agent fascinating for a curious five-year-old, John David, who met The Three Sounds, The Mills Brothers, other jazz greats, and the legendary Victor Borge, who once acted as babysitter for the lucky son.
Eventually, the family relocated first to Wellington, Dallas, and then to Amarillo Texas.
John David would stay until he left Amarillo College and headed west to Los Angeles.”
“Hanging out in the bar at the Troubadour with Glenn Frey and Jackson Browne and playing open mike Mondays, then opening for Poco and the Flying Burrito Brothers, it was the best study in songwriting I can imagine,” Souther reminisced on his webpage.
“So many great songwriters came through; Laura Nyro, Kris Kristofferson, Randy Newman, Elton John, James Taylor, Tim Hardin, Carole King, Rick Nelson, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Waylon Jennings, Tim Buckley, Gordon Lightfoot, Tah Mahl and more. It seems impossible now to imagine that much music in a year and a half or so, but that was my life, and The Troubadour was our university. It’s also where I met Linda Ronstadt and where Don Henly and Glenn Frey met to form this little country rock band called Eagles that would go on to make musical history.
We had an amazing band, but the label was small, the records didn’t sell, and our managers felt we should try recording better-known songs of other people. No way: we were committed to songwriting.”
And what a songwriter he was. Souther wrote songs for the Eagles, and Linda Ronstadt that was dating Souther when they co-produced, “Don’t Cry”. He also wrote for James Taylor.
In 1979, Souther released “You’re Only Lonely,” from the You’re Only Lonely LP with Sony/Columbia hitting number one on adult contemporary radio and number seven on the billboard-top 100.
In 2013, Souther was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Simultaneously, Souther co-wrote the Eagles hit, “Heartache Tonight,” with Don Henley, Glen Frey, and Bob Seger.
Henley made a tribute to Souther. The full text was published in The Observer.
“He was like a brother to me; we were family, and like most families, there was some dysfunction. But the bond we forged 45 years ago was never broken, even during the 14 years that the Eagles were dissolved.
