He may have been one of the best singer/songwriters you rarely hear about. JD Souther passed away on September 17, 2024, at age 78 at his home in Sandia Park, New Mexico. He wrote hits for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and James Taylor and worked with Bob Seeger, Bonnie Raitt, Christopher Cross, Dan Fogelberg, and Roy Orbison. He also had some success as a solo artist.
Born John David Souther, he went by JD for nearly all of his professional career. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he was raised in Amarillo, Texas. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s where he would form the band Longbranch Pennywhistle with Glenn Frey. He and Ronstadt began dating soon thereafter and when she needed a backing band for an upcoming tour, Souther suggested she contact Frey. Don Henley joined Frey and with Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner Ronstadt had her backing band. The band, with her blessing, would soon go out on their own as the Eagles.
Souther was invited to join the Eagles but after an afternoon tryout, he decided the band was exceptional the way it was. “I was quite happy to stay home and write,” he told the Los Angeles Times years later. “I think they were relieved, as well.” Eagles staples such as “Best Of My Love,” “Heartache Tonight,” “New Kid In Town,” “Victim Of Love,” and “How Long” were co-written or written by Souther.
Like fellow singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, Souther was a bit of a loner and that may have been another reason he would not join the Eagles. It may also have contributed to the failure of the super-group Souther Hillman Furay, a group formed by David Geffen. Souther remembers it as an “attempt to make me mainstream after the success of the Eagles.” Combining Souther with Chris Hillman and Rich Furay seemed like a good idea on paper but in reality did not work well. The personalities were like oil and water, again according to Souther.
JD Souther did have a successful career even if it wasn’t on a par with the Eagles’ or Ronstadt’s or Browne’s. He had one hit with “You’re Only Lonely” as a solo artist and another hit with “Her Town Too” which he wrote and recorded with James Taylor. But his success was based on his talent as a songwriter.
Souther was declared “a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters” upon his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013. Still, looking at the success of the Eagles and the songs he wrote or co-wrote for them, people would ask “Doesn’t it piss you off that the Eagles have these big hits off your songs?” He would usually reply, “Would you like to see the checks?”
Souther also contributed as a singer on albums by artists such as Don Henley, Christopher Cross, Dan Fogelberg and Roy Orbison, among many others. He also appeared as an actor in TV’s Thirtysomething, Nashville and Purgatory as well as the films Postcards from the Edge, My Girl 2 and Deadline.
He was about to begin a tour with Karla Bonoff on September 24 in Phoenix. The tour will be canceled.
Souther’s web site said he passed away peacefully but did not provide a cause of death. Farewell, John David Souther. You will be missed but your songs will live on.
