JD Souther – His Songs Are The Story
Rico Ferrara JD Souther – His Songs Are The Story
“A principal architect of the Southern California sound and a main influence on a generation of songwriters”
-Songwriters Hall Of Fame citation upon inducting JD Souther-
Originally Posted on by bluesforabigtown
John David Souther, who passed away on September 17, 2024 at the age of 78, was/is in the upper echelon of singer / songwriters.
JD who has proven to be a compelling singer, has released several albums, and is a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee. Even so, his personal triumphs and exploits will forever be overshadowed by his musical associations. Those connections included high profile artists of the day like The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. (And in the case of Ronstadt, it included a romantic association as well).
That’s not to say that his work with Linda Ronstadt and The Eagles should be discounted; because the songs play a significant role in 60’s and 70’s SoCal music history. (The Eagles’ Glenn Frey once joked that the reason that JD wasn’t a star was because he kept giving his best songs to his band and Ronstadt).
Among the various contributions JD made to the Eagles discography are: “Best Of My Love”, (The Eagles first # 1 hit); “New Kid In Town”, and “Heartache Tonight” (The Eagles final # 1 hit).
The number of songs that he penned for Ronstadt include “Prisoner In Disguise”, (the title track of Linda’s million selling album); and “Faithless Love” (for Ronstadt’s breakthrough album Heart Like A Wheel). “Faithless Love” – one of JD’s finest compositions – in particular merits closer attention. It contains both lyrically and melodically one of the finest bridges to be found in a song coming out of L.A., (or anywhere else for that matter). Within the context of the song, the bridge presents a clear picture of continual lost love heartbreak:
“Well I guess I’m standing in a hall of broken dreams
It’s just the way it sometimes goes
Where every new love never turns out like it seems
I guess the feeling comes and goes”
Souther was born in Detroit, but when he was young the family relocated to his mother’s home state of Texas. They settled first in Dallas and later Amarillo, where JD’s father, (a former big band singer), opened a music store. This afforded JD exposure to both instruments and different styles of music. JD stated that “The first songs I heard growing up were all Jazz and Opera songs”. (JD would employ these artistic influences throughout the course of his career).
The first instrument that the young Souther started playing was the violin at 8 years old. It didn’t stop there as JD moved first to drums, then piano, sax, and clarinet in his high school years. (JD didn’t learn to play guitar until his early 20’s).
High school was followed by attending Amarillo College, but it didn’t last – music was calling him. JD’s response was to form his first band – John David Souther and The Cinders. Although the band did get an opportunity to cut a single; it didn’t make an impression on record buyers local or otherwise.
At the same time, Souther came to the realization that he’d have to establish himself in a bigger market if he was going to make it at all in the music business.
After first trying New York and Florida; Souther moved to L.A. in the late 60’s. It was an opportune time because the scene was shifting from the East Coast to California. Particularly, in JD’s case, singer / songwriters were starting to make their presence felt. Bob Dylan had started the movement and artists like Joni Mitchell, Steve Stills, Neil Young, and John Phillips followed his lead, putting a West Coast spin on things.
Souther started hanging out at The Troubadour, a music venue that he would soon call “my university”.
He went on to say that the experience gained by being a regular at the club was invaluable. Reeling off a list of artists who would show up on any given night like Laura Nyro, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Tim Hardin, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Waylon Jennings among others; JD deemed The Troubadour “The best study in songwriting I can imagine”.
The Troubadour was also where Souther met, and became close friends with Glenn Frey. It would be the start of a lifelong friendship. Souther and Frey formed a Country / Folk / Rock band, Longbranch Pennywhistle; and cut an album on a small local label. The album got little or no traction to speak of.
It was not long after that Frey would form The Eagles with Don Henley. There was talk that JD might join the band, but it wasn’t to be.
In reflecting on the opportunity, JD stated “I wasn’t a band creature”. From the Eagles perspective it was a reaffirmation of what one of JD’s primary school teachers had written on his report card – “Does not work well with others”. But, whatever the details of the situation were, the band recognized excellent material, and matters obviously didn’t deter the band from recording JD’s songs.
The result of decisions made, led to JD continuing to carve out his own path.
Fortunately, another of JD’s L.A. friends, Jackson Browne, provided a helping hand in jumpstarting Souther’s solo career. Browne introduced JD to impresario David Geffen who signed Souther to his Asylum label. As a result, JD’s first solo album, John David Souther, hit the street in 1972.
John David Souther is an excellent album, and more than a promising debut.
Ten original tracks feature JD on all vocals and guitars. The release failed to make a large commercial impression which is surprising because the high quality songs and heartfelt vocals fit snugly in the well accepted West Coast Singer / songwriter realm.
It could be that consumers viewed the album as too close stylistically to The Eagles. At any rate, check out the first class songs Like “The Fast One”, “Run Like A Thief”, and “Kite Woman”. It’s well worth the time. (As a last point, The Eagles even benefitted from his solo album. That is, another outstanding cut taken from JD’s debut release, “How Long”, was a long standing staple of The Eagles live shows; and they scored a minor hit with the song).
A couple of years later, JD altered his course and decided to be a “band creature” at the request of David Geffen.
In the hopes of offering a Country alternative to Crosby Stills & Nash, Souther joined ex Byrds and Manassas multi instrumentalist Chris Hillman and Buffalo Springfield and Poco alumni Richie Furay to form The Souther–Hillman–Furay Band.
The somewhat manufactured band released two albums: The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band and Trouble In Paradise; with the self-titled debut faring the better of the two. JD contributed four fine songs to the debut – including “Border Town” and “Pretty Goodbyes” – and the title track of the second album plus three more entries. The second album lacked the energy of the debut and the band’s demise was inevitable.
The three principals all went their separate ways.
JD, for his part, continued to release albums including Black Rose and You’re Only Lonely, that critics deemed to be two of his best. You’re Only Lonely contains Souther’s only “hit” – the Roy Orbison-like title cut that landed at # 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
While still making records and touring, JD started to withdraw from the business. He even took up acting as somewhat of a secondary career. He had recurring roles in the TV series Thirtysomething and Nashville. He also appeared in a number of films.
His interest dissipated to the point that he was content to kick back on his ranch in New Mexico and live off his song royalties.
Although all but retired when he passed away in the middle of September, ironically plans were already in place to start a tour at the end of the month with singer / songwriter Karla Bonoff.
JD Souther, the person, lives on in the hearts and minds of his friends and admirers; and his songs will continue to endure. Chris Hillman echoed many people’s thoughts when he said, “The voice, the songs he wrote will forever be in my heart”
**All songs taken from JD Souther’s solo albums except where noted