Songwriting legend JD Souther dies a week before his Phoenix tour launch

JD Souther, a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee who co-wrote several of the Eagles’ greatest hits, wrote some of Linda Ronstadt’s most beloved songs and topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts with the wonderfully Orbison-esque “You’re Only Lonely,” died peacefully at his home in New Mexico on Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Souther was 78.

The news arrives a week before Souther was scheduled to launch a tour called Together Again with Karla Bonoff, a fellow traveler on the ’70s singer-songwriter scene, with a sold-out show on Sept. 24 at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix.

Born in Detroit and raised in Amarillo, Texas, Souther made his first recordings with an Amarillo group, the Cinders, at Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico, resulting in a 45 released in 1965 on RIC label. The following year, the Cinders signed to Warner Bros. Records and released a second single as John David and the Cinders.

JD Souther's scene included Jackson Browne and the Eagles

In the late ‘60s, Souther moved to Los Angeles, where he and future Eagle Glenn Frey became roommates and collaborators in the short-lived folk-rock duo Longbranch Pennywhistle.

That was shortly before Jackson Browne had him over to David Geffen's house for an audition, which he nailed, resulting in two classic albums on Asylum, 1972's "John David Souther" and 1976's "Black Rose."

In 1972, he formed the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band with Chris Hillman of the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers and Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield and Poco. They released two albums before creative tensions caused the group to splinter.

JD Souther found solo success with 'You're Only Lonely,' 'Her Town Too'

In 1979, he peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 while topping the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts with the breakthrough single that was destined to remain his biggest solo hit, “You’re Only Lonely.”

In 1981, he was on the charts with “Her Town Too,” a duet with James Taylor that made it to No. 11 on the Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Adult Contemporary charts.

JD Souther wrote 'Best of My Love,' 'Heartache Tonight' for the Eagles

His contributions to the Eagles catalog include some of their greatest hits, "Best of My Love", "Heartache Tonight" and "New Kid in Town” chief among them. He also co-wrote “Doolin-Dalton,” “James Dean,” “You Never Cry Like a Lover,” “Victim of Love,” “The Sad Café” and “Last Good Time in Town" and was well-represented on our countdown of the Eagles' best songs.

A song Souther wrote and recorded on “John David Souther” got a second lease on life in 2007 when the Eagles included their version the “Long Road Out of Eden” album and released it as a single.

He also co-wrote “The Heart of the Matter,” a solo hit for the Eagles’ Don Henley in 1989.

Souther had a long musical association with Linda Ronstadt

Souther dated Ronstadt in the ‘70s, co-producing “Don’t Cry Now,” which included the Souther songs “The Fast One,” “I Can Almost See It” and “Don’t Cry Now.”

His songs appeared on several of her biggest albums, including "Faithless Love" on "Heart Like a Wheel," the title track to “Prisoner in Disguise” (which also featured Souther’s “Silver Blue"), “Simple Man, Simple Dream” on “Simple Dreams” and "White Rhythm & Blues" on "Living in the USA."

Souther’s vocals also featured prominently on several Ronstadt songs, including "Prisoner in Disguise," “Silver Blue,” "Sometimes You Just Can't Win" and "Hearts Against the Wind” (for the 1980 film "Urban Cowboy").

In 2013, Souther was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, whose website celebrates his legacy as “a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters.”

Souther also acted, with recurring roles on TV’s “Thirtysomething” and “Nashville.” Other acting credits include “Postcards from the Edge,” “Purgatory,” “My Girl 2” and “Deadline.”

'There was no plan B,' Souther said of his music career

In 2019, Souther spoke to The Arizona Republic about his life in music.

"I don't think there was ever a point where I intended to do anything else,” he said. “There was no plan B. I started beating on things as a drummer when I was a little bitty kid. I started taking violin lessons in the fourth grade. I was in orchestra for a couple years."

That was risky, he said, "because I had to carry my violin to football practice every Wednesday. And Texas football players in the fourth and fifth grade were not necessarily respectful of a scrawny kid with a violin. So I never got great at football. I was just too skinny. But I got better at fighting and a little bit better at violin."

From there, he learned to play the clarinet, then tenor sax and back to drums. And then nothing else mattered. "I'm just a natural born drummer," he said.

Souther on hearing Linda Ronstadt sing his 'Faithless Love'

Souther’s first love was jazz, which he returned to on 2015’s “Tenderness.”

He fell in with the '70s country-rock scene because it was there, as he told The Republic.

"Everybody around us was playing acoustic guitar and trying to write songs,” he said. “So I went home to Texas and got an acoustic guitar from my dad's music store, the Texas Musical Instrument Co. I got a Gibson Dove, and I went back to California and started plunking around on it. And it turned out I guess I had a knack for that too."

Asked if he recalled the point at which it started feeling like he must be doing something right, he didn’t hesitate.

"It was after I heard Linda Ronstadt's version of 'Faithless Love,'" he said.

"And then other people started recording it. And people started telling me about it. Smokey Robinson told me once that he thought it was perfect. Peter Asher told me he thought it was the best bridge he'd ever heard. Dorothy Fields, who was a great lyricist from the '40s and '50s who wrote 'On the Sunny Side of the Street' and 'The Way You Look Tonight,' told me she thought it was the perfect song. That was a moment, I have to say."

Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: JD Souther, who wrote hits for Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles, has died