California SOUND
Singer-songwriter JD Souther had a hand in writing some of the Eagles’ biggest hits, including “Best of My Love,” “Heartache Tonight” and “New Kid in Town.” He even wrote a Top 10 smash of his own, “You’re Only Lonely.” Now, at 72, he’s on the road and co
Singer-songwriter JD Souther is known for being one of the architects of the California sound.
He has written and co-written numerous hit songs recorded by artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt and the Eagles, as well as enjoying a successful solo career. His biggest co-writing credits include the Eagles’ “Best of My Love,” “Heartache Tonight” and “New Kid in Town.”
The singer-songwriter will offer two concerts next week at the Musical Instrument Museum. In an interview earlier this year, he said his live shows can be unpredictable.
“You’ll hear some things that won’t surprise you; then you’ll hear some things that might really surprise you,” Souther said.
Early years
In the 1960s, the Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood played an important role in the careers of many influential singer-songwriters such as Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne. This popular hangout spot served as Souther’s initiation into his education in songwriting, along with his best buddy Glenn Frey and neighbor Browne.
“It was definitely a learning experience,” Souther said. “The years we were hanging out there in ’69 early ’70, most of the songwriters that we admired, who were a class ahead of us, went through there. We saw Tim Hardin, John Sebastian, James Taylor, Joni (Mitchell), Poco. It was just an amazing learning year of watching great songwriters who have worked hard on their craft and also who had learned how to perform. It was a tremendously important year for all us, especially for Glenn, Jackson and I who weren’t really being paid to work yet.”
You could also say that 1979 was a good year for Souther as well, as he scored two top 10 hits in the same month with his own song, “You’re Only Lonely,” and the Eagles’ “Heartache Tonight,” which appeared on their “The Long Run” album.
With the passing of Frey in January 2016, Souther reflected on the early days and his friendship with the fallen Eagle.
“Our relationship for the first couple of years was nothing but stories, because we were really each other’s songwriting partner and best friends,” Souther said. “When he first moved to L.A., I had already been there for a year or two, but we were really just puppies. We were starting out together learning how to write songs and going to open mic nights and playing for nothing.”
Exploring the past
Souther’s debut self-titled album, recorded on record label guru David Geffen’s Asylum Records, established Souther as a bona fide singer-songwriter.
“I met Jackson Browne, who was a little further down the road as a songwriter than I was at the time,” Souther reflected. “Frey and I moved into this crappy building that Jackson lived in, and we just wrote songs and played music. Things started picking up; Jackson got a deal with David Geffen; he introduced me to Geffen and gave me a deal; I introduced Geffen to Frey; and he put his band together with Don Henley (Eagles) and gave them a deal; and the next thing you know, all of our group of friends were on the road with labels supporting us.”
Recently, Omnivore Recordings has released expanded edition reissues of his first and second solo albums, “John David Souther” and “Black Rose,” plus 1984’s “Home by Dawn.” The label included massive bonus material on each one.
“Cheryl Pawelski at Omnivore Recordings has been bugging me for years about rereleasing the three albums that were on Asylum,” Souther said. “Finally, after 12 years of her bugging me, I said let’s do it. I had so much great stuff. There’s a ton of stuff, especially on the ‘Home By Dawn’ expanded reissue. There’s almost another album’s worth of stuff and I think right back to the ‘You’re Only Lonely’ album this year, there is another entire album of stuff. So that will become a double.”
At age 72, Souther sees no reason to retire just yet. “I feel like a quarterback who’s still throwing well in his 40s or something,” Souther said. “I’m singing better than I used to sing when I was young, so I don’t see any reason to quit doing it. The whole thing is pretty much a pleasure for me. I get up on stage, they turn all the house lights out and put a spotlight on me, and I get to do something for two and a half hours that makes everybody in the room feel good. I give everything I got to them and they pretty much give it back to me, and we just go home happy every night.”