{"id":2346513,"date":"2024-09-26T22:37:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T02:37:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/j-d-souther-1945-2024-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-26T22:39:30","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T02:39:30","slug":"j-d-souther-1945-2024-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/j-d-souther-1945-2024-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"J.D. Souther, 1945-2024 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fj-d-souther-1945-2024-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2346513&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>J.D. Souther, who passed away at his home near Albuquerque, New Mexico, left a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/some-analysts-see-6-average-gas-prices-by-august\/\" title=\"Some Analysts See  Average Gas Prices by August\">significant mark<\/a> on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-musicians-supporting-morgan-wallen-following-deplatforming-over-leaked-n-word-video\/\" title=\"The Musicians Supporting Morgan Wallen Following Deplatforming Over Leaked N-Word\u00a0Video\">music scene<\/a> \u200das a respected singer-songwriter, \u2062primarily known for his contributions to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/every-opinion-has-a-millennial-offended-kid-rock-releases-expletive-laden-new-song-criticizing-wokeness\/\" title=\"\u2018Every Opinion Has A Millennial Offended\u2019: Kid Rock Releases Expletive-Laden New Song Criticizing Wokeness\">country rock<\/a>. Born on November 2, 1945, \u2062in Detroit, Souther was immersed in music from an early age, influenced by his father&#8217;s background\u2062 as a big band singer and his \u2062mother&#8217;s management of a music store. He dropped out of college to engage with the vibrant Los Angeles music scene of the mid-1960s, where he formed lasting relationships with key figures like \u200cLinda Ronstadt and Glenn Frey. His most notable achievement was helping form the Eagles, as well as co-writing several of their iconic songs, including\u2063 &#8220;Heartache Tonight.&#8221; Despite not being a household name, Souther&#8217;s\u2064 influence on American rock and his musical legacy remain significant in the history of the genre.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-sacff-txt\">Magazine &#8211; Obituary <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">J.D. Souther, 1945-2024<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>While walking one day through an abandoned gold mine, you spot a shiny old oil jar. Curious, you pick it up, rub off some of the dust that&rsquo;s covering its spout, and &mdash; behold! &mdash; a glowing aquamarine genie emerges. You&rsquo;ve rehearsed this scene a million times in your head and know exactly what to say: &ldquo;I want to be rich, I want to be famous, and I want to be a rock star.&rdquo; &ldquo;I can make you a rock star,&rdquo; the genie replies, &ldquo;and I can make you <em>kinda<\/em> famous &mdash; but not <em>super<\/em> famous. Is that all right?&rdquo; &ldquo;But aren&rsquo;t you supposed to grant all three of my wishes?&rdquo; &ldquo;Waddayou want from me? I&rsquo;m just a genie! I&rsquo;m not <em>God<\/em>! &hellip; Well? You gonna take the deal or not?&rdquo; &ldquo;Yeah, yeah. Fine.&rdquo; Congratulations! You now have the life of J.D. Souther.<\/p>\n<p>An admired singer-songwriter among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>music cognoscenti<\/a> but not as well known as his more popular partners, Souther, who died this past week at his home <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/albuquerque\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>near Albuquerque<\/a>, New Mexico, had about as good of a life as any of his musical contemporaries. He also had an instrumental role in the formation of one of the great bands of our time. If <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>the history<\/a> of American rock cannot be written without Souther, it&rsquo;s because Souther himself wrote some of American rock&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/magazine\/546930\/anthony-scaramuccis-greatest-hits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>greatest hits<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">J.D. Souther. (Donn Jones\/Invision)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>John David Souther was born in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/detroit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Detroit<\/a> on Nov. 2, 1945, and grew up in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Texas<\/a> Panhandle towns of Wellington and Amarillo. In the age-old nature vs. nurture debate, Souther stands as a testament to the decisive influence of both factors: His father (a singer in a big band) gave him his music genes, and his mother (who managed a music store) provided him with a rich musical environment. It was in his mother&rsquo;s store where he first became acquainted with a wide variety of musical forms and instruments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Souther dropped out of college to become part of the burgeoning mid-&lsquo;60s Los Angeles music scene. Ironically, though, the classical and jazz-trained Souther, who had no background whatsoever in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/country-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>country music<\/a> and scant experience in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rock-and-roll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>rock &rsquo;n&rsquo; roll<\/a>, would have a strong hand in the creation of Southern California country rock. He formed lifelong friendships with some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nbc-faces-fcc-complaint-over-airing-obscene-olympics-last-supper-parody-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"NBC faces FCC complaint over airing \u2018obscene\u2019 Olympics Last Supper parody - Washington Examiner\">scene&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-joe-rogan-responds-to-spotify-content-advisories-vows-to-balance-opposing-viewpoints\/\" title=\"WATCH: Joe Rogan Responds to Spotify &#039;Content Advisories,&#039; Vows to Balance Opposing Viewpoints\">singer-songwriters<\/a> who would soon become some of the new genre&rsquo;s major players, including Linda Rondstadt and Glenn Frey. In the late &lsquo;60s, when Rondstadt told Souther that she was helping some other musician-acquaintances form a new band, Souther recommended that she bring Frey into the group. Rondstadt did, introducing Frey to a drummer and singer named Don Henley. The rest, as you might say, is American rock &rsquo;n&rsquo; roll history. Henley and Frey teamed up with Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner to form <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1159825\/obama-to-joe-walsh-dont-mess-up-the-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>the Eagles<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Merely assisting in the formation of the Eagles would&rsquo;ve been enough to assure anyone a place in music history. But Souther went one step further, co-writing some of the band&rsquo;s most memorable songs, such as &ldquo;James Dean,&rdquo; &ldquo;You Can Never Cry Like a Lover,&rdquo; &ldquo;Doolin-Dalton,&rdquo; and their Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit &ldquo;Heartache Tonight.&rdquo; He was also the solo writer for some of their other most successful singles, like &ldquo;How Long,&rdquo; which won the Eagles a Grammy for best country performance.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But if the Eagles could not have been born without Souther, and if it was Souther who helped the Eagles soar, why wasn&rsquo;t Souther a part of the Eagles himself? Souther did try out for the band, but after his audition, he realized that joining them would detract from rather than add to the group he had helped create.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the smash hits he co-wrote with the Eagles, Souther also wrote a Billboard 100 top-10 hit of his own (&ldquo;You&rsquo;re Only Lonely&rdquo;), wrote a song with James Taylor (&ldquo;Her Town Too&rdquo;) that reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, recorded with the Dixie Chicks, collaborated with Jackson Browne, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013. Later in life, he also enjoyed a surprising and moderately successful acting career, earning roles in the TV series <em>Nashville <\/em>and in the Steven Spielberg movie <em>Always<\/em>. Still, for someone whose claim to fame was his association with the Eagles, people naturally wondered why this claim seemed to have garnered him only a relatively modest degree of fame. But these concerns never bothered the unassuming Souther. &ldquo;I like the fact that I don&rsquo;t get made up before I go out of the house or check to be sure my hair looks great,&rdquo; Souther once told an interviewer. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got on these beat-up old boots right now and some Levi&rsquo;s with a hole in the knee. I don&rsquo;t really want to be stopped when I&rsquo;m in the grocery store and have somebody pay a bunch of attention to me.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>Daniel Ross Goodman is a&nbsp;<\/em>Washington Examiner<em>&nbsp;contributing writer and the author, most recently, of&nbsp;<\/em>Soloveitchik&rsquo;s Children: Irving Greenberg, David Hartman, Jonathan Sacks, and the Future of Jewish Theology in America<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Magazine &#8211; Obituary J.D. Souther, 1945-2024 Discovering a shiny oil jar in an abandoned gold mine leads to the emergence of a genie. You express your wishes for wealth, fame, and rock stardom, but the genie offers a more modest deal: rock star status and some fame. Accepting this offer grants you the life of J.D. Souther\u2014an esteemed singer-songwriter known among music lovers but not as widely recognized as his peers. He played a key role in forming one of rock&#8217;s great bands and penned many iconic songs. Born on November 2, 1945, in Detroit and raised in Texas, Souther&#8217;s musical journey began early due to his family&#8217;s influence. He left college to join Los Angeles&#8217; vibrant music scene and helped shape country rock alongside artists like Linda Ronstadt and Glenn Frey, leading to the creation of the Eagles. While he co-wrote several hits for them and had his own successes, he chose not to join the band directly. Despite his significant contributions to music history, Souther preferred a low-key lifestyle over celebrity status<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2854,"featured_media":2346514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Obit.1002-1024x591.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4506,41819,3863,32229,32076],"class_list":["post-2346513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-4506","tag-j-d-souther","tag-music","tag-obituary","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Obit.1002-1024x591.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2346513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2854"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2346513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2346513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2346514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2346513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2346513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2346513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}