JD Souther, singer who co-wrote Eagles classics like 'New Kid in Town,' dies at 78
JD Souther, the singer, songwriter and actor who co-wrote some of the biggest hits of the Eagles, like “New Kid in Town” and “Best of My Love,” and had a long solo career that included the top 10 hit “You’re Only Lonely,” died Tuesday at age 78.
JD Souther, the singer, songwriter and actor who co-wrote some of the biggest hits of the Eagles, like “New Kid in Town” and “Best of My Love,” and had a long solo career that included the top 10 hit “You’re Only Lonely,” died Tuesday at age 78. No cause of death was given but he was described by reps at Solters PR as dying peacefully at home in New Mexico.
Souther was about to go out for joint concert dates this fall with Karla Bonoff, another veteran of the 1970s Southern California singer-songwriter scene, and had performed as recently as five days ago.
Besides “New Kid” and “Best of My Love,” other compositions co-written by Souther that appeared on Eagles albums included “Heartache Tonight,” “Victim of Love,” “James Dean,” “Doolin-Dalton,” “The Sad Cafe,” “You Never Cry Like a Lover,” “Teenage Jail” and “Last Good Time in Town.” He was the sole writer of “How Long,” a cover the Eagles released in 2007 of a song Souther had first put out as a solo artist in 1972. His friendship with Don Henley extended to co-writing that artist’s classic “The Heart of the Matter” and several other tracks on Henley’s solo albums.
Although Souther’s solo career did not reach anything near the popular crests of the work he wrote for or had performed by top artists of the day, Souther did reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979 with the Roy Orbison-esque “You’re Only Lonely,” a ballad that also held the No. 1 spot on the adult contemporary chart for five weeks. He just missed making the top 10 again when the 1981 single “Her Town Too” — a duet with James Taylor — peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 (it reached No. 5 at AC).
Beyond his work with the Eagles, he was also closely associated with the discography of Linda Ronstadt, whom he dated in the 1970s, with the tracks she recorded including “Prisoner in Disguise” and “Faithless Love.” He also had songs recorded by the Dixie Chicks, George Strait and Bonnie Raitt.
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