J.D. SOUTHER

JD SOUTHER In 1984 singer-songwriter JD Souther followed the chart-topping successes of "You're Only Lonely" and the James Taylor duet "Her Town Too" with Home by Dawn, an album that Rolling Stone and Time Magazine declared his best. And then, in 1985, after a brief tour in support of the album, JD Souther disappeared. One of the principal architects of the Southern California country-rock sound, Mr. Souther played a key role in the formation of the Eagles and co-wrote, among others, the band's hits "Heartache Tonight," "Victim of Love," "James Dean”,” New Kid in Town," "Sad Café", and "Best of My Love,” and Don Henley's 1989 beautiful "The Heart Of The Matter", as well as writing Linda Ronstadt's classics "Faithless Love," "Simple Man, Simple Dream," and "Prisoner in Disguise", among many others. A highly sought-after songwriter and session man, Mr. Souther also released four critically acclaimed solo albums— John David Souther (1972), Black Rose (1976), You're Only Lonely (1979), and Home By Dawn (1984)—and two albums as a member of the Souther Hillman Furay Band -The SHF Band (1973) and Trouble in Paradise (1975), the super group that united him with Poco's Richie Furay and the Byrds' Chris Hillman. He has also written for television, ABC's Anything But Love theme and for motion picture soundtracks, including The Color Of Money (Who Owns This Place), Urban Cowboy (Hearts Against The Wind performed w Linda Ronstadt and Ricky Skaggs), and About Last Night's title song, John Waite's hit recording "If Any One Had A Heart". But in 1985, after countless hit records, Grammy nominations, American Music Awards, and gold and platinum albums, JD Souther seemed to walk away from his solo career. Relocating first to his self built "dream house" in Nichols Canyon (Hollywood Hills) and remaining there in near secrecy ("it was private. It was perfect"), then Ireland, and eventually to Nashville, Mr. Souther has written for and with artists as diverse as India Arie, Brooks & Dunn, Jimmy Buffett, Glen Campbell, Joe Cocker, Tammy Wynette and Tanya Tucker, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Diamond Rio, Dixie Chicks, Don Henley, One Flew South, Roy Orbison, Bonnie Raitt, Lynn Anderson, George Strait, Brian Wilson, Trisha Yearwood, Warren Zevon, and recently again by the newly re-united Eagles, who chose Souther's protest song "How Long?" as the debut single from Long Journey Out Of Eden, their first studio album in 28 years. His songs have also been recorded by Michael Bublé, Tom Jones, Bernadette Peters, Raul Malo, Rita Wilson, Hugh Masekela, and hit Taiwanese pop girl group S.H.E., to name but a few. In October 2008 Mr. Souther returned with his first studio album in 25 years, the self-produced If the World Was You, a live sextet album with all players (trumpet, sax, piano, guitar, vocals, double bass, and drums) in one room at Blackbird Studios. The album was both a bold step forward and at the same time a return to his Amarillo, Texas, roots, where the young multi- instrumentalist grew up listening to Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, and Frank Sinatra, and was steeped in the compositional and improvisational sensibilities of Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul, Keith Jarrett, and Miles Davis. He also revered country and rock pioneers Hank Williams, George Jones, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, and Roy Orbison, whose influences are more evident in his earlier albums, while acknowledging his debt to his favourites of the great songwriters; among many others, Giacomo Puccini, Stephen Foster, the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Fats Waller, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Harold Arlen, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstien, E.Y. Harburg, Jimmy Van Huesen and Sammy Cahn, Paul Williams, Gordon Jenkins, Hoagy Carmichael, Arthur Hamilton, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Johnny Mercer, Dorothy Fields, Matt Denis, Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill, Tim Hardin, Lennon and McCartney, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Laura Nyro, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Webb, Judee Sill, Jackson Browne, and of course, Bob Dylan. On March 4th, 2009, he performed a landmark show at The Belcourt Theatre in Nashville, some of which is represented on the release later that year of his only concert recording, an EP entitled RAIN: Live At The Belcourt. In 2009, Mr. Souther received the prestigious Golden Note Award from ASCAP at their annual awards show during which he was introduced by Bonnie Raitt and presented the award by his friend Jackson Browne, who lauded his commitment to musicality, truth and the value of doubt in his poignant and always questioning attempt to write "what is, what could be, and the moving road between." Natural History, released in 2011, is Mr. Souther's latest album. It was produced by Fred Mollin at the Sound Emporium in Nashville, includes original and intimate arrangements of many of his best known songs and features numerous renowned musicians, including Jeff Coffin, Jerry Douglas, John Hobbs, Chris Walters, John Jorgenson, Viktor Krauss, Rod McGaha, Bryan Sutton, Charlie McCoy, and Jim White. For more information, please visit jdsoutherstore.net.