Singer, Songwriter, and Actor JD Souther Passes Away at 78

John David “JD” Souther, a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee known for his hit collaborations with the Eagles, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, passed away peacefully in his New Mexico home at the age of 78. He was about to begin a tour with Karla Bonoff, including a stop at the Harris Center on September 28, which has been cancelled. Anyone who purchased tickets can contact the box office for a refund.

The Detroit, Michigan-born Souther, raised in Amarillo, Texas, was known for his longtime partnership with the Eagles' Glenn Frey, whom he met in Los Angeles after moving there in the late ‘60s, briefly forming a band called Longbranch Pennywhistle, with an album recorded for Jimmy Bowen's Amos Records. That would last through collaborations on some of the Eagles' biggest hits, including “Best of My Love,” “James Dean,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Doolin-Dalton.” He also co-wrote “Heartache Tonight,” with Bob Seger, Frey, and Don Henley.

Souther started out recording with a local Amarillo group called The Cinders, traveling to nearby Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico, where Buddy Holly's producer shopped their recordings to Warner Bros. for a single release under the name John David and the Cinders.

Souther was also a successful solo artist, recording his self-titled debut in 1972 before forming The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band with former Byrds member Chris Hillman and Poco's Richie Furay. A second solo effort, Black Rose, produced by Peter Asher and released in 1976, includes a duet with his one-time girlfriend Linda Ronstadt, “If You Have Crying Eyes.” JD scored his biggest solo hit with “You're Only Lonely,” from the 1979 album of the same name, peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Other songs penned by Souther include “Run Like a Thief,” for Bonnie Raitt, and several songs for Ronstadt, including “Faithless Love” and “White Rhythm and Blues.” He also recorded several duets with her, among them “Prisoner in Disguise,” “Sometimes You Can't Win,” and “Hearts Against the Wind,” the latter featured in the 1980 film Urban Cowboy. A collaboration with James Taylor, “Her Town Too,” reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

JD contributed as a singer to artists such as Don Henley, Christopher Cross, Dan Fogelberg, and Roy Orbison, among many others. He also appeared as an actor in TV's Thirtysomething, Nashville, and Purgatory, as well as the films Postcards from the Edge, My Girl 2, and Deadline.

Souther was declared “a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters,” upon his induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013. His final original album, Tenderness, was released by Sony Masterworks in 2015, with Uncut magazine describing it as connecting “L.A.'s ‘70s golden age with the Great American Songbook.” An expanded edition of his 1979 album, You're Only Lonely, was released in July by Omnivore Recordings, who also released expanded editions of his first three solo records.

Souther is survived by his two sisters, his former wife and her daughter, his beloved dogs Layla and Bob, and by countless friends and colleagues within the music community and beyond.

Donations in JD's honor can be made to Best Friends Animal Society, an organization that was very important to him.     

About Harris Center for the Arts

Long envisioned as a critically important element for Folsom Lake College, the visual and performing arts center was initially conceived as a facility to instruct, develop, and guide talented students to become actors, musicians, dancers, visual artists, and behind-the-curtain technicians. The scope and size of the Center expanded significantly with a 2003 feasibility study which validated the need for a facility that could also serve as a regional arts center for the greater community.

In 2004, the project proposal approved by the Los Rios Board of Trustees was submitted to the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office for final funding approval in the 2005-06 budget year. Construction of the $50 million project began in July 2008, supported by a State Educational Facilities General Obligation Bond, Local Measure A Bond, other District resources, and donations to the Folsom Lake College Foundation.

In February, 2011, the Center opened as "Three Stages at Folsom Lake College" and by the end of its second full season it had already attracted over 300,000 patrons to its offerings. In August, 2012, the Los Rios District Board of Directors announced the renaming of the facility to the "Harris Center for the Arts," honoring Chancellor Emeritus Brice Harris who, during his tenure, oversaw a doubling of the size of the District including the development of Folsom Lake College. He, together with then President of the College Thelma Scott-Skillman, was perhaps most responsible for seeing the vision of a Regional Performing Arts Center for the community realized.

The 80,000-square-foot center includes three stages and is located at Folsom Lake College. The venue, initially called Three Stages at Folsom Lake College, opened in 2011.

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