John David Souther
(November 2, 1945 – September 17, 2024)
was an
American singer,
songwriter,
and actor.
He was
"a principal architect of
the Southern California
sound and a
major influence
on a
generation of songwriters".
Souther wrote
and co-wrote
songs recorded by
Linda Ronstadt
and some of
The Eagles
biggest hits,
including
"Best of My Love",
"Victim of Love",
"Heartache Tonight"
and
"New Kid in Town".
"How Long",
which appeared on
The Eagles'
Long Road Out of Eden,
came from
Souther's
first solo album.
He recorded two hit songs
in his solo career:
"You're Only Lonely"
(1979)
and
"Her Town Too"
(1981),
a duet with
James Taylor.
He had a brief
acting career
and appeared
on TV
and in movies.
He played with
The Eagles
on their
2008 farewell tour.
John David Souther
is the
debut album
American
singer-songwriter
released in 1972.
The song
"How Long"
was recorded by
The Eagles
for their 2007 album
Long Road Out of Eden,
from which it was
released as a single.
It was a
Grammy award winner
for them under the
Best Country Performance
by a Duo or Group
with Vocal category.
Background
Souther
was one of the
first artists
signed by
David Geffen
to Asylum Records.
Souther had
previously collaborated
with Glenn Frey
in a folk duo called
Longbranch Pennywhistle.
Souther later joined with
Chris Hillman
and
Richie Furay
to form
The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band
after the release
of his solo debut.
They recorded
two albums
before he returned
to his solo career.
Black Rose
is the
second album
by American
singer-songwriter
J.D. Souther
released in 1976.
It includes
Souther's version
of
"Faithless Love"
released by
Linda Ronstadt in 1974.
Ronstadt would later cover
"Simple Man, Simple Dream"
and
"Silver Blue"
from this album.
Reception
In his retrospective
review for Allmusic,
critic
William Ruhlmann
called it an
"excellent album steeped in
the Southern California
country-rock sound
of the '70s".
In a review for
Rolling Stone,
Stephen Holden wrote,
"John David Souther’s
second solo album
benefits from a beautiful,
all-star
Peter Asher production.
More sophisticated
than either
his first album
or the two
Souther-Hillman-Furay albums,
Black Rose
underscores
Souther’s melodic writing,
his strongest point,
with some genuinely
innovative arrangements
by
David Campbell,
the classically
trained musician
who scored
“Prisoner in Disguise"
for Linda Ronstadt.
"Silver Blue,"
much of which
Campbell has scored
as a duet for
voice and plucked
double bass
and violas,
is a starkly
arresting production,
while setting
"Faithless Love"
into a semiformal
piece for voice,
acoustic guitar
and chamber ensemble
transforms a
prettier-than-average
country-rock ballad
into an eloquent one.
"Doors Swing Open,"
a complex tune
based on ninth
and minor sixth chords,
boasts an elegantly
lush arrangement
that both gives
it shape
and highlights
its lovely chromaticism."
