J. D. Souther

J. D. Souther is, to me, the quintessential songwriter's songwriter, a man whose fingerprints are all over the Southern California sound without his name being a household word. Penning or co-penning Eagles classics like "New Kid in Town" and "Heartache Tonight," plus hits for Linda Ronstadt, he shaped a generation while standing slightly offstage. There is something deeply admirable about an artist content to give his best melodies to other voices. His passing in 2024 closed a remarkable chapter, but those songs remain immortal. I find his quiet, foundational genius far more moving than any chart-topping fame ever could be.

Name (English)

J. D. Souther

Name (Japanese)

J.D.サウザー

Reading

J.D.さうざー

Born

November 2, 1945 – September 17, 2024

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Scorpio / Rooster

Origin

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Occupation

songwriter / actor / composer / musician / singer

High school

Tascosa High School

• Official sitehttps://www.jdsouther.net
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/jdsouther/
• Xhttps://x.com/jdsouther
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD%20Souther
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.D.%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A6%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BC
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q346374

Tags

• Michigan
• songwriter
• actor
• composer

Last updated

2026-06-17

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.