» PRELUDE
We each have a musical origin story—a time and place that a love of music was born within us and, for me, that was growing up in the 70s with an older brother who was heavy into the Southern California country-rock scene that included artists like Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, the Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Warren Zevon, and an immensely talented guy named John David Souther, JD for short.
If you grew up during that time, you probably knew who JD Souther was, but my guess is that the majority of my readers today aren’t familiar with him, though many will know plenty of songs he was responsible for writing or co-writing, several of which were recorded and performed by the well-known artists I mentioned above.
JD had a successful solo career of his own, although he was often referred to as “the fifth Eagle” having written several hit songs recorded by that band, including “New Kid In Town” and what would turn out to be their very first number one single “Best Of My Love.” Probably the most well-known hit of his solo career was the 1979 chart-topper “You’re Only Lonely” which reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went to #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts for several weeks in a row.
JD Souther possessed immense talent as a songwriter, and as a singer, his distinctive smooth and soulful tenor made his voice instantly recognizable. From the time I was five years old to today, anytime I hear him sing, I’m immediately comforted. I’m reminded of my older brother who I’m very close to and love very much, who is solely responsible for introducing me to music in the first place. And I’m reminded of that time, my childhood, when life was simple and happy and the world seemed full of magic and possibility—all the things that adulthood either beats out of you or causes you to forget.
JD Souther passed away peacefully at home this past week on September 17, 2024, at the age of 78. No cause of death has been provided, but I assume his passing was sudden and unexpected since he was set to begin a tour with another of his contemporaries, Karla Bonoff, a mere two weeks later.
Over recent years, we’ve lost numerous musical greats who gained popularity during the same era—Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, David Crosby, Warren Zevon, Tom Petty, and John Prine to name just a few—but Souther’s passing hit me especially hard. Maybe it’s the austere call to attention that those we consider musical giants are, in fact, merely human like the rest of us—a sobering reminder that no one here gets out alive.
Parasocial as my relationship to JD Souther may have been, it was a longstanding one, him having been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Hence, I’ve felt profound sadness over his passing.
I’ve been listening to his music repeatedly this week, and so I put together a special playlist of my favorite songs which were either written or co-written by him, and all of which he sings on either as lead or background vocalist.
I hope that you’ll honor me by honoring him and listen to these songs which have meant so much to me over the last fifty years. In doing so, I hope you’ll discover your own love for some or all of them.
“I always think that today is the best day that there’s ever been. The song that I’m working on is always the best song I’ve ever written. The woman I’m looking at is the most incomprehensibly beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. These dogs that I have now are, by far, the best dogs I’ve ever had - although, so were the last pair of dogs I had.”
–JD Souther
Zappagram’s JD Souther playlist is available on Apple Music and Spotify.
Thanks for reading and for listening.
Ground control to reader: Take your protein pills. Put your helmet on. This newsletter ain’t gonna read itself.
» WEEKLY PLAYLIST
Zappagram #126 featuring: Próxima Parada, Father John Misty, Monica Valli, Bon Iver, Deep Sea Diver, Birdtalker, Beau Lucas, Friko, Wilderado, Jane’s Addiction [Spotify | Apple Music]
Zappagram’s JD Souther playlist featuring: JD Souther, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt, Christopher Cross, Don Henley [Spotify | Apple Music]
Zappagram playlist (3+ years of featured music): [Spotify | Apple Music]
» MUSIC NEWS
» 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. ❖
» Josh Tillman has announced his sixth Father John Misty studio album. Mahashmashana lands on November 22 via Sub Pop. Tillman has also shared a song from the album, “Screamland,” which features musical contributions from Alan Sparhawk of Low. Watch it below and scroll down for Father John Misty’s new tour dates, many of which are with my buddy Butch Bastard. ❖
» Paramore’s Hayley Williams spoke out against Donald Trump and Project 2025 during the band’s performance last night at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles, encouraging attendees to use their vote to make their voices heard. Williams made her feelings known while the group was performing “Big Man, Little Integrity.” “Project 2025 is Donald Trump‘s playbook for controlling and punishing women, poor people, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community,” said Williams. “It is time for all Americans to band together and to finally defeat the Trump agenda. And the only way to do that is by confronting him at the polls. Do you want to live in a dictatorship? Well show up and vote!” Williams then walked across the stage with her middle finger up in the air. I wasn’t a fan before, but now I am. ❖
» As everyone knows by now, Jane’s Addiction cut short a show in Boston after frontman Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro onstage. The band issued an apology and canceled Sunday night’s show in Bridgeport, Connecticut, as a result of the incident. Jane’s Addiction have now canceled the rest of their North American tour. Dave Navarro has indictaed that this is probably the end of the line for Jane’s Addiction. ❖
» Andrew Bird and his frequent collaborator Madison Cunningham have announced a new album: Cunningham Bird finds the musicians fully covering Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks’ landmark 1973 album, Buckingham Nicks. ❖
» Sierra Ferrell, arguably the roots-music queen of the moment, made good on her ascendance with two top wins at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards, picking up trophies for both artist of the year and album of the year at Wednesday’s ceremony in Nashville. ❖
» Sean “Diddy” Combs has been arrested in New York and criminally indicted by a federal grand jury. He has been charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Diddy pleaded not guilty to all charges on Tuesday (September 17) in court. He was also denied bail and will remain in custody. ❖
» Last year, Benjamin Gibbard revived the Postal Service for co-headlining tour dates with his other major band, Death Cab for Cutie. After a ton of shows, across 2023 and 2024, Gibbard is once again putting the Postal Service on indefinite hiatus. ❖
» Given that we live in the day of batshit crazy news, when I saw the folowing headline my first thought was, “Yeah sure, why not?” Ice T’s Body Count Recruit David Gilmour for Cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” ❖
» Jack White made 10 shows from his “No Name Tour” available for purchase on the live music platform nugs.net. This includes White’s recent concerts in Nashville and Detroit, and several of his gigs in Washington, DC. Festival sets in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark have been uploaded as well. ❖
» After spending the better part of the past month in a public spat with his former Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr, Morrissey has now announced that he’s “severed all connections” with his management. The announcement came in the form of a very to-the-point statement posted on Morrissey’s website, which read: “Morrissey has severed all connections with Red Light Management / Pete Galli Management.” Beyond that, there are no details as to why the parties parted ways, but Morrissey had only signed with Red Light this past February, making their working relationship a relatively short one. ❖
» The Cure have sent out a batch of cryptic postcards to fans this week seemingly teasing their long-awaited new album, Songs of a Lost World, as well as its November 1st, 2024 release date. The band, who have not released a new album since 2008’s 4:13 Dream, began teasing their new album by swapping their social and website logos to an all-black one; then, guitarist Reeves Gabrels shared a link directing fans to the band’s newly-redesigned website, urging them to sign up for a new mailing list. As well, a billboard advertising the new album has recently appeared in Times Square. ❖
» Bright Eyes released their new album Five Dice, All Threes on Friday, and they were planning to celebrate its release with a trio of shows in New York City, Chicago (at Riot Fest), and a hometown concert in Omaha, Nebraska. But after a rough warm-up show in Cleveland earlier this week, the band have canceled all three shows. According to attendees of the Cleveland show who shared their experiences on Reddit, Conor Oberst was visibly intoxicated during the set and, at times, couldn’t play guitar or remember lyrics. ❖
» If you visit the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas this fall, there’s a good chance that you can receive a guided tour by a real-life punk legend, and at least one classic rocker. Members of Operation Ivy, Circle Jerks, Ramones, and even the not-as-punk-but-still-cool ZZ Top will be on hand to show you around and share stories. ❖
» Pink Floyd are in “advanced talks” with Sony Music to sell their back catalog for about $500 million, the Financial Times reports. The sale would include hits from the past 50 years like “Money,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “Another Brick in the Wall.” However, the report cautions that “there is no guarantee of an agreement this time given the past problems.” The update comes after David Gilmour recently told Rolling Stone it would be a “dream” to sell Pink Floyd’s catalog and get out of the “mud bath” — likely referencing his contentious relationship with former bandmate Roger Waters. ❖
» Tito Jackson, singer and co-founding member of the Jackson 5, has died at the age of 70. Tito was the third of the Jackson family’s nine children and the older brother of Michael and Janet. ❖
» B-SIDES
» Stevie Wonder announces last-minute U.S. arena tour ❖
» A Perfect Circle, Primus, and Puscifer announce 2025 “Sessanta V2.0” tour ❖
» Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus announces new memoir Fahrenheit-182 ❖
» Deftones announce 2025 North American tour dates ❖
» David Gray announces new album Dear Life, 2025 Tour Dates ❖
» Ani DiFranco announces 2025 “Unprecedented Sh!t: The Tour” ❖
» Metallica announce 2025 North American tour dates ❖
» Mogwai announce 2025 Tour of Europe, Asia, and North America ❖
» Warped Tour to return in 2025 ❖
» Z-REX
I’ve shared this all over the internet this past week, but wanted to share it again here in this newsletter because it’s a perfect example of why JD Souther was so great. JD co-wrote “Her Town Too” with James Taylor (and Waddy Wachtel) and this live performance shows how beautiful his voice was and how perfectly it blended with James Taylor’s. I don’t have a source or an exact date for this performance, but it was likely sometime in 1981, the same year JT’s album, Dad Loves His Work, was released. ❖
» MUSIC SHOWCASE
BAND PROFILE
Próxima Parada is an American band from San Luis Obispo, CA. A group of four with wild fantasies of promoting joy, human connection, and making introspection sexy again. Starting in 2012 as a group of college friends wanting to connect with their community in San Luis Obispo, CA, Próxima Parada never dreamed that they'd perform at beautiful venues across the country, that their music would soothe and inspire people around the world.
ALBUM PROFILE
Into The Way (released Sept 20, 2024) is simultaneously folky and soulful. It sounds fresh and modern, while retaining a sort of retro, nostalgic vibe. This album is, unquestionably, one of the best I’ve heard all year and was an instant add to my music library, something that only happens on rare occasion. No skips.
LISTEN
RATING
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(5 out of 5)
» NEW RELEASES
Bob Dylan & The Band: The 1974 Live Recordings • Bright Eyes: Five Dice, All Threes • Butthole Surfers: Locust Abortion Technician (Vinyl Reissue) • Fleetwood Mac: Mirage Tour ’82 (Live) • Galaxie 500: Uncollected Noise New York ’88-’90 • Gregg Allman Band: Uncle Sam’s • Hippo Campus: Flood • Jamie xx: In Waves • Jesse Malin: Silver Patron Saints • Joan as Police Woman: Lemons, Limes and Orchids • Julian Casblancas + The Voidz: Like All Before You• Phil Collins: Both Sides (All The Sides) Box Set • Próxima Parada: Into The Way • Sade: Love Deluxe (Vinyl Reissue) • Sarah Jarosz: Polaroid Lovers (Deluxe Edition) • Thurston Moore: Flow Critical Lucidity • Wilderado: Talker
» RELEASE RADAR
- SEPT 27 -
Alan Sparhawk: White Roses, My God • Alice in Chains: Black Gives Way to Blue (Vinyl Reissue) • Billy Strings: Highway Prayers • The Fray: The Fray Is Back EP • Gavin DeGraw: Chariot 20 • Genesis: Invisible Touch (Vinyl Reissue) • Golden Blue: “Forever Young” (single) • Kate Bollinger: Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind • Lou Reed: Why Don’t You Smile Now: Lou Reed at Pickwick Records 1964-65 • October Drift: Blame the Young • Tropical Fuck Storm: Tropical Fuck Storm’s Inflatable Graveyard
- OCT 4 -
Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume II (Expanded Edition) • Better Than Ezra: Friction, Baby (Vinyl Reissue) • Coldplay: Moon Music • Don Henley: Building the Perfect Beast (40th Anniversary Edition) • Finneas: For Cryin’ Out Loud! • Hazlett: Goodbye to the Valley • Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit: Live From the Ryman Vol. 2 • Joni Mitchell: Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) • Leon Bridges: Leon • Neil Young: Freedom (Vinyl Reissue) • Suede: Dog Man Star (30th Anniversary Edition)
- OCT 11 -
Chat Pile: Cool World • Dawes: Oh Brother • The Linda Lindas: No Obligation • The Offspring: Supercharged
- OCT 18 -
Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan: In Session (Reissue) • Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked for the Holidays (Vinyl Reissue) • Fantastic Negrito: Son of a Broken Man • Japandroids: Fate & Alcohol • Jerry Cantrell (of Alice in Chains): I Want Blood • Joy Oladokun: Observations From a Crowded Room • MC5: Heavy Lifting • Phantogram: Memory of a Day • Tim Heidecker: Slipping Away • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition)
- OCT 25 -
Amyl and the Sniffers: Cartoon Darkness • Bootsy Collins: Album of the Year # 1 Funkateer • Bryan Ferry: Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023 • Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Live at Fillmore East, 1969 (2024 Mix) • Green Day: American Idiot (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) • Laura Marling: Patterns in Repeat • Lone Justice: Viva Lone Justice • Pixies: The Night the Zombies Came • Soccer Mommy: Evergreen • Tears For Fears: Songs for a Nervous Planet (Live)
» ON THIS DATE
- SEPT 23 -
Birthdays: Ray Charles (1930) • Bruce Springsteen (1949) • Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California was shut down for a 15-song set by Paul McCartney on the roof of the El Capitan Theatre as an estimated crowd of 10,000 listened from the street. (2013) • Robert Hunter, Grateful Dead lyricist, died at age 78. (2019)
- SEPT 24 -
Birthdays: Linda McCartney (1942) • Peter Salisbury drummer of The Verve (1971) • Nirvana released their seminal album Nevermind in the U.S. (1991)
- SEPT 25 -
Birthdays: T.I. (1980) • Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino (1983) • John Bonham, drummer with Led Zeppelin, died aged 32 after a heavy drinking session. (1980) • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed their final show at the Hollywood Bowl. Petty died of an accidental drug overdose a week later. (2017)
- SEPT 26 -
Birthdays: Bryan Ferry (1945) • Tiran Porter of The Doobie Brothers (1948) • Olivia Newton-John (1948) • Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos (1954) • Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl (1962) • Robert Palmer died of a heart attack aged 54 in Paris. (2003)
- SEPT 27 -
Birthdays: Randy Bachman (1943) • Meat Loaf (1947) • American drummer Russ Kunkel (1948) • Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind (1966) • Lil Wayne (1982) • Avril Lavigne (1984) • Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones was arrested for possessing marijuana during a drug bust in New York's Greenwich Village. (1990) • Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship died at the age of 76. (2018)
- SEPT 28 -
Birthdays: Ed Sullivan (1902) • Ben E. King (1938) • Paul Burgess of 10cc (1950) • Young Jeezy (1977) • Annie Clark, a.k.a. St. Vincent (1982) • Miles Davis died. (1991)
- SEPT 29 -
Birthdays: Jerry Lee Lewis (1935) • Mick Harvey of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds (1958) • Brett Anderson of Suede (1967) • Joshua Farro of Paramore (1987) • Halsey (1994) • Julien Baker (1995) • Prince & the Revolution started a two-week run at #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Let's Go Crazy.” (1984) • American blues guitarist Otis Rush died from complications of a stroke aged 84. (2018) • U2 played the first night of their concert residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas. (2023)
» CODA
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May your vinyl records remain unwarped unlike your sense of humor. 🤘🏻
RIP. I knew him mainly for writing the Eagles hits, as well as the fact that he had a top 40 hit duetting with James Taylor on "Her Town Too".
I love your posts. Thank you. 🙏🏻