J.D. Souther

A collaboration with James Taylor ("Her Town Too") from Taylor's Dad Loves His Work album, reached number 11 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. He released a new album of solo material, Living Things in late 2004, though the material on the album was recorded in 2002. His biggest hit as a solo artist was his 1979 Orbison-like song "You're Only Lonely" from the album of the same name, which reached the top 10 of the Billboard charts. In early 2002 he formed the supergroup The Thorns with Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge. He also wrote songs for Linda Ronstadt. Sweet's international success had been somewhat limited by his fear of flying; however he gained a significant following in Japan and his most recent album, Kimi Ga Suki * Raifu, was a Japan-only release in 2003. He is probably best known in his songwriting capacity, having co-written some of the biggest hits for The Eagles, including "Best of My Love", "Victim of Love" and "Heartache Tonight". Decidedly out of the musical mainstream, Sweet would issue a few more albums in the second half of the decade and maintain a devoted core of fans, but critical acclaim and chart success would be hard to come by.

In the mid 1970s, Souther formed the "Souther Hillman Furay Band" with Chris Hillman and Richie Furay. In 1995, Sweet displayed a sense of irony on his next album, 100% Fun, mixing bouncy pop style with darker lyrics, including a leadoff track, the self-deprecating "Sick of Myself". Souther was greatly influenced by fellow Texan, Roy Orbison, whose sound he tried to emulate. A more diverse and less immediately accesible album than Girlfriend, the album divided fans and critics who had mixed reactions to emotionally intense and brooding tracks like "Someone to Pull the Trigger" and "Knowing People". Souther, born John David Souther on November 3, 1946 in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Amarillo, Texas, is a singer-songwriter and country rock singer. Sweet's follow-up album, 1993's Altered Beast, was borne out of an apparent determination not to become mainstream. J.D. The video for the title track was featured on MTV, featuring Manga-style animation, of which Sweet is a fan.