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. In 1980 (see 1980 in music), several members departed, and the remainder continued performing for the next two decades, and are still a popular live draw. 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. They left Avco for H&I and the Stylistics' popularity rapidly declined in the US, though their British popularity continued for the rest of the 70s. He also wrote songs for Linda Ronstadt. They struggled hard to find producers who could come up with the right material, and partnerships with Hugo & Luigi and Van McCoy were notably unsuccessful. 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". Just as with The Delfonics, The Stylistics were to some extent a vehicle for Bell's own creativity.

In the mid 1970s, Souther formed the "Souther Hillman Furay Band" with Chris Hillman and Richie Furay. The group split with Thom Bell in 1974, and the split proved devastating commerically to the group. Souther was greatly influenced by fellow Texan, Roy Orbison, whose sound he tried to emulate. Their hits from this period included "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "I'm Stone in Love with You", "You Make Me Feel Brand New" "Stop, Look, Listen To Your Heart" and "You Are Everything". 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. The bittersweet lyrics from Creed were a key factor in creating hugely memorable music. J.D. Bell imported the sweet soul techniques he had perfected with the Delfonics and his arragmements worked perfectly with Thompkins' falsetto.