Songwriterobit: Joe South

Joe South, singer and songwriter, has died.

His story starts off brilliantly: hits as a singer, hits as a songwriter. But then things changed for the worse in the early 70s. South was crushed by his success, as the LA Times explains:

"The Grammy Awards are a very nice gesture by the record industry, but they can really mess up your head," South told Times rock critic Robert Hilburn in 1970, months after he accepted the honors for "Games People Play."

"The Grammy is a little like a crown. After you win it, you feel like you have to defend it. In a sense, I froze. I found it hard to go back in to the recording studio because I was afraid the next song wouldn't be perfect."

He then rolled through drug problems and divorce, and stalled comebacks. But he had his song credits to nourish him. Luckily, he was coverable in lots of ways:




Joe South was 72; he died following a heart attack.