Thursday, September 06, 2012

Joe South, 1940-2012



“Are you familiar with a guy named Joe South?” Ric asked.

“I think so,” I replied. “Or am I thinking of Joe Tex?”

“Joe South is a kind of legend in the business,” Ric said. “I’ve never met him, but I’ve always been fascinated by him. He had a couple of hits a long time ago. ‘Games People Play’ was one of them. And he was a terrific guitar player. He played on Blonde on Blonde and Lady Soul. He also wrote songs that became big hits for other people. Do you remember ‘Yo-Yo’ by the Osmonds? He wrote that. ‘Hush’ by Deep Purple? He wrote that. “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” by Lynn Anderson? He wrote that, too. You think anyone else ever wrote hits for the Osmonds, Deep Purple and Lynn Anderson? The guy made it in the business not because he was the best at anything, but because he was really good at a lot of things. I’ve always thought that you were like him.”

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