Back in 1989 or so, at the tail end of the decade I lived in LA, I was an active member for several years of a great organization called the National Academy Of Songwriters (NAS). One of their most popular and prestigious events was an annual show called "Salute To The American Songwriter", where they would put together a spectacular line-up of hit songwriters and artists to perform their iconic chart toppers at a beautiful LA theater. One of my favorite memories was being seated next to Michael McDonald before he went onstage to do his own set.
But the year I will never forget and cherish the most was when they enlisted a bunch of us "up-and-coming songwriters" to help them run the show. I was one of the "artist liaisons" and was assigned 3 songwriters to take care of for the evening, get them to and from the stage from their green rooms/dressing rooms, and make sure they had everything they needed.
One was the songwriting team of Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, who were the dream team hit machine behind such iconic chart toppers as "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper, "Alone" for Heart, "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles and on and on. Just churning out hit after hit all over '80s radio and MTV, they were on fire! I admired their work so much and was very excited to meet them, true songwriting heroes of mine at the time. Unfortunately, my recollection of my experience with them was that they were total divas who thought they were rock stars and treated me like "the help" and were extremely rude, arrogant, and dismissive. Oh well. Sometimes meeting your heroes is not all it's cracked up to be. I did my due diligence for them and kept my distance.
The 3rd songwriter I was assigned to assist was a true legend and one of my all-time heroes: none other than JD Souther.
J.D. Souther co-wrote some of the biggest hits for the Eagles, including "Best of My Love", "Victim of Love", "Heartache Tonight", and "New Kid in Town". "How Long", which appeared on Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden, was written by Souther and originally recorded on his first solo album in 1972. Souther recorded two major hit songs in his solo career: "You're Only Lonely" (1979) and "Her Town Too" (1981), a duet with his longtime friend James Taylor. J.D. also co-wrote one of my personal all-time favorite songs "Heart Of The Matter" with Don Henley and Mike Campbell, which was one of Henley's most successful solo hits. He also dated and wrote songs for/with Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks. Great taste in everything!
When I arrived at J.D's dressing room to introduce myself and present my services to him, give him his call time, etc., I was braced for anything after dealing with the Kelly/Steinberg dual diva energy. J.D. stopped what he was doing, stood up, shook my hand, and said, "Kimberlye, so nice to meet you! Let me introduce you to everyone!", and proceeded to introduce me to his wife and everyone in the room, saying, "This is Kimberlye and she is going to be helping us tonight!" Then he turned back to me and said, "Would you care to join us?" He literally invited me to eat with them. Of course, I knew I wasn't supposed to do that, but that kind and inclusive gesture was something I can still hear echoing in my ears right now. Each time I had to interact with him, get him to and from the stage, etc., he was so gracious and appreciative, like I was doing him this huge favor. I can still feel his generosity of spirit and warmth.
At the end of the very long show, I was somewhere backstage, finishing my P.A. duties and preparing to leave, and suddenly, there was JD Souther, who tracked me down personally to thank me again for being such a big help to him and how lovely it was to meet me. This guy was a lifelong songwriting legend and he couldn't have been more humble or ingratiating to this awestruck newbie songwriter who was still learning the ropes. J.D. went out of his way to express his appreciation and acknowledge me. It was a lesson I still carry with me today.
It was SUCH a stark contrast between the diva dudes who were the "It Guys" at the time and the true songwriting gentleman legend who will never go out of style. The definition of a "mensch".
R.I.P. JD Souther. Thank you for setting the bar SO high on every level. The world is a better place because of you.