14 Years Ago Today, We Lost the Grammy Winner Who Recorded With Aretha Franklin and Wrote Hits for Donny Osmond, Lynn Anderson, and Deep Purple

On this day (September 5) in 2012, Joe South died of a heart attack in his Flowery Branch, Georgia, home at the age of 72. He was a singer, songwriter, session musician, and producer who worked with several legendary artists. As a session player, he played with the likes of Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin. His songwriting resume includes hits from Deep Purple, Lynn Anderson, and Donny Osmond.

As a child, South spent his Saturday mornings listening to Bill Lowery’s Uncle Eb Brown radio show. He finally met Lowery when he was 12. Before long, he was performing on the show. Notably, he co-wrote one of his first songs with his mother, a poet, and performed it on the program. Later, Lowery became South’s mentor.

Lowery and a handful of local businessmen established the National Recording Corporation in 1958. According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, he hired South, Jerry Reed, Paul Peek, and Ray Stevens as his house band. They honed their skills as live performers and studio musicians while Lowery guided them and continued to build NRC. When South wasn’t working in the Atlanta studio, he was on the road with steel guitar master Pete Drake.

South released a handful of singles over the years, but never broke into the top 10. However, his 1968 single “Games People Play” peaked at No. 12 on the Hot 100. IT also won the Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Song and Song of the Year.

Joe South Wrote Iconic Hits and Recorded with Legends

Joe South’s wide appeal is reflected in the list of artists who cut his songs. For instance, the Osmonds found chart success with “Yo-Yo” and Donny Osmond had a solo hit with “I Knew You When.” Deep Purple had their first Hot 100 hit with the South-penned “Hush.”

His biggest hit as a songwriter, though, was “Rose Garden.” Lynn Anderson’s rendition of the song topped the pop and country charts in the early 1970s. Anderson also had a No. 1 country single with “How Can I Unlove You.”

South was also an accomplished session guitarist. He played on Aretha Franklin’s Aretha Arrives and Lady Soul. Notably, he played the instantly recognizable intro on “Chain of Fools.” Additionally, he played on Simon & Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.

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South played guitar and bass on Bob Dylan’s classic album Blonde on Blonde. The only songs he didn’t appear on were “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35,” “One of Us Must Know,” and “Obviously 5 Believers.”

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