[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H5329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MOURNING THE LOSS OF JOHN DAVID SOUTHER

  (Mr. COHEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, this morning I woke up to bad news. One of my 
friends, JD Souther, also known as John David Souther, a great singer, 
songwriter, and an actor to boot, passed away yesterday in New Mexico 
at the age of 78.
  JD wrote a lot of songs that the Eagles did and that Linda Ronstadt 
covered, and he performed some of them too. He did ``New Kid in Town.'' 
When I was elected to Congress, he came to Memphis with Jackson Browne 
to do what I considered probably the greatest fundraiser in history. It 
was a small house with a living room that had a little area above it, 
and the two of them did an hour concert for the few people they could 
cram into that living room.
  JD sang ``New Kid in Town'' about me saying that I am going to be the 
new kid in town in Congress and great expectations are thought of me. I 
think about that a lot.
  When I got elected, JD called me, and he said: Steve, you are going 
to the show.
  Well, the show is major league parlance for going to the major 
leagues, and we were both baseball fans.
  He was just a great guy. He was smart as hell. He is in the 
Songwriters Hall of Fame. He had a great voice and was so respected by 
musicians.
  I kind of got him from Warren Zevon. He was my pal, and Warren kind 
of willed him to me.
  Warren was dying, and he said: Steve, I have got a friend who is 
moving to Nashville, and you all should be friends.
  When I met him in Nashville, he said: I need to get something out of 
this, and I want to get married. Can you marry me?
  I could do marriages, and I married him at Burt Stein's house. Rodney 
Crowell was the only witness. The marriage didn't take, but I did the 
best job I could.
  JD was my friend and a great American songwriter. He will be missed.

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