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AboutJoe South (real name Joseph Alfred Souter) was an American guitarist & singer-songwriter, born on February 28, 1940 in Atlanta, Georgia & died on September 5, 2012 in Buford, Georgia. He won the Grammy for Song Of The Year for "Games People Play" in 1970 & was nominated for "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden" in 1972.
The 1971 suicide of South's brother, Tommy, resulted in Joe's becoming clinically depressed. Tommy South had been the drummer in Joe's backing band and accompanied Joe not only in live performances but also on recording sessions when he produced hits for other artists, including Royal, Sandy Posey, and Friend and Lover, including their number 10 Billboard hit song "Reach Out of the Darkness". In an interview with Amy Duncan of Christian Science Monitor, South said, "I didn't see myself doing [drugs] for the kicks. I did it more or less to keep going, and to tap into inspiration. I equated the chemicals with the inspiration." South's drug use resulted in a surly attitude toward audiences, and he left Capitol after two more [unsuccessful] albums. South lived for a time in the 1970s on the Hawaiian island of Maui. He said, "I really kicked myself around for years... one of the main hang-ups was I just refused to forgive myself," he told Duncan. "You know, you can go through drug treatment centers, and it's not a permanent healing until it's a spiritual healing."
No information is available about South's first marriage, divorce or his first wife. In 1987, South made Jan Tant his second wife. South said this marriage helped turn things around, and Tant's inspiration helped him return to writing songs and occasional appearances in public.
South died at his home in Buford, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta, on September 5, 2012, of heart failure. He was 72 years old. South and second wife Jan Tant, who died in 1999, are buried in Mount Harmony Memorial Gardens Cemetery, in Mableton (Cobb County), Georgia.
South fathered one child, son Craig South, who is a voice-over artist in Southern California.
The 1971 suicide of South's brother, Tommy, resulted in Joe's becoming clinically depressed. Tommy South had been the drummer in Joe's backing band and accompanied Joe not only in live performances but also on recording sessions when he produced hits for other artists, including Royal, Sandy Posey, and Friend and Lover, including their number 10 Billboard hit song "Reach Out of the Darkness". In an interview with Amy Duncan of Christian Science Monitor, South said, "I didn't see myself doing [drugs] for the kicks. I did it more or less to keep going, and to tap into inspiration. I equated the chemicals with the inspiration." South's drug use resulted in a surly attitude toward audiences, and he left Capitol after two more [unsuccessful] albums. South lived for a time in the 1970s on the Hawaiian island of Maui. He said, "I really kicked myself around for years... one of the main hang-ups was I just refused to forgive myself," he told Duncan. "You know, you can go through drug treatment centers, and it's not a permanent healing until it's a spiritual healing."
No information is available about South's first marriage, divorce or his first wife. In 1987, South made Jan Tant his second wife. South said this marriage helped turn things around, and Tant's inspiration helped him return to writing songs and occasional appearances in public.
South died at his home in Buford, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta, on September 5, 2012, of heart failure. He was 72 years old. South and second wife Jan Tant, who died in 1999, are buried in Mount Harmony Memorial Gardens Cemetery, in Mableton (Cobb County), Georgia.
South fathered one child, son Craig South, who is a voice-over artist in Southern California.
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