Supergroup initiated in 1973 by producer David Geffen, founder of the Asylum Records label, The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band brought together J.D. Souther (vocals, guitar), Chris Hillman (ex-The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Manassas, vocals, bass, guitar, mandolin) and Richie Furay (ex-Buffalo Springfield and Poco, vocals, guitar), accompanied by studio musicians Paul Harris (keyboards), Al Perkins (pedal-steel guitar), Jim Gordon (drums) and Joe Lala (percussion). Given the pedigree of each member, the first album, The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band (1974), was a gold disc success, charting at #11 on the Billboard charts, with a hit single, "Fallin' in Love" (#27). From their initial country-rock sound, the band evolved towards the soft-rock style then in vogue in California with their second album Trouble in Paradise (1975), which was less successful (ranked no. 39 on the Billboard charts). In fact, the title sums up the tensions that arose during the sessions between the band's three strong personalities, and saw the departure of Jim Gordon, replaced by Ron Grinel. After the inevitable split, J.D. Souther pursued a successful songwriting career solo or with Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, Chris Hillman reunited with his former Byrds bandmates Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn, then formed The Desert Rose Band, while Richie Furay went solo and reunited with Poco in the late 1980s. J.D. Souther died on September 17, 2024 at the age of 78.
