Joe South whose Games People Play was no. 65 in my Friday on my Mind posts has died.

Joe was multi-talented. He played all the instruments on Games People Play as well as singing and writing the song. He contributed to Bob Dylan’s LP Blonde on Blonde as a bass player and to Aretha Franklin’s Chain of Fools.

I have also featured his song Hush with which Deep Purple had their first British hit. Joe’s version can be found on You Tube.

After Games People Play won a Grammy Award Joe felt under pressure to come up with great songs every time. Many other artists have covered his songs including Elvis Presley with Walk a Mile in my Shoes. Joe’s version of that song is below. He also had a Grammy nomination with (I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden with which Lyn Anderson had a big hit.

Joe South: Walk a Mile in my Shoes

Joe South (Joseph Souter) 28/2/1940 – 5/9/2012. So it goes.

Sad news about Jon Lord.

I confess I wasn’t much into Deep Purple but I did first hear them in the 60s when they released the Joe South song Hush, which while not a hit in the UK reached no. 4 in the US.

I also remember Emmaretta as a single and of course Black Night and Strange Kind of Woman made the top ten in the early 70s.

Their album title The Book of Taliesyn always intrigued me but I it’s not one I remember ever hearing. Deep Purple In Rock however was unavoidable. If you didn’t have it yourself someone in your group of friends would. Speed King and Child in Time were especially well regarded.

I hadn’t remembered Hush as having so much of Lord’s organ playing in it. But it does so it seemed appropriate.

Deep Purple: Hush

Jonathan Douglas Lord:- 9/6/1941 – 16/7/2012. So it goes.

This is one of those sixties songs that you never hear much nowadays.

I suppose it was a protest song, of sorts.

South also wrote Walk A Mile In My Shoes which was a hit for Elvis in 1970.

Another of his songs was Hush which I remember Deep Purple released as their first single.

South’s website is here. If you click on the link it belts out Games People Play very loudly.

Joe South: Games People Play