Songwriter Joe South dies at 72

ATLANTA – Singer-songwriter Joe South, who penned hits in the 1960s and 1970s like “Games People Play,” and “Down in the Boondocks,” died Wednesday, his music publisher said. South was 72.

South, whose real name was Joseph Souter, died at his home in Buford, Ga., northeast of Atlanta, from natural causes stemming from a heart attack. South’s song “Down in the Boondocks” was a 1965 hit for singer Billy Joe Royal. South worked as a session guitar player on recordings such as Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools,” and on albums such as Bob Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde” and LPs by Eddy Arnold and Marty Robbins.

South also had a solo singing career producing hits such as “Games People Play,” which won him two Grammys for Best Contemporary Song and Song of the Year.

“Walk A Mile In My Shoes” and “Don’t It Make You Want to Go Home” were also hits for South. He also wrote the Grammy-nominated “(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden” for Lynn Anderson.