What a Diverse Group of Hits From Joe South

What a diverse group of songs and they were all hits.
Joe South who passed away today at the age of 72 wrote the following:

Down In The Boondocks
Games People Play
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
Hush

Billy Joe Royal had a hit with Boondocks. It seems like that song was recorded at the wrong speed, much like Billy Joel's Cold Spring Harbor.  It doesn't matter. It worked.  He sounded happy, the lyrics were not.  As in Hush, the guy doesn't have the girl, but he's still hoping.

Down in the boondocks
People put me down 'cause
That's the side of town I was born in
I love her she loves me but I don't fit in her society

Jumping from Boondocks to Hush, a big hit for Deep Purple.

Does this clip at the Playboy Mansion get any groovier? Check out the hair and Hugh's pipe.

Of course there was Games People Play.  South had his own hit.

South was also an accomplished guitarist playing on everything from Dylan's Blonde on Blonde to Simon & Garfunkel's Sounds Of Silence.   What a legacy to leave behind.