J.D. Souther

For all the influence he exerted on the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, Souther didn't become a commercial prospect until the early '80s. After scoring the 1979 hit "You're Only Lonely," a Roy Orbison sound-alike if there ever was one, he made the leap from singer-songwriter to retro-oldies roots rocker. Home by Dawn, from 1984, has the big beat production of Born in the U.S.A., but the low-key Souther has just never had Springsteen's knack for bombastic choruses.