Homefires II

This handsome guitarist/singer/songwriter had it all. On country radio since childhood, he became a session guitarist in Nashville and at Muscle Shoals. He formed his own band, with his brother on drums, and went on to have hit songs and earn the highest awards in music. If all this weren't enough, his songwriting abilities were such that he provided hits for other artists across the genres of country, pop, and heavy metal.
In 1971, at the height of his fame, his brother commited suicide. With this, he walked away from the music business. He has since become a recluse.

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Need some more hints?

Those extremely tasty guitar licks you hear on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" are his. It's his electric guitar you hear on Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence." Bob Dylan loved his playing so much, he put him all over his "Blonde on Blonde" album. When the English band Deep Purple sing "I can't eat, y'all, and I can't sleep," they are using this Southern boy's words. Billy Joe Royal would be lacking some classic hits were it not for his writing, and country singer Lynn Anderson owes her career to his pen.
Always uncomfortable with live performances, he has been known to invite the audience to kiss his ass.

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Congrats to Russ the Tacjammer for calling it first. In addition to his work as a sideman on classic recordings; and writing songs like "Hush," "Down in the Boondocks," and "Rose Garden;" Atlanta native Joe South, born Joe Souter, also won the 1969 Grammys for Best Contemporary Song, and Song of the Year for his writing and recording of "The Games People Play."

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Whoops. I got an unhappy letter about running this on a weekend. You're right. I'll try to save these for during the week.