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Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter, 28 February 1940, in Atlanta, Georgia) is a Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter with a distinctive guitar sound.

South had several hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s with songs such as "Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home" and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes". His biggest and most remembered single was "Games People Play" (1969), a Top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It won the "Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song", the "Grammy Award for Song of the Year", and which bears a striking resemblance to the children's gospel song, "I Don't Want to Be a Pharisee". It was featured on his first album, Introspect.

He had met and was encouraged by Bill Lowery, an Atlanta music publisher and radio personality. He began his recording career in Atlanta with National Recording Corporation, where he served as staff guitarist along with other NRC artists Ray Stevens and Jerry Reed. South's earliest recordings have been re-released by NRC on CD.

South songs have been recorded by other artists. They include Lynn Anderson's 1971 hit "(I Never Promised You a Rose Garden", Billy Joe Royal's hit "Down in the Boondocks," Deep Purple's "Hush" (a British hit many years later for Kula Shaker), the Osmonds' hit "Yo-Yo," and Elvis Presley's Las Vegas-era version of "Walk a Mile in My Shoes", also recorded by Bryan Ferry and Coldcut.

South was also a prominent sideman, recording the memorable guitar part on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools", Tommy Roe's "Sheila" as well as appearing on Bob Dylan's album Blonde on Blonde. He also played the electric guitar part that was added to Simon & Garfunkel's first hit, "The Sound of Silence".

The suicide of his brother, Tommy, drove South into a deep depression.^{[citation needed]} Tommy had been his backing band's drummer and accompanied South not only in live performances, but also on recording sessions when South produced hits for other artists, including Billy Joe Royal, Sandy Posey, and Friend & Lover.

South was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1979.

In 1988 Dutch DJ, Jan Donkers, interviewed Joe South for VPRO-radio. The radio show where they aired the interview also included four new songs, but a new record was not released.

In 1994 South played several concerts in England.

On 13 September 2003 South was inducted into Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and played together with Buddy Buie, J.R. Cobb and Chips Moman at the induction ceremony.

• 1968 Introspect (Capitol)
• 1969 Don't It Make You Want to Go Home (Capitol)
• 1969 Games People Play (Capitol)
• 1971 Joe South (Capitol)
• 1971 So the Seeds Are Growing (Capitol)
• 1972 A Look Inside (Capitol)
• 1975 Midnight Rainbows (Island)
• 1976 You're the Reason - Compilation of early 1960's singles) (Nashville/Decca Records)
• 2006 Games People Play / Joe South (re-issue)

• Allmusic Entry
• Nashvillesongwriters Foundation