Music Legends - Featured Artist JJ Cale

John Weldon Cale was an American singer/songwriter who went about doing what he loved best in a quiet, humble way yet left a lasting legacy across many different genre’s of music.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on 05 December 1938 he started playing guitar at the age of 10.

While still in high school JJ Cale joined the Western swing music scene as a guitar player. In 1964 he moved to Los Angeles where he changed his name to JJ Cale so as not to be confused with the Velvet Undergrounds John Cale. A year later, 1965, he recorded After Midnight a song which was destined to change the course of his career.

The song did not take off until Eric Clapton did a cover version, by which time Cale had given up on music and had moved back to Tulsa. When hearing the cover on the radio he realized that he had become a songwriter instead of a performer. An extract from JJCALE.COM….

The legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist, JJ Cale passed away on July 26, 2013 but the legacy he left behind is a treasured one for fans that has and no doubt will continue to inspire upcoming artists as well as rock icons around the world. Rolling Stone has stated that "his influence is immeasurable," a point reinforced by the fact that a genre-spanning list of stars including Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mayer, Johnny Cash, Captain Beefheart, Santana, The Allman Brothers, Jerry Garcia, The Band, Chet Atkins, Freddie King, Beck, Band of Horses, Jose Feliciano, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Waylon Jennings, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Lee Fields, Deep Purple, Widespread Panic, John Mayall and many more have covered his timeless music.

Praise indeed!!

I am sure many have heard Eric Clapton perform Cocaine, but this is actually a JJ Cale composition.

Eric Clapton once stated that JJ Cale ‘is the single most important figure in Rock music’.

Cale’s sound is a mix of many genre’s including Blues, Folk, Rock and Jazz. Him and fellow Oklahoman Leon Russel were credited with what is known as the ‘Tulsa sound’ … From Biography.Com

Defined by its simple, mumbled lyrics, shuffling beat, bluesy guitar lines and subtle country sound, Tulsa Sound was a sharp contrast to the psychedelic rock of the period.

Title track from his album Troubador

Despite his influence and recognition with fellow musicians, JJ Cale never became a household name. His highest ranked single Crazy Mama made it to number 22 on the US charts in 1972.

Again, from JJCale.com

In his 2003 biography, Shakey, Neil Young stated about Cale's playing:
Most of the songs and the riffs - the way he plays the f...ing guitar is so... great. And he doesn't play very loud, either - I really like that about him. He's so sensitive. Of all the players I ever heard, it's gotta be Hendrix and JJ Cale who are the best electric guitar players... musically, he's actually more than my peer, because he's got that thing. I don't know what it is.

Give this one a listen… the unassuming electric guitar… no histrionics… just great sound.

Finally in 1994 JJ Cale and Eric Clapton colluded on an album called The Road to Escondido.

There is more to this man than I have covered here… and I leave you with one more quote from JJCale.com, and two more tracks

JJ Cale was absolutely one of a kind in the music business. His impact was immeasurable but, as he intended, his personal life remained very much below the radar. Cale enjoyed being the person who focused on the crafts of writing, engineering and production rather than the pursuit of commercial success. While he has now passed on, we are fortunate that he left behind music that has and will continue to comfort us the rest of our lives.

Last Will and Testament from The Road to Escondido…. Easy listening indeed.