J. J. Cale

Infobox musical artist
Name = J. J. Cale


Img_capt = J.J. Cale in Concert - Munich, Germany 1975 (Circus Krone)
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = John W. Cale
Born = Birth date and age|1938|12|5|mf=y
Died =
Origin = Flagicon|United States Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Instrument = Guitar, piano, keyboards,
bass guitar, drums
Genre = Cajun
Blues
Swamp rock
Occupation = Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1958–present
Label =
URL = [http://www.jjcale.com/ www.jjcale.com]

J. J. Cale (born John W. Cale on December 5, 1938, in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter and musician best known for writing two songs that Eric Clapton made famous, "After Midnight" and "Cocaine", as well as the Lynyrd Skynyrd hits "Call Me The Breeze" and " I Got The Same Old Blues". Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean Jacques Cale". According to keyboard player, Rocky Frisco, "The 'Jean Jaques' crap was created by a drunk French 'journalist' who got thrown out of the venue and made a lot of crap up to pretend he had done an interview". In fact, a Sunset Strip nightclub owner employing Cale in the mid-1960s came up with the "J.J." moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale. [ [http://www.undercover.com.au/news/2004/aug04/20040821_jjcale.html] ] In the 2006 documentary, "To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J. J. Cale", Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail.

Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a very loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has often been described as "laid back", and is characterized by shuffle rhythms, simple chord changes, understated vocals, and clever, incisive lyrics. Cale is also a very distinctive and idiosyncratic guitarist, incorporating both Travis-like fingerpicking and gentle, meandering electric solos. His recordings also reflect his stripped-down, laid-back ethos; his album versions are usually quite succinct and often recorded entirely by Cale alone, using drum machines for rhythm accompaniment. Live, however, as evidenced on his 2001 "Live" album and 2006 "To Tulsa And Back" film, he and his band regularly stretch the songs out and improvise heavily.

Many artists, including Eric Clapton [cite web|url=http://www.whereseric.com/news/2006/09/guitar-legends-jj-cale-eric-clapton-cd-release-the-road-to-escondido.html|title=Guitar Legends J.J. CALE AND ERIC CLAPTON Unite For an Epic, Soulful CD Release “THE ROAD TO ESCONDIDO”|date=2006-09-14|accessdate=2008-05-06|publisher=whereseric.com] cite web|url=http://www.jambase.com/Articles/11208/J.J.-Cale-The-Early-Years|title=J.J. Cale: The Early Years|date=2007-08-17|accessdate=2008-05-06|publisher=Jam Base] , Mark Knopfler, Neil Young Fact|date=February 2008 and Bryan FerryFact|date=February 2008, have noted Cale's influence on their music; several artists in addition to Clapton have made hits of Cale songs, and many more have covered them. His most covered songs include "Call Me the Breeze", "Sensitive Kind", "After Midnight", and "Cocaine".

Cale is also well known for his longstanding aversion to stardom, extensive touring, and even continual recording. He has happily remained a relatively obscure cult artist for the last 35 years.

The release of his album, "To Tulsa and Back" in 2004, his appearance at Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, and the 2006 release of the film documentary, "To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J. J. Cale", have brought his understated discography and songwriting to a new audience. This mainstream exposure continued into late 2006 with the release of a collaborative album with Eric Clapton, "The Road to Escondido", which won "Best Contemporary Blues Album" at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008.

Discography

*1958 "Shock Hop/Sneaky" [45 - as Johnny Cale]
*1960 "Troubles, Troubles/Purple Onion" [45 - as Johnny Cale Quintet]
*1961 "Ain't That Lovin You Baby/She's My Desire" [45 - as Johnny Cale Quintet]
*1966 "A Trip Down The Sunset Strip" (with the Leathercoated Minds)
*1971 "Naturally"
*1972 "Really"
*1974 "Okie"
*1976 "Troubadour"
*1979 "5"
*1980 "Shades"
*1982 "Grasshopper"
*1983 "Number 8" with Steve Ripley, Jim Keltner...
*1984 "Special Edition" (a compilation of hits from previous albums)
*1990 "Travel Log"
*1992 "Number 10"
*1994 "Closer To You"
*1996 "Guitar Man"
*1997 "Anyway the Wind Blows"
*1998 "The Very Best of J. J. Cale"
*2000 "Universal Masters Collection"
*2001 "Live"
*2004 "To Tulsa and Back"
*2006 "Collected" (with Bonus Tracks) (Dutch release only)
*2006 "The Road to Escondido"
*2007 "

Cover songs

Songs by Cale have been covered by the following artists:
*Asha Puthli: "Right Down Here", "Lies"
*Brad Absher: "The Sensitive Kind"
*Chet Atkins: "After Midnight"
*The Band: "Crazy Mama"
*Band of Horses: "Thirteen Days"
*Beck: "Magnolia"
*The Barcodes: "Don't Go To Strangers"
*Tom Barman (dEUS): "Magnolia" & "After Midnight"
*Jimmy Boyd: "Will I Cry"
*Brother Phelps: "Any Way the Wind Blows"
*Captain Beefheart: "Same Old Blues"
*Larry Carlton: "Crazy Mama"
*Johnny Cash: "Call Me The Breeze"
*Eric Clapton: "After Midnight", "Cocaine" (on "Slowhand"), "I'll Make Love To You Anytime", "Travelin' Light", "Any Way the Wind Blows" (with Cale on "The Road to Escondido")
*David Allen Coe: "Call Me The Breeze"
*Clyde Cotton Band: "River Runs Deep"
*Randy Crawford: "Cajun Moon"
*Daddy's Favorite: "Let Me Do It To You"
*Deep Purple: "Magnolia"
*Dr. Feelgood: "No Time"
*Dr. Hook: "Call Me The Breeze", "Clyde"
*Jose Feliciano: "Magnolia"
*Bryan Ferry: "Same Old Blues"
*Fistula: "Cocaine"
*Jerry Garcia Band: "After Midnight"
*Clarence Gatemouth Brown: "Don't Cry Sister"
*Cissy Houston with Herbie Mann: "Cajun Moon"
*Waylon Jennings: "Call Me The Breeze", "Clyde, Louisiana Women"
*Kalinov most: "Sensitive Kind" (with original Russian lyrics, as "Devochka letom" - "Girl in Summertime")
*Kansas: "Bringing It Back"
*Freddie King: "Same Old Blues"
*David Kitt: "Magnolia"
*Christine Lakeland "Borrowed Time", "Ain't Love Funny"
*Lefay: "Cocaine"
*Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Bringing It Back", "Call Me The Breeze", "Same Old Blues"
*John Mayall: "The Sensitive Kind"
*Sergio Mendes: "After Midnight"
*moe.: "Call Me The Breeze"
*Maria Muldaur: "Cajun Moon"
*Nazareth: "Cocaine""
*Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: "Thirteen Days", Call Me The Breeze "
*Poco: "Cajun Moon", "Magnolia"
*Phish: "After Midnight", "Ain't Love Funny"
*Toni Price: "Like You Used To"
*The Radiators: "After Midnight, "Crazy Mama", "Magnolia"
*Ramshackle: "Lies"
*Redbone: "Crazy Mama"
*Johnny Rivers: "Crazy Mama", "Don't Go To Strangers"
*Santana: "The Sensitive Kind"
*Merl Saunders with Jerry Garcia: "After Midnight"
*Seldom Scene: "After Midnight"
*Chris Smither: "Magnolia"
*Spiritualized: "Call Me The Breeze" performed and recorded as "Run"
*George Thorogood and the Destroyers: "Devil in Disguise"
*Pat Travers: "Magnolia"
*Widespread Panic: "Ride Me High" (on "Live in the Classic City"), "Travelin' Light" (live on "Light Fuse, Get Away" and studio version on "Space Wrangler")
*Bob Wilber Quintet: "After Midnight"
*Wire: "After Midnight"
*Bill Wyman and The Rhythm Kings: "Anyway The Wind Blows"
*Francis Cabrel: "Mama Don't"

References

External links

* [http://www.jjcale.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.jjcale.net/ J. J. Cale Fan Network]
* [http://www.kickfilm.de/en/info.php?film=To_Tulsa_and_back__On_tour_with_JJ_Cale "To Tulsa and back - On Tour with J. J. Cale"] Documentary about J. J. Cale
* [http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/jjcale/ Yahoo fan site]
*VH1: [http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/cale_j_j_/bio.jhtml Biography]
* [http://www.einseitig.info/html/content.php?txtid=492 Laid Back – Thirty years under the influence of "Cocaine"]
*NPR: [http://www.npr.org/display_pages/features/feature_1924087.html June 2004 story]
*Rocky Frisco: [http://www.rockyfrisco.com/ Rocky Frisco] Cale's Pianist
* [http://www.christinelakeland.com/ Christine Lakeland] Cale collaborator – a brilliant musician and songwriter herself.