J.J. Cale

J.J. Cale Born John W. Cale On December 5 1938 In Oklahoma City 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". 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. 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 Mark Knopfler Neil Young And Bryan Ferry 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". read less