Cale, one of the most versatile musicians of his era, helped create the Tulsa Sound, which combined blues, rockabilly, and country. PHOTO: BBC.
CALIFORNIA: The Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and composer JJ Cale passed away on Friday 26 July of a heart attack at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, according to BBC.
Cale was 74 years old at the time of his death.
Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, John Weldon Cale adopted "JJ" as moniker in the mid 1960s to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground’s John Cale.
Cale, one of the most versatile musicians of his era, helped create the Tulsa Sound, which combined blues, rockabilly, and country. He became particularly famous in 1970, when Eric Clapton covered his songs After Midnight and Cocaine.
Eric Clapton went on to record many more JJ Cale compositions over the years, including "I’ll Make Love To You Anytime", "Travelin’ Light" and "Angel".
"The Road to Escondido," which won Cale the 2008 Grammy, was also recorded by Eric Clapton.
Following the success of "After Midnight", Cale went on to record more than a dozen studio albums. He pioneered the use of drum machines, and was famous for his personal laid-back singing style.
Besides Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Neil Young and Bryan Ferry are some of the many other artists quoting JJ Cale as a big influence on their own works.
JJ himself, though, always sustained a slight aversion to stardom. He happily remained relatively obscure for decades.
In an interview, JJ Cale said:
"I’m a guitarist and a songwriter and I got lucky when Clapton heard one of my songs. I’m not a showbiz kind of guy. I had the passion to do music as much as anybody. But I never wanted to be the patsy up front. And I still don’t want to be famous."
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