This is the artist we grew up listening to without ever knowing his name. The man whose songs are more famous than him.  He was only ever a rumour when we were growing up, spoken of in hushed tones only after a few shots of rum down the throat and “Cocaine” blaring on the stereo. The man Eric Clapton tried to copy for years (listen to “Call Me The Breeze” and then listen to Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally” and tell me what you think). This is the man from whom you can draw a direct line to Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits. The guy who influenced a legion of incredible guitar players from Jeff Beck to Tom Petty and John Mayer. The guy about whom Neil Young says: “When I think of great guitarists I think of Jimi Hendrix and J.J. Cale. There is no one better than him.”.

This is J.J. Cale!

“Call Me The Breeze” is Cale’s signature song. It was on his ’71 debut album “Naturally” which also has Crazy Mama, Magnolia (wow!), Don’t Go To Strangers (love it!) and After Midnight (yum!) – now that’s what a killer debut album sounds like! If you’ve never heard Cale before, this album is a great place to start.  A soft, sweet, chilled out song about a man free as the wind, it has such a wonderful 12-bar Blues groove, showcasing Cale’s finger picking style perfectly. And that Voice…. Gravelly, deep, lyrical, reciting rather than singing. The song actually embodies Cale – it’s perfect combination of lyrics, music, vocals and production, all done by the man who was like the breeze himself. Laid-back, cool, complex yet simple, stripped back and perfect in every note.

Covers of Cale’s songs are more famous than he is or his original versions are. And actually, Cale preferred it that way. A very private person, Cale’s first twelve albums didn’t even feature his face on them. As he famously said “I want the fortune without the fame”.  

Clapton’s cover of “Cocaine” is a perfect example of this. I first heard it on “In The Groove” on Yuva Vani when I was in Class 8 – I think on a school trip to Chatarpur farms. Over the decades I very naturally always assumed “Cocaine” was a Clapton original. I mean, come on – it was THE song we associated with Clapton growing up! It was only recently, maybe six years ago, that thanks to Spotify, I discovered J.J. Cale and found his original. Now, don’t get me wrong, Clapton’s hard rocking version is spectacular! But Cale’s version is just perfection – bluesy, jazzy and infinitely chilled!  This is now my favourite version of the song (much like the Clapton unplugged version of Layla is now my favourite version of that song)

Actually, Clapton’s cover of After Midnight came before Cocaine, on his debut solo album in ’71. Of course Clapton’s version was big on the soundtrack of my teenage years. It really rocks ! And, just like Cocaine, it never even entered my head that it was a cover. To be fair, Clapton really owns the song on his version, and very rightfully it became his first ever solo hit, getting to #18 in the US. But…..Cale’s version beats Clapton’s, hands down.

If you ever want to see a superstar do the fan boy thing, watch this video of J J Cale playing at Clapton’s Crossroads festival in 2004. Clapton has this endearing goofy look on his face all through the song – as if he can’t believe that the Great J.J. Cale is right there on the stage with him. And this from the guitar player they used to call God! The most endearing part of the song is at 35 seconds or so – Cale gives Clapton the nod to step up to the mic and sing his song. Clapton says “no” with a look that says “ Guruji, you’ve got to be kidding me”! And Christina Lakeland, J.J. Cale’s partner for years and years, gives that incredible smile of hers that turns my stomach to mush! (Lakeland, just like Cale is a private person and for the longest time, they never even formally acknowledged that they were married!)

John Weldon Cale grew up in Tulsa, and moved to LA in ’64. He made money being a sound engineer and playing the guitar in bars, changing his name to “J.J. Cale” to avoid being mistaken for John Cale, the bassist for the Velvet Underground. While in LA, he wrote “After Midnight” and recorded a demo, giving away copies of it to friends in the music industry in the vain hope of getting recognition and maybe a recording contract. He was playing in a band called Delaney & Bonnie (D&B) but a few months later, discouraged by his lack of success, he went back to Tulsa, doing odd jobs and playing bards to earn a living. Meanwhile, back in LA, D&B kept growing its personnel, becoming D&B and Friends – and at one stage, Eric Clapton (and even George Harrison) played with D&B!  

In late ’69 Clapton was ready to go solo. He had been a member of some of the biggest rock bands and was wearing of the whole rock star dream. He asked Delany to be the producer of his first solo album. One evening in the studio in London, Delany played for Clapton the demo of “After Midnight” that his old pal JJ Cale had given him years ago. Clapton loved it and on the spot decided to record a version of the song for his debut solo album. The single was Clapton’s first solo hit. Of course, back in Tulsa, Cale knew nothing about Clapton doing a cover of his song….until he heard it on the radio: “I was dirt poor, not making enough to eat and I wasn’t a young man. I was in my thirties, so I was very happy. It was nice to make some money.” And that……..was finally the start of the recording career of this incredible artist – at the age of 34!!

“Don’t take her for granted, she has a hard time
Don’t misunderstand her or play with her mind
Treat her so gently, it will pay you in time
You’ve got to know she’s the sensitive kind
You’ve got to know she’s the sensitive kind
Tell her you love her, each and every night
And you will discover she will treat you right”

Now you guys know that my favourite band of all time is Dire Straits. Their debut album was literally love at first listen. There’s something about the band’s sound that has captured me ever since I was 16 years old. Every song on that debut album is just simply, perfection. Mark Knopfler’s guitar play and his laconic reciting/signing is mesmerising. And over the years, album after album, that guitar and that singing has just kept me locked in. And then recently….. I discovered J.J. Cale. His influence on my favourite band is so blindingly plain to see, I wonder whether without Cale, there might ever have been a Dire Straits. When I listen to “Sensitive Kind” I can very easily picture Mark Knopfler singing “Water of Love” or “Brothers In Arms” or “So far Away” – some of my favourite tracks of all time.

Cale has of course been covered by loads of big names – Clapton, Santana,  Lynyrd Skynyrd , Randy Cawford, Cissy Houston (Whitney Houston’s mom), Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Johnny Cash, Dr. Hook, George Thorogood…the list goes on and on!!  

Cale was genius enough to have created an entire genre of music – the Tulsa sound. It’s an intoxicating mix of blues, rock, country, and jazz that is melodious, laid-back, infectious, soothing and fun all at the same time. Most times when I listen to Cale, I find an unbidden grin on my face, my feet tapping and a calm sense of all’s-well-with-the-world descends on me. His music is sublime. Complexity made to sound so simple. Poetry set to music. Restrained. Impactful. Under-played. Under-sung. A balm to the soul. …..Man, I wish I had discovered him much earlier! 

Do me a favour. Just have a listen to the Best Of J.J. Cale album. You’ll thank me !