I was saddened by the news today that J.J. Cale had died at the age of 74.
Like most people, my initial exposure to J.J. Cale’s music came through recordings by others — most notably, “Cocaine” and “After Midnight” by Eric Clapton. Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded a solid version of “Call Me the Breeze” and so many others cherry picked his songs that they have become a part of the aural landscape.
But Cale was a great recording artist in his own right, which I learned by doing what I did often back in my late teens and early 20s — checking the label for songwriting credits and then seeking out the people who originally recorded many of the songs I loved.
I was working at WEHR East Halls Radio at Penn State at the time and pulled Cale’s music from our stacks after seeing his name on the label for Clapton’s classic, self-titled debut, which featured “After Midnight” — along with the Clapton-penned “Blues Power” (with Leon Russell) and “Let It Rain” (with Bonnie Bramlett). I loved what I was hearing, a kind of laid-back funky blues that not only influenced Clapton’s ’70s sound (not just the solo, but nearly everything he recorded up through the live Just One Night album (nearly everything that followed, unfortunately, was failed pop or blues that was overly respectful of its source).
Four Cale albums stand out for me — Naturally, recorded after Clapton had a hit with “After Midnight”; Troubadour, which features “Cocaine”; 5; and Shades — though, on some level, the albums are interchangeable. They all feature the same basic formula — flawless guitar work, Cale’s understated voice and introspective and often funny lyrics, a steady, chooglin’ boogie.
Overall, he release 15 studio and live albums — including the fabulous, Grammy-nominated The Road to Escondido, which ended up being Clapton’s finest late-career move and a bit of a swan song for Cale. It is a soulful, playful record, tightly focused and cleanly produced, that breathed some air into Clapton’s stale blues.
Despite that nomination, Cale remained a bit of a cult figure. He was never quite in fashion as a performer, but he has always held an important place in my record collection and I am glad I stumbled across his music back when I was still learning my way.
Hank Kalet 