J.J. Cale
Encyclopedia
JJ Cale born John Weldon Cale on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
, is a Grammy Award
-winning American singer-songwriter
and musician. Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound
, a loose genre drawing on blues
, rockabilly
, country
, and jazz
influences. Cale's personal style has often been described as "laid back".
His only U.S. hit single, Crazy Mama, peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back
Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand
to promote the song, which would have moved the song higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words to the song.
His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine
" by Eric Clapton
, "Magnolia" by Jai
, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas
, "Call Me the Breeze
" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic
, "Tijuana" by Harry Manx
, and "Sensitive Kind" by Carlos Santana
.
. Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". A Sunset Strip
nightclub owner employing Cale in the mid-1960s came up with the "JJ" 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.
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, is a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning American singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and musician. Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound
The Tulsa Sound
The Tulsa Sound is a musical style that originated in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was a mix of Rockabilly, Country, Rock 'n' Roll, and Blues sounds of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Tulsa Sound artists include JJ Cale, Rocky Frisco, Leon Russell, Elvin Bishop, Roger Tillison, Gene Crose, David Gates,...
, a loose genre drawing on blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
influences. Cale's personal style has often been described as "laid back".
His only U.S. hit single, Crazy Mama, peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back
To Tulsa and Back
To Tulsa and Back is the thirteenth studio album by J. J. Cale. Released in 2004.-Track listing:# "My Gal" 4:23# "Chains of Love" 3:37# "New Lover" 3:12# "I Step" 3:20# "Stone River" 3:42# "The Problem" 4:31# "Homeless" 3:25# "Fancy Dancer" 4:50...
Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
to promote the song, which would have moved the song higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words to the song.
His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine
Cocaine (song)
"Cocaine" is a song written and recorded by JJ Cale in 1976 and most widely known in a cover version recorded by Eric Clapton. Allmusic calls the latter "among [Clapton's] most enduringly popular hits" and notes that "even for an artist like Clapton with a huge body of high-quality work, 'Cocaine'...
" by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, "Magnolia" by Jai
Jason Rowe
Jason Rowe, who formerly recorded under the name Jai, is a British pop and soul singer currently residing in Bristol, England.- Biography :...
, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas
Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
, "Call Me the Breeze
Call Me the Breeze
"Call Me the Breeze" is a song by J. J. Cale. It first appeared on his 1971 debut album, Naturally, as the opening track. The song consists of a 12-bar blues guitar shuffle over the backing of a primitive drum machine...
" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic
Widespread Panic is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. The current lineup includes guitarist/singer John Bell, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Todd Nance, percussionist Domingo "Sunny" Ortiz, keyboardist John "JoJo" Hermann, and guitarist Jimmy Herring...
, "Tijuana" by Harry Manx
Harry Manx
Harry Manx is a musician who blends blues, folk music, and Hindustani classical music. He was born in the Isle of Man where he spent his childhood and now lives on Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada....
, and "Sensitive Kind" by Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
.
Biography
Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, OklahomaOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
. Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". A Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
nightclub owner employing Cale in the mid-1960s came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
. 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.
Singles
- 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]
- 1971 Crazy Mama [45 as J.J. Cale], from the album Naturally, peaked at #22 on the U.S. single charts on April 8, 1972.
Albums
- 1966 A Trip Down The Sunset Strip (with the Leathercoated MindsLeathercoated MindsThe Leathecoated Minds was a 1966-67 psychedelic studio-based band masterminded largely by Snuff Garrett and J J Cale. The band produced one album, A trip down the Sunset Strip, co-produced by Cale and Garrett, and released in stereo and mono versions on Garrett's Viva label in 1967 and on the...
) - 1972 NaturallyNaturally (J.J. Cale album)Naturally is the debut album by J. J. Cale. First released in 1972, it includes his song "After Midnight" which was first recorded by Eric Clapton in 1970....
- 1973 ReallyReallyReally is the second album by J. J. Cale. It was released in 1973.-Track listing:All tracks written by JJ Cale unless otherwise indicated.# "Lies" – 2:57# "Everything Will Be Alright"# "I'll Kiss the World Goodbye"# "Changes"# "Right Down Here"...
- 1974 Okie
- 1976 Troubadour
- 1979 5
- 1981 ShadesShades (J.J. Cale album)Shades is the sixth album by J. J. Cale. Released in 1981.-Track listing:All songs written by J. J. Cale# "Carry On" 2:20# "Deep Dark Dungeon" 2:10# "Wish I Had Not Said That" 3:23# "Pack My Jack" 5:13# "If You Leave Her" 2:42...
- 1982 Grasshopper
- 1983 #88 (J.J. Cale album)#8 is the eighth album by JJ Cale. Released in 1983.- Track listing :- Personnel :* JJ Cale – Vocals, Guitar, Drums, Arranger, Piano, Bass* Steve Ripley – Guitar , Engineer* Ray Edenton – Guitar* Weldon Myrick – Guitar...
- 1984 Special Edition (a compilation of hits from previous albums)
- 1990 Travel LogTravel LogTravel-Log is the ninth album by J. J. Cale. It was released in 1990.-Track listing:All tracks written by J. J. Cale, unless otherwise noted.# "Shanghaid" 2:37 - Audie Ashworth, J.J. Cale# "Hold On Baby" 3:02# "No Time" 3:13# "Lady Luck" 2:41...
- 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 BackTo Tulsa and BackTo Tulsa and Back is the thirteenth studio album by J. J. Cale. Released in 2004.-Track listing:# "My Gal" 4:23# "Chains of Love" 3:37# "New Lover" 3:12# "I Step" 3:20# "Stone River" 3:42# "The Problem" 4:31# "Homeless" 3:25# "Fancy Dancer" 4:50...
- 2006 Collected (with bonus tracks) (Dutch release only)
- 2006 The Road to EscondidoThe Road to EscondidoThe Road to Escondido is an album by J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton. It was released on November 7, 2006. Contained on this album are the final recordings of Billy Preston, to whom the album is dedicated....
(with Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
) - 2007 Rewind: The Unreleased RecordingsRewind: The Unreleased RecordingsRewind: The Unreleased Recordings is an album by J. J. Cale. It was released on October 2, 2007. This album contains a number of unreleased tracks recorded between 1971 and 1983.-Track listing:# "Guess I Lose" - 2:51# "Waymore's Blues" - 2:39...
- 2009 Roll OnRoll On (J. J. Cale album)Roll On is the fourteenth studio album released solely of J. J. Cale penned material. It has been released on February 24, 2009, by Rounder Records. Songs include "Who Knew", "Former Me", and "Roll On;" the latter of which is the title track, and is a collaboration with Eric Clapton...
- 2011 The Silvertone Years (A collection chronicling JJ Cale's music released by Silvertone Records between 1989-1992)
External links
- J.J. Cale Official website
- "To Tulsa and back - On Tour with J.J. Cale" Documentary about J.J. Cale
- VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
: Biography - Laid Back – Thirty years under the influence of "Cocaine"
- JJ Cale Fan Network
- NPR: June 2004 story
- Rocky FriscoRocky FriscoBorn Don Roscoe Joseph III in Saint Louis, Missouri on July 26, 1937, Rocky Frisco is the pianist with the J. J. Cale Band.Frisco and Cale both attended Tulsa Central High School in the 1950s, with Frisco graduating in 1955 and Cale in 1956. They played together in Gene Crose's band starting in...
: Rocky Frisco Cale's Pianist - Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Cale, John Weldon
- On his Casio 360 guitar
- To Tulsa and back - On Tour With J.J. Cale