
J.J. Cale
John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been widely acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knopfler, Neil Young and Eric Clapton, who described him as "one of the most important artists in the history of rock". He is considered to be one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz. Many songs written by Cale have been recorded by other acts, including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton; "Call Me the Breeze" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mayer, Johnny Cash, and Bobby Bare; "Clyde" by Waylon Jennings and Dr. Hook; "I Got The Same Old Blues" by Captain Beefheart, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Freddie King, and Bryan Ferry; "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic; and "Magnolia" by Poco, Pat Travers, Beck, Lucinda Williams, Iron & Wine, José Feliciano, Ben Bridwell, John Mayer with Eric Clapton, Joan Shelley, and Sadie Johnson; as well as “Bringing It Back” covered by Kansas. In 2008, Cale, along with Clapton, received a Grammy Award for their album The Road to Escondido.
Listed On
- #2 of 25Famous Guitarists from Oklahoma
- #2 of 23Famous Bands from Tulsa
- #4 of 25Best Swamp Rock Bands
- #14 of 35Best Swamp Pop Bands/Artists
- #28 of 44The 40+ Best Red Dirt Bands & Singers, Ranked
- #59 of 59Best Cover Songs: Ranked By Artist Inspiration
- #63 of 157Rounder Records Artist Roster
- #137 of 1192Famous US Guitar Players
- #192 of 514Famous Film Actors From Oklahoma
- #211 of 609Mercury Records Complete Artist Roster
- #282 of 762Virgin Records Artist Roster
- #593 of 2169Famous Male Singer-Songwriter Artists
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