US singer-songwriter JJ Cale dies, aged 74

[Lite Beer]

US singer-songwriter JJ Cale dies, aged 74

US singer-songwriter JJ Cale has died of heart attack at the age of 74.

An announcement on his personal website said he had passed away at a hospital in La Jolla, California, on Friday.

Born in Oklahoma, Cale helped create the Tulsa Sound, which combined blues, rockabilly, and country. He became famous in 1970, when Eric Clapton covered his song After Midnight.

In 1977 Clapton also popularised Cale's Cocaine. The two worked together on an album which won a Grammy award in 2008.

Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23478101

-- BBC 2013-07-28

[Ulysses G.]

Cocaine! RIP JJ Cale.

[oxo1947]

A shady lady took All my bread

Ravished my body lord

And messed with my head

R.I.P

one of the greats.......

[khunJeroen]

How old is Clapton btw.

[thaijett]

Major Bummer!! wrote some great songs.

[sunshine51]

Cocaine was a great song. So were so many other songs by JJ Cale...here's a couple...

with Leon Russell

There's gotta be one hell of a band up there!

RIP.

[glegolo]

3 chord-songs!!!!!!

But Cocaine was really good...

Glegolo

[NumbNut]

Yes, maybe three chords... but a good song is a good song, no?

[glegolo]

Yes, maybe three chords... but a good song is a good song, no?

Yes you are right of course,,, but for me, it can be a bit tireing to listen to a whole CD

with songs that consists of only 3 chords all of them...

But I remember Clapton and his band (Cream) in the late 60:ies playing Cocaine....

3 chords or not 3 chords that is/was a fantastic group and the song was fantastic

to listen to.

Glegolo

[Maggusoil]

I guess what makes great songs great, is nobody notices they only had three chords. .

there's more to good composition than a deconstruction of its bits

After Midnight, Cocaine

great smooth rock understating

[Exsexyman]

Yes, maybe three chords... but a good song is a good song, no?

Yes you are right of course,,, but for me, it can be a bit tireing to listen to a whole CD

with songs that consists of only 3 chords all of them...

But I remember Clapton and his band (Cream) in the late 60:ies playing Cocaine....

3 chords or not 3 chords that is/was a fantastic group and the song was fantastic

to listen to.

Glegolo

'Call me the breeze' and 'Money talks' are my favourites. A great songwriter to be sure, and a very influential guitar player.

BTW glegolo, your memory is playing tricks on you. Cream broke up in 1968, JJ wrote 'Cocaine' in 1976.

[Emdog]

"But I remember Clapton and his band (Cream) in the late 60:ies playing Cocaine..." you are like my sister: she had such a good memory she could remember things that never happened! Like Cream playing cocaine. I like what Lou Reed said "One chord is rock, two is pushing it, three is jazz" (I have been accused of being a musician, btw)

[glegolo]

'Call me the breeze' and 'Money talks' are my favourites. A great songwriter to be sure, and a very influential guitar player.

BTW glegolo, your memory is playing tricks on you. Cream broke up in 1968, JJ wrote 'Cocaine' in 1976.

"But I remember Clapton and his band (Cream) in the late 60:ies playing Cocaine..." you are like my sister: she had such a good memory she could remember things that never happened! Like Cream playing cocaine. I like what Lou Reed said "One chord is rock, two is pushing it, three is jazz" (I have been accused of being a musician, btw)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes you are right, what in hell, my memory was so clear I thought, but maybe I mix it up now all these years later by this guy Clapton

being around playing with all these groups.......

Anyhow I remember now after googling. It was not Cocaine I was looking for it was: Sunshine of your love...

Sorry for that...

Glegolo

[ALFREDO]

JJ CALE

A song out of me GLORY DAYS,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwRvafqi_-U

[ChatterRat]

RIP JJ.

Magnolia, 1st note melts me every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8WzDO_hj8A

[GentlemanJim]

RIP JJ.

Magnolia, 1st note melts me every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8WzDO_hj8A

ChatterRat, That track is simply awesome, thank for posting, I forgot all about it.

[jbrain]

Why someone, from who the majority of people know only 1 song, is so well known?

[hgma]

Cloudy day (jj on you tube)

One of the greatest composers/performers of his time

JJ Cale RIP

[djvolak]

Rest in Peace! Thanks for sharing your music with us all these years. You are missed.

[hgma]

i bought my first Cale album in the 70s........Troubadour.......and up until today.....great stuff to listen to.

Timeless!!!

[bannork]

Oh, we're losing so many musicians I listened to and admired when I was young. It started back in 1995( okay forget about going way back to Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis) losing Rory Gallagher and Jerry Garcia, last year Gary Moore, this year Alvin Lee and JJ Cale.

I know it's illogical but in my mind these guys should live for ever. I've always loved that lilting rhythm in 'Crazy Mama' so simple but so effective. It's what you do with the chords not how many there are.

Neil Young often uses few chords but think of the emotion he can evoke. The same with Gene Clark, his songs are a guitarist's dream in their simplicity,but to evoke that same emotion- there's the art and talent!

[jocko]

JJ C guitar playing was a big influence on Mark Knopler he made his records in his front room with friends joining in .

RIP

[Paul1222]

RIP JJ. Thank you.

[LomSak27]

To their credit the recording companies did try to make him a star, if it never quite worked out. Troubadour got a lot of airplay on FM stations. A popular album when I was in High school and his version of Cocaine more to my tastes than Claptons.

[MilesCh]

Loved that man! And believe I had most everything he recorded and a few he didn't. Bought all on new 78's and cleaned a few up and re-recorded to 7" open reel. And when I left the States in 2010 gave them all away to friends. Did I miss any? I certainly do now!!! You couldn't beat his sets at the Sweetwater and one I caught in Sausalito. Wow!!! Got to email this website to friends.

Miles

[boomerangutang]

Loved that man! And believe I had most everything he recorded and a few he didn't. Bought all on new 78's and cleaned a few up and re-recorded to 7" open reel. And when I left the States in 2010 gave them all away to friends. Did I miss any? I certainly do now!!! You couldn't beat his sets at the Sweetwater and one I caught in Sausalito. Wow!!! Got to email this website to friends.

Miles

You bought his stuff on 78's ? - wow, that's odd. The last 78 I listened to was my dad's Jelly Roll Morton, from the 1930's.

RIP to a real bluesman - up there jamming with Albert King, Stevie Ray, and the rest......