J.J. Cale, a quietly influential singer-songwriter who stayed in the background while better-known musicians had hits with his songs, including “After Midnight,” “Cocaine” and “Call Me the Breeze,” died July 26 of a heart attack in La Jolla, Calif.
He was 74.
Cale won a Grammy Award for best contemporary blues album for “The Road to Escondido,” a recording he made in 2006 with Clapton, but for years he was content to live in obscurity and let his understated songs speak for themselves.
Cale was considered a reclusive enigma because his records seldom had his picture on them and because he rarely went on extensive tours. He lived for years in a rural area outside San Diego without a telephone. Survivors include his wife of 16 years, Christine Lakeland, a musician who often played in his bands.
Rest in peace, Mr. Breeze!
CALL ME THE BREEZE
COCAINE
AFTER MIDNIGHT
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Sad loss. He was dedicated to his craft.
ReplyDeleteTrue Alex-he had a good run, and lived doing what he loved, but still a loss to the music world.
DeleteLC
This is sad :( He sounds like my kind of person, not wanting to be in the limelight but still doing his thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment the other day - to be honest I have no idea how sales are doing, except that I know I have sold 4 CDs here in Australia. ;) It's definitely slow going in that regard, and yet it's my own fault for not really putting it out there. Friends and family are spreading the word like mad but I won't expect to "sell out" anytime soon. ;)
Trisha-
DeleteHe got to live doing what he loved, and that is so rare.
And kudos to you for getting the CD done. I've written boatloads of song lyrics over my life, and have collaborated a few times with musicians but never taken that step (I did have other bands record three of my songs but no one hit the big time).
While I probably would not have wanted to be in the limelight, I've been told the lyrics are quite good, and it would have been neat to see them end up getting heard by a wider audience.
I hope you sell enough to warrant continuing-whatever you do, don't become an accountant!
I loved Cocaine - the song, not the drug. He sounded like a great guy. Modest. More focused on the music than his image. You don't see enough of that in music these days. Rest in peace.
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