Singer songwriter J.J. Cale passed away on Friday. He was best known for his collaboration with Eric Clapton, and wrote two of Clapton's most charted songs: "Cocaine," and "After Midnight."
Cale was 65 when he succumbed to a heart attack, but during his life he was a musical legend. He began his career in Oklahoma, where he teamed up with Leon Russell and other Tulsa players. After brief stints in Nashville and Los Angeles, he returned to Tulsa and made his living, and his reputation, there.
Cale wanted nothing to do with the spotlight or stardom. All we wanted was to play his music and write his songs. Fortunately, Clapton heard him and, aside from making several of his songs immortal, adopted much of Cale's laid back demeanor for his early solo records.
His was a voice that inspired many musicians who were famous, among them Neil Young, Leon Russell, and Mark Knofler. He wrote and sang in a lilting, laid-back manner that helped shift a lot of rockers to a quieter, more reflective approach. And because he never sought the spotlight, Cale kept his voice and his integrity intact.
He will be missed.
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