RIP: J. J. Cale

Yesterday, one of my favourite music artists passed away.

J. J. Cale died in a hospital in La Jolla from a heart attack. He was 74.



I've been listening to his stuff for years. While he's better known as a songwriter whose songs were covered by Eric Clapton, Santana, etc., I started off listening to him because I was browsing through a CD store and liked the CD cover.

Since that point, I've listened to all of his music. Of course, 'Cocaine', 'After Midnight' and his other famous songs are great, but there were a lot of songs that never made the charts that were equally good. He's been called a pioneer of the Tulsa sound, but like a lot of people, I think his music is just laid-back and cool. Excellent driving, background listening - fun, without being bland. He never seemed to want the fame, though he admitted to being happy with the money.

His albums were uneven, with some songs being unremarkable. So, if you're looking for a place to start with his music, I'd suggest the compilation double-CD, 'Anyway the wind blows'. It really is excellent.

RIP, J. J. Cale. Thanks for the music.........you'll live forever in the tunes you crafted.