JJ CALE - TULSA 1975 (R.I.P. 1938-2013)

 Sad to note the death of JJ Cale, a major songwriter and fascinating guitarist (did anyone really register what he DID with that early box!? It was a 'Harmony' which I have a few of . . but that's another story - see below) with the so laidback he's horizontal reputation. 'Naturally' I bought when it came out over here and was never off the turntable and 'Clyde' for some reason remained a favourite and always made me smile and never fails to still. Later the good Captain (Beefheart! Pay attention at the back!) covering 'It's the Same Old Blues' was a favourite and of course it didn't take me long to check the connection with JJ. 'After Midnight' & 'Cocaine' became Clapton classics and I'm sure the publicity did JJ a heap of good but for me I preferred the Cale originals . . . . .

Here's a doozie of a set from Big O . . . who say

US singer-songwriter JJ Cale has died of heart attack at the age of 74. An announcement on his website said he had passed away at a hospital in La Jolla, California, on July 26, 2013. 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'. Born in 1938, John Weldon Cale adopted the name JJ Cale to avoid being confused with John Cale of the Velvet Underground. Building up on the success of 'After Midnight', he recorded Naturally - the first of his 14 studio albums. The BBC also reported that Cale pioneered the use of drum machines, and was famous for his personal laid-back singing style.

JJ Cale - 'Raisin’ Cain’s' - Live at Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa, OK

With Eric at his Crossroads Festival when JJ was in his sixties . . . . .
. . . . . . . and chug a lugging like a good 'un!

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JJ's Harmony H162

 From Harmony Databases

JJ Cale's Harmony

The Harmony afficionado may have noticed the Harmony inspiration on JJ Cale "Troubadour" LP cover. But there is more. On many of his most well known albums, JJ Cale used a "fifty dollar Harmony" in studio. This guitar, born as a Harmony H162, had been "a bit modified"- check by yourself on the images 

"My favorite guitar is this old fifty dollar Harmony, now backless for easier access to the electronics. Originally it was a round hole acoustic, but I've added five pickups for making records and playing concerts. Four of the pickups are Gibson, two of which are low impedance for recording direct. The other bar type pickup came from a Sears Silvertone guitar, it was manufactured by Danelectro. The guitar has three high impedance outs and one low."

From an interview, the modified guitar had seen a lot of use, and was damaged (!) during a plane trip. He said he still had it, somewhere in a closet...... ... ... ...

Rest in Peace JJ