J.J. Cale - on sounding the same . . . . . "it just sounds like me!” (Performing Songwriter) Don's Tunes

 “People say each of my albums sounds just like the previous one,” says J.J. Cale. “I’ve tried to change, but whenever I finish something, it just sounds like me.”

Lots of fans—including Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler and Neil Young—are happy that’s the case. Beginning with such songs as “After Midnight,” “Cocaine” and “Call Me the Breeze,” Cale has adhered to a laid-back, economical style centered on groove-oriented guitar lines, low-key vocals and a country-blues vibe. Countless high-profile artists have covered his songs—sometimes injecting them with a heavy dose of blues-rock fuel—but Cale himself has, by choice, remained largely under the public radar.

"I suppose the biggest compliment a songwriter can receive is when somebody else sings your songs. I’m more proud of the long list of people who have done my songs than, say, the money or the records I’ve made. When someone cuts your song—whether it’s good or bad—you feel great."

Source: Performing Songwriter

Photograph by Jay Blakesberg

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