Grammy-winning musician JJ Cale, whose best-known songs became hits for Eric Clapton with “After Midnight” and Lynyrd Skynyrd with “Call Me the Breeze,” has died. He was 74.
The performer and producer’s manager, Mike Kappus, said the architect of the Tulsa Sound died Friday night of a heart attack at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, Calif.
Born John Weldon Cale in Oklahoma City, he cut a wide path through 1970s rock ‘n’ roll, influencing some of the most famous musicians at the time with songs that were laid-back and mellow, yet imbued with a driving groove.
His album with Eric Clapton “The Road to Escondido” won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2007. Clapton also recorded Cale’s “Cocaine,” “Travelin’ Light” and “I’ll Make Love To You Anytime.”
Cale was asked on his website if it bothers him that “contemporaries and critics list him among legends, and fans might love his songs yet not even know his name?”
“No, it doesn’t bother me,” he said with a laugh. “What’s really nice is when you get a check in the mail.”
