Although he is known to many for his tunes that other artists made famous, JJ Cale was a consummate guitarist and songwriter who wrote a huge number of songs during a career that spanned from the 1950s until his unexpected death on July 26, 2013. A new album titled Stay Around (Because Music) presents 15 unreleased songs that were recorded, mixed and produced by Cale in his home studio, and which were chosen by his wife, Christine Lakeland Cale, and his friend and longtime manager, Mike Kappus.
John Weldon Cale started his career in the early 1960s as a sound engineer, but the key to his ultimate success was an unwavering devotion to songwriting. He realized early on that it gave him the best chance of making a living at music. And it paid off big time.
“I had already given up on the business part of the record business and had moved back to Tulsa and gotten me a job playing with some friends of mine,” Cale said. “When Eric [Clapton] cut ‘After Midnight,’ it opened up a bunch of doors, and I drove over to Nashville, and that’s when Naturally [Cale’s 1971 debut] was done.” He went on to make another 15 albums, his last two being 2006’s The Road to Escondido and 2009’s Roll On.
Cale’s career was fast-tracked by Clapton’s recordings of “Cocaine,” “Travelin’ Light” and “I’ll Make Love to You Anytime,” and his fame was further bolstered by Lynyrd Skynyrd releasing “Call Me the Breeze” in 1975. His songs always seemed ideal for interpretation, which helps explain the diverse cadre of artists that recorded or performed his tunes, including Johnny Cash, the Band, Chet Atkins, Freddie King, Santana,