Eric Clapton has released the animated lyric video for his new single, "Call Me the Breeze," and you can check it out below.
The track is from The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale, a new album attributed to Eric Clapton & Friends. It will be released July 29.
In terms of friends, "Call Me the Breeze" features guitarist Albert Lee, who also famously joined Clapton on the popular live version of "Cocaine" from 1980's Just One Night album. That song was, of course, also written by Cale.
Of course, more friends came along for the ride. The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale features 16 of Cale’s songs performed by Clapton, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Derek Trucks and Don White.
Clapton has often called Cale one of the most important figures in rock history. He was a massive influence on Clapton, who covered several of Cale’s songs, including “After Midnight” and “Cocaine.”
“I would like people to tap into what JJ Cale did,” Clapton says. “That’s the point. I’m just the messenger; I’ve always felt that that’s my job. I try to interpret things so that the public at large, or at least the people who listen to what I do, will become intrigued about where I got it from.”
Cale died July 26, 2013, leaving behind a rich legacy of music and work. A singer, songwriter and guitarist in his own right, he was an originator of the Tulsa Sound, a mix of blues, country, rockabilly and jazz stylings.
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He was unknown and nearly finished with the music business when Clapton cut “After Midnight” in 1970, helping to bring Cale to prominence. Over the following years, his songs were covered by everyone from Waylon Jennings and Bobby Bare to Kansas and Lynyrd Skynyrd, who had a hit with “Call Me the Breeze.”
Look for our interview with Clapton in the upcoming September 2014 issue of Guitar World. For more about Albert Lee, check out the current July 2014 issue of Guitar World, which features a "Dear Guitar Hero" interview with the guitarist.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
