J.J. Cale, a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose compositions became hits for a host of other artists, died Friday, July 26, at age 74.
According to his website, Cale died of a heart attack at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, not far from his San Diego County home.
The guitarist, who was born December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, performed in Tulsa honky-tonks before joining the Grand Ole Opry road company. He released singles as Johnny Cale and the Johnny Cale Quintet in the late '50s and early '60s.
He relocated to Los Angeles in 1964, worked as a recording engineer and began releasing singles as J.J. Cale in 1965. One of his first singles, "After Midnight," went on become Clapton's fist hit as a solo artist. In 2006, Cale told the Associated Press, "I'd probably be selling shoes today if it wasn't for Eric."
Although Cale had a moderate hit single of his own, "Crazy Mama," which peaked at No. 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972, he cultivated a quiet anonymity, rarely doing interviews and trying to stay as close to his Southern California home as possible.
"I'm a background person," Cale told the Chicago Sun Times in 1990. "I'm not a household name. People have heard my music, but all my famous songs were made famous by somebody else ... but that was my goal."
Cale's website adds, "Donations are not needed, but he was a great lover of animals so, if you like, you can remember him with a donation to your favorite local animal shelter."
