J.J. Cale - Naturally
This week we take a listen to the 1971 debut LP by J.J. Cale Naturally. Though not a household name, J.J. Cale (or Johnny Cale as he was originally known) was a songwriter, singer, engineer, and guitarist of great renown among his fellow musicians. He has penned songs made famous by other artists (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Poco, and, most famously Eric Clapton) and he may well be one of the most influential guitarist in rock. A pillar if the "Tulsa Sound" (whatever that is), his laid back approach and his guitar style has inspired many a great axe man. Some contend that it has even been outright copied by others (albeit, subconsciously -- hello, Mark Knopfler). This, his debut, contains some of his best-known tunes, such as "They Call Me The Breeze", "After Midnight", and "Magnolia". Find out what makes this artist and this album so influential.
THINGS WE DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE
Before he moved to Los Angeles and was rechristened “J.J.” Cale was a well respected guitarist on the Tulsa, OK scene during the 1950s. He went by the name Johhny Cale and played in several well known local Tulsa bands, including including the Rockets and the Valentines.
Like many Tulsa musicians, Cale followed Leon Russell out to the “greener pastures” of Los Angeles.
Pictures (L to R) Jimmy Karstein, Larry Bell, Leon Russell and JJ Cale.
While Cale was in California, he was part of the Tulsa Review, a loose conglomeration of Tulsa ex-pat musicians that worked as session players for various artists, as well as playing live from time to time. Here’s a a couple of Tulsa musicians pictured backstage at the Hollywood Palladium in 1969.
Pictures (L to R) Jimmy Karstein, Atlee Yaeger, Gypsy Boots (a famous alternative guru and not a member of the Review), Jimmy Markham, and J.J. Cale.
Record producer and A&R guy Snuff Garrett was a big part of Cale’s career while he lived in Los Angeles in the 1960s. Ever on the the look for the next big musical trend, Garret used a group of Tulsa musicians calling themselves the Leathercoated Mindsincluding, to record a tribute to psychedelic rock and the Sunset Strip.
The album is mostly covers (to include songs by the Byrds, Donovan cover, the Yardbirds, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and Peter, Paul And Mary), but it also included several Cale originals.
Click on the album image below to hear it in all its glory.
Cale used a significantly modified Harmony H162 T on many of his early, classic records. The guitar has been damaged so Cale took the back off and put a cutaway on it and used a series of metal rods and anchors to hold the body together. he a;so installed five pickups on the guitar’s top and one in the saddle.
Watch Cale talk through the guitar in this clip (including describing how he punched a hole in it with a hammer so that he can fit a microphone!)
The progressive rock band Kansas covered “Bringing It Back” from Naturally on the their self-titled debut LP.
Here’s Cale performing “After Midnight” with his Harmony H162 Tat Paradise Studios in LA, 1979. Joining him are Leon Russell, Christine Lakeland (Cale's wife), and Bill Boatman.
Here’s Cale performing “Call Me the Breeze.”
