That time J.J. Cale told me that any help I could give him, he’d appreciate

By Steve Newton I realize I've mentioned it before--maybe more than once--but holy crap do I love J.J. Cale. He left us in 2013, but my fondness for the guy hasn't dwindled at all since he shuffled off this mortal coil. He was the personification of laidback cool--not to mention criminally underrated guitar prowess. My … Continue reading That time J.J. Cale told me that any help I could give him, he’d appreciate

That time J.J. Cale told me that he was an old man by the time he made his first album

By Steve Newton Man, I just love listening to my old tapes of me talkin' with J.J. Cale. It's not as great as listening to his music, obviously, but there's something about J.J.'s Oklahoma accent--if there is such a thing--and his laidback tone that just makes me feel good. Here's a short audio excerpt from my … Continue reading That time J.J. Cale told me that he was an old man by the time he made his first album

That time I asked J.J. Cale what it was like growing up in Tulsa

By Steve Newton “Livin’ on Tulsa time Livin’ on Tulsa time Well, you know I’ve been through it When I set my watch back to it Livin’ on Tulsa time” Eric Clapton recorded the Don Williams song “Tulsa Time” on his 1978 Backless album, and liked it so much he recorded a live version for his Just … Continue reading That time I asked J.J. Cale what it was like growing up in Tulsa

That time I asked J.J. Cale if he’d bought anything nice with his Clapton money

By Steve Newton Back in 1990 I did my first interview with J.J. Cale, who you may recall is one of the wickedest damn songwriters and guitar players that the United States of America has ever produced. A couple of years earlier there was a TV commercial for Michelob beer in heavy rotation, featuring Cale’s … Continue reading That time I asked J.J. Cale if he’d bought anything nice with his Clapton money

That time I asked J.J. Cale why it took him seven years to get an album out

By Steve Newton I feel extremely fortunate to have interviewed J.J. Cale a couple of times during the legendary songwriter's lifetime. The first time was back in 1990, when he was touring behind his first album on the Silvertone label, Travel-Log, which featured the incredible James Burton on guitar. It was Cale's first album in seven … Continue reading That time I asked J.J. Cale why it took him seven years to get an album out