Carnegie Hall Stagebill Biography, 1996

If you ask half a dozen people who J. J. Cale is, you're liable to get a half dozen answers. He's the songwriter responsible for "After Midnight", "Call Me The Breeze", and "Cocaine". He's the tasty guitarist who somehow gets beautiful sounds out of battered, homemade instruments. He's the recording artist who hit the scene 20 years ago with the bluesy, laid-back "Crazy Mama".

And if you ask the same people what J. J. Cale looks like, even his most ardent fans might have to admit they're not sure.

Closer To You, the eleventh in a string of impressive albums that began with the 1974 classic Naturally, ranks with his very best work - highlighted by the country ballad "Rose In The Garden", the high-speed "Long Way Home", the moody "Brown Dirt", the jazzy "Steve's Song", and others.

The ultimate study in contradictions, the Oklahoman often talks about "J. J. Cale" as if he's a different person - friends call him John or, more often, Cale. A former recording engineer, he's fascinated by technology, yet he has released tunes recorded with a cassette player on his back porch. Although he has 11 impressive albums to his credit, he views them as songwriting demos. Rather than discussing the lyrics to his songs, he concentrates on the technical: as Cale put it, "Ever notice I never talk about the songs? The songs speak for themselves. There's not much I can say about the lyrics. When I talk about the songs, I think of all this technical stuff. That's why it's hard for me to listen to my music...". The distinctive style that was solidly in place by the time he made his first record shifts regularly (and effortlessly) from blues to country, from lyrical ballad to soulful rocker. And although he is deservedly considered a legend, he regards himself as more craftsman than artist.

Along with cohort Leon Russell, Cale was one of the founders of the Tulsa sound, a subdued mix of blues shuffles, country influences, and old-time rock 'n roll. When J. J. followed Russell's move to California, his versatility and flexibility came in handy in the lean years before his career as a songwriter took off. "I'd put on a cowboy hat and do a country gig, if that's what they wanted; you want a blues gig, here come the sunglasses. I didn't look at music as a career; I was just hanging out, having a good time. I thought of writing songs like playing golf or going fishing. When Eric Clapton cut "After Midnight", I decided that I'd be a songwriter - although I really just wanted to play the guitar."

Over the years, J. J.'s tunes have been interpreted by some of the greats: country guitar legend Chet Atkins cut an instrumental version of "After Midnight", blues master Freddie King belted "Same Old Blues", Lynyrd Skynyrd rocked "Call Me The Breeze", and both Cissy Houston and Maria Muldaur sang "Cajun Moon", while Eric Clapton also recorded "Cocaine" and "I'll Make Love To You Anytime". And recently Larry Carlton covered "Crazy Mama".

J. J. Cale's newest project, Guitar Man, will be released on Delabel/Virgin Records early this summer. Guitar Man is a bona fide tour de force in which the musical legened guides it's every facet - from writing 11 of it's 12 compositions, to playing virtually all of the instruments on the session, to single-handedly producing and engineering the release with his inimitable style and expertise. Tonight's performance represents Cale's first major apparance since completing the new recording.