J.J. Cale

J.J. Cale is, to me, the patron saint of doing it your own way. Born in Oklahoma City, he refused the spotlight so completely that fame almost had to chase him down, and still Eric Clapton called him one of the most important artists in rock history, with Neil Young and Mark Knopfler in quiet agreement. That loose, hazy, unhurried groove is unmistakable; he could change a room by barely strumming and half-murmuring a line. I love that he prized his sound over his profile. His 2014 Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame honor feels like a hometown finally embracing its understated giant.

Name (English)

J.J. Cale

Name (Japanese)

J・J・ケイル

Reading

J・J・けいる

Born

December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Sagittarius / Tiger

Origin

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Occupation

guitarist / singer-songwriter / singer / composer / recording artist

High school

Central High School

Awards & achievements

• 2014 Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame

• Official sitehttps://www.jjcale.com/
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JJ%20Cale
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%E3%83%BBJ%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44833

Tags

• Oklahoma
• guitarist
• singer-songwriter
• singer

Last updated

2026-06-19

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.