JJ Cale, born as John Weldon Cale on 5 December 1938, was an American singer-songwriter and musician who was one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on influences from blues, rockabilly and country. His personal style was laid back and his lyrics often described as laconic.

Laid back and laconic probably describe him personally as well. Always avoiding the spotlight, he didn’t even allow a picture of himself on his first six albums. He seldom toured or interviewed, and eschewed mainstream pop music. He released 14 studio albums in his career, one live album and one collaboration with Eric Clapton.

Cale summed-up his career this way:

I was a songwriter. I wasn’t really much of an entertainer.

JJ Cale passed away on 26 July 2013.