Singer songwriter JJ Cale has passed away

(From his personal website) JJ Cale passed away at 8:00 pm on Friday July 26 at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, CA. The legendary singer / songwriter had suffered a heart attack. There are no immediate plans for services. His history is well documented at JJCale.com, rosebudus.com/cale, and in the documentary, To Tulsa And Back. Donations are not needed but he was a great lover of animals so, if you like, you can remember him with a donation to your favourite local animal shelter.>>>

(From BBC) Born in Oklahoma, Cale helped create the Tulsa Sound, which combined blues, rockabilly, and country. He became famous in 1970, when Eric Clapton covered his song After Midnight.

In 1977 Clapton also popularised Cale's Cocaine. The two worked together on an album which won a Grammy award in 2008.

Born in 1938, John Weldon Cale adopted the name JJ Cale to avoid being confused with John Cale of the Velvet Underground.

Building up on the success of After Midnight, he recorded Naturally - the first of his 14 studio albums.

He pioneered the use of drum machines, and was famous for his personal laid-back singing style.

However Cale always described himself as a songwriter rather than a singer, and his songs tended to enjoy greater success when performed by others - notably Tom Petty, Santana and Lynyrd Skynyrd.