The legendary artist JJ Cale passed away on Friday 26 July, an announcement made on his official website stated earlier this week. The man behind the Tulsa Sound, which blended blues, rockabilly, and country music to create a much-copied, laid back sound, was responsible for a string of notable rock tracks, many of which were covered by some of rock music's biggest names, including Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Santana and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Born John Weldon Cale in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1938, Cale adopted the moniker JJ Cale to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale, having released music under the name Johnny Cale prior to the New York band's rise to stardom in the late 60's. The statement on his website states that he passed away following a heart attack at his California home, after which he was rushed to Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, where he was pronounced dead. No further information relating to his death has been released yet, nor have any details into any memorial services due to be held for the songwriter.

Although he regularly performed his own songs, Cale was often regarded as a songwriter first and and singer second, a distinction that Cale often acknowledged himself. Clapton's 1969 cover of the track 'After Midnight' is often regarded as the point in his career when the songwriter first achieved mass recognition, with Cale releasing his first album shortly after Clapton's cover. Although he never achieved mainstream success as a solo artist, Cale became a cult favourite and released fourteen albums as a soloist from 1972's Naturally until 2009's Roll On.

Eric Clapton
Clapton regularly collaborated with Cale