''Okie'' is the third studio album by

J. J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and sound engineer. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knop ...

, released in 1974.

Background

After having

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

take his composition " After Midnight" to the Top 20 in 1970, Cale scored another windfall when

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

recorded " Call Me the Breeze" for their 1974 LP ''Second Helping''. Although Cale would not have the success with his music that others would, the royalties from artists covering his songs would allow him to record and tour as it suited him. As he put it in 2013, "I knew if I became too well known, my life would change drastically. On the other hand, getting some money doesn't change things too much, except you no longer have to go to work."

Recording

Like his previous album '' Really'', ''Okie'' was recorded in several different studios with producer Audie Ashworth. ''Okie'' is the first album where Cale layers his vocal tracks, something that would become one of the hallmarks of his sound. Cale later explained: Musically, ''Okie'' covers a number of genres blended together in Cale's highly idiosyncratic sound, from the gospel standard " Precious Memories" to straight country on the Ray Price cover "I'll Be There If You Ever Want Me". "Any Way the Wind Blows" and "Cajun Moon" are examples of the sound Cale was establishing for himself, often referred to as the "Tulsa Sound", while the

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-tinged opener "Crying" showed his willingness to explore new styles. The title track is the first of many instrumentals that would appear on future records, and according to the 2014 Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame bio on Cale, was recorded on the back porch of Cale's Tulsa home. ''Okie'' contains some of Cale's most covered songs. In the same year of its release,

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recorded "I Got the Same Old Blues" (shortened to "Same Old Blues") for his ''

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'' LP, one of the few covers to ever appear on a Beefheart album. The song would also be recorded by Eric Clapton,

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, and

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. "Cajun Moon" was recorded by

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on his 1976 album '' Surprises'' with vocals by

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, by

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on their album ''

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'', and by

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on ''Naked and True'' (1995). In a 2013 interview Cale singled out jazz vocalist Crawford's version as his favorite rendition of the song, and he also listed this cover as one of his favorite takes of the other artists' of his songs. "Anyway the Wind Blows" was covered by

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in 1995 and

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in 1999, and Cale would re-record the song himself for his 2006 album with Clapton, ''

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''. "I'd Like to Love You, Baby" was covered by

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in 2003, appearing on their 2009 album, ''

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''.

Track listing

Personnel

Tracks 1, 7, 10 :(20 November 1973;

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) * Mike Leech - bass * Joel Green - bass (7) *

Kenny Malone Kenny Malone (August 4, 1938 – August 26, 2021) was an American drummer and percussionist. Life and career Malone was born in Denver, Colorado. From the 1970s onwards, he was a prominent session musician in folk, country and many other acoustic ...

- drums * Farrell Morris - percussion & Vibraphone ( tr.10 ) *

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- electric guitar * J. J. Cale - guitar, vocals * Beegie Cruzer – electric keyboards * Red Spive - piano Tracks 2, 3 : (10 May 1973: Columbia Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee) *

Tommy Cogbill Thomas Clark Cogbill (April 8, 1932 – December 7, 1982) was an American bassist, guitarist and record producer known for his work in R&B, soul and country music. Life and career Cogbill was born in Johnson Grove, Tennessee. He was a high ...

- bass * Karl Himmel - drums * Jerry Smith - El. piano *

Harold Bradley Harold Ray Bradley (January 2, 1926 – January 31, 2019) was an American guitarist and entrepreneur, who played on many country, rock and pop recordings and produced numerous TV variety shows and movie soundtracks. Having started as a session ...

- rhythm guitar *

Grady Martin Thomas Grady Martin (January 17, 1929 – December 3, 2001) was an American session guitarist in country music and rockabilly. A member of The Nashville A-Team, he played guitar on hits such as Marty Robbins' "El Paso", Loretta Lynn's " Coal ...

- electric guitar * J. J. Cale - slide guitar, vocals * George Tidwell - trumpet * Dennis Goode - trombone * Billy Pruett - saxophone Tracks 4, 8 : (7 May 1973: Woodland Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee) * J. J. Cale - guitar, vocals *

Tim Drummond Timothy Lee Drummond (20 April 1940 – 10 January 2015) was an American musician from Canton, Illinois. Drummond's primary instrument was bass guitar and he toured and recorded with many notable artists, including Conway Twitty, Bob Dylan, James ...

- bass * Karl Himmel - drums * Jerry Whitehurst - keyboards * George Tidwell - trumpet * Dennis Goode - trombone * Billy Pruett - saxophone Track 5 : (5 December 1973: J. J. Cale's House, Tulsa, Oklahoma) * Audie Ashworth - engineer * Joel Green - bass * Terry Perkins - drums * Paul Davis - guitar * J. J. Cale - guitar, vocals *

Weldon Myrick Weldon Myrick (born Weldon Merle Myrick; April 10, 1938 – June 2, 2014) was an American steel guitar player.Hargus "Pig" Robbins Hargus Melvin Robbins (January 18, 1938 – January 30, 2022), known by his nickname "Pig," was an American session keyboard player. Having played on records for many artists, including John Stewart, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Patti Page, Lore ...

- electric piano *

Mac Gayden McGavock Dickinson "Mac" Gayden (born June 5, 1941) is an American rock and country music, country singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is also president of Wild Child Records, formed in 2004. Background Mac Gayden was born in ...

- guitar, slide guitar (12) Track 9 :(4 October 1973: J. J. Cale's House, Tulsa, Oklahoma) * Joel Green - bass * Terry Perkins - drums * Audie Ashworth - engineer * Paul Davis - guitar * J.J. Cale - guitar, vocals Track 11 :(2 August 1973: J. J. Cale's House, Tulsa, Oklahoma) * Joel Green - bass * Terry Perkins - drums * Audie Ashworth - engineer * Paul Davis - guitar * J.J. Cale - guitar

References

{{Authority control 1974 albums J. J. Cale albums Shelter Records albums Albums produced by Audie Ashworth