As the calendar flips to December 5th, 2023, we at Grateful Web join the chorus of music enthusiasts worldwide to celebrate the birthday of J.J. Cale, a man whose influence in music is both profound and subtly omnipresent. Often overshadowed by the luminaries he inspired, Cale's musical journey is a story of quiet innovation, underpinning some of the most iconic sounds in modern music history.

The Early Days:

The infectious rendition of J.J. Cale’s classic “Call Me The Breeze,” performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers during their legendary 20-show run at the Fillmore is out now, with an accompanying video directed and hand-illustrated by Emmy Award-winning Jeff Scher; watch/share HERE and listen/share HERE.

In February 2020, a group of notable Tulsa musicians traveled to Leon Russell’s famed Paradise Studio at Grand Lake in Oklahoma to record the first album tracked there since 1978. Some of the biggest names in the industry recorded at Paradise Studio; Leon Russell, Bob Seger, and Freddie King, while even more musicians and creatives escaped to fellowship at this Okie oasis.