'To Tulsa and Back' with J.J. Cale

Roots Rock Artist Heads Home for a New Collection of Songs

Listen Now:

Real Media|Windows Media Explain these links

'To Tulsa and Back'

Bonus Interview Excerpts
On Collaborator Audie Ashworth

On the Inspiration for 'The Problem'

On Jam Bands

Songs from 'Tulsa'
'Homeless'

'My Gal'

'The Problem'

'Motormouth'

Weekend Edition Sunday, June 13, 2004 · Since the mid-1960s, songwriter J.J. Cale's work has attracted the attention of some of rock's most successful artists. Many of Cale's songs would later become hits for rockers like Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers Band.

But Cale's influence extends well beyond the charts. His laid back, unpretentious style and shuffling rhythms set the stage for "roots rock" explorations by countless other artists and groups over the last four decades.

NPR's Liane Hansen talks to Cale about his career and his first collection of new songs in eight years, To Tulsa and Back.

The album sent Cale from from his home in southern California to his Oklahoma hometown. He asked an old friend who runs a recording studio in Tulsa to "call all the guys that are still alive... and I'll make another record."

The result is 13 varieties of vintage Cale material, including "Stone River," an understated protest song about the water crisis in the West. Cale wouldn't be surprised to see a few tracks from the disc climb the charts -- for another artist. "They're all out there for anybody to record," he says. "That's why I write them."

Share this Page

Share this page using one of the following services:

What is this?

E-mail this Page

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No
May we contact you with information about NPR programming and services? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No

(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)