His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton,"Cajun Moon" by Randy Crawford, "Clyde" and "Louisiana Women" by Waylon Jennings, "Magnolia" by Jai, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas, "Call Me the Breeze" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "I'd Like to Love You, Baby" by Tom Petty, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic, "Tijuana" by Harry Manx, "Sensitive Kind" by Carlos Santana, "Cajun Moon" by Herbie Mann with Cissy Houston, and "Same Old Blues" by Captain Beefheart.
Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was raised in Tulsa and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1956. Along with a number of other young Tulsa musicians, Cale moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, where he first worked as a studio engineer.
The Leathercoated Minds was a 1966-67 psychedelic studio-based band masterminded largely by Snuff Garrett and J J Cale. The band produced one album, A Trip down the Sunset Strip, co-produced by Cale and Garrett
Finding little success as a recording artist, he later returned to Tulsa and was considering giving up the music business until Clapton recorded "After Midnight" in 1970. His first album, Naturally, established his style, described by Los Angeles Times writer Richard Cromelin as a "unique hybrid of blues, folk and jazz, marked by relaxed grooves and Cale's fluid guitar and laconic vocals. His early use of drum machines and his unconventional mixes lend a distinctive and timeless quality to his work and set him apart from the pack of Americana roots-music purists."
Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". In the 2006 documentary, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, Cale talks about Elmer Valentine, co-owner of the Sunset Strip nightclub Whisky à GoGo, who employed him in the mid-1960s, being the one that came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale. Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail.
His biggest U.S. hit single, Crazy Mama, peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand to promote the song, which would have moved the song higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words to the song.
Cale died on Friday, July 26, 2013, at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, California, after suffering a heart attack.
Miss Ol' St. Louie
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Picking my guitar by the railroad track
All them pretty women's, hangin' 'round me
Miss ol' St. Louis, how it used to be
Mississippi River, water so deep
Running down to Memphis on to New Orleans
Trying to hustle quarters, nickels, and dimes
Ol' St. Louie's where I spent my time
Watching them steam boats gather at the dock
Cotton and tobacco and people for sale
Trying to stay clear of the St. Louie jail
Strumming to the rhythm of an old freight train
Ol' St. Louis where I played my game
Ain't no doubt about it, wish I was back
Picking my guitar by the railroad track
All them pretty women's, hangin' 'round me
Miss ol' St. Louis, how it used to be
The song "Miss Ol' St. Louie" is a nostalgic ode to the city of St. Louis and the singer's memories of playing music there. The first verse sets the scene, with the singer longing to return to St. Louis and play his guitar by the railroad tracks, surrounded by pretty women. The second verse mentions the Mississippi River, which runs through St. Louis and down to Memphis and New Orleans. The singer describes trying to make a living by hustling for spare change, while always trying to avoid getting thrown in jail. The final verse describes the singer's love for playing music to the rhythm of the passing freight trains. Overall, the song conveys a sense of wistful longing for a bygone time and place.
Line by Line Meaning
Miss ol' St. Louis, wish I was back
Longing to return to the St. Louis of old.
Picking my guitar by the railroad track
Playing music for anyone who would listen in a humble setting.
All them pretty women's, hangin' 'round me
Finding romantic attention due to his musical abilities.
Miss ol' St. Louis, how it used to be
Reflecting on the past and how it has changed.
Mississippi River, water so deep
Thinking about the magnitude and power of the natural landmark.
Running down to Memphis on to New Orleans
Visualizing the water's journey and how it connects different cities.
Trying to hustle quarters, nickels, and dimes
Struggling to get by financially and resorting to small amounts of money.
Ol' St. Louie's where I spent my time
St. Louis held significance in his past and means something to him.
Standing on the corner with my old wooden box
Performing on the streets with a makeshift stage.
Watching them steam boats gather at the dock
Observing the bustling activity on the river and finding inspiration in it.
Cotton and tobacco and people for sale
Noticing the bleak reality of a city dependent on the selling of goods and human lives.
Trying to stay clear of the St. Louie jail
Avoiding trouble with the law, which isn't uncommon in a city with a high crime rate.
Strumming to the rhythm of an old freight train
Being in sync with the environment and channeling that into his music.
Ol' St. Louis where I played my game
The city of St. Louis has played a major role in his life, and he is nostalgic for that time.
Ain't no doubt about it, wish I was back
Expressing without hesitation his desire to return to the past.
Picking my guitar by the railroad track
Playing music for anyone who would listen in a humble setting.
All them pretty women's, hangin' 'round me
Finding romantic attention due to his musical abilities.
Miss ol' St. Louis, how it used to be
Reflecting on the past and how it has changed.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J. Cale
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vera Lucia Pinto Rios
Sensacional ♥️
Andres Vola
Fue la cancion de cuna que le cantaba a mi hija.espero que siga con jj
Barry Butter
Beautiful
Fide Fide
JJ Cale rules.
Iain Graham
Classic
Sky x Agony XD
September, 1997. Thank you Dad for all the music. I love you so much
Frank Munich
leider loose the best thump up love j.j. more than 35 years