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.
River Boat Song
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Must be my baby coming home
She's been down in Tupelo,
Singing that river boat song
She is a dancer, a river queen
She'll teach them gamblers most anything
She's been down in Tupelo,
Singing that river boat song
Many days there ain't nobody home
Many times I wish she was here
Yeah, that river boat whistle blows
I know she's getting near
River captain, bring my baby home
I get so lonesome since she's been gone
She's been down in Tupelo,
Working the river boat song
"River Boat Song" is a song by the late J.J. Cale, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist known for his genre-bending mix of rock, blues, and country music. Cale's lyrics speak to the emotional isolation that can come with a life on the road or a life of longing. In "River Boat Song", the singer eagerly awaits the return of his beloved "baby" who has been performing as a dancer and singer on a river boat in Tupelo. The singer is depicted as lonely and bereft without his "baby" and the memory of her singing that "river boat song" brings him some solace.
Through the repetition of the lines "She's been down in Tupelo, singing that river boat song", Cale emphasizes the significance of music as a shared experience. The river boat song connects the singer to his lover and to a larger musical community. Cale also highlights the potency of waiting, both as a source of yearning and as a necessary aspect of reunion. Ultimately, the singer's lover arrives and the song closes with the request, "River captain, bring my baby home".
Overall, J.J. Cale's "River Boat Song" is a poignant narrative about love, distance, and the connections fostered through music. The imagery of the river boat, with its evocative whistle, serves to emphasize the importance of shared versus solitary experiences, highlighting the power of human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear a whistle, I hear a moan
I can hear the sound of a whistle and a moan, which means my partner might be coming home
Must be my baby coming home
I assume my partner is coming back home
She's been down in Tupelo, Singing that river boat song
My partner has been in Tupelo singing a song related to the river boats
She is a dancer, a river queen
My partner is a dancer and a queen of the river
She'll teach them gamblers most anything
My partner can teach the gamblers a lot of things
Many nights I spend alone
I spend many nights by myself
Many days there ain't nobody home
There are many days where no one is at home
Many times I wish she was here
I often wish my partner was here
Yeah, that river boat whistle blows
The whistle of the river boat is blowing
I know she's getting near
I'm aware that my partner is getting closer
River captain, bring my baby home
I'm requesting the river captain to bring my partner home
I get so lonesome since she's been gone
I feel very lonely since my partner has been gone
She's been down in Tupelo, Working the river boat song
My partner has been in Tupelo working or performing a song related to the river boats
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J J CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aaronstandingbear
River Boat SongJ. J. Cale I hear a whistle, I hear a moan
Must be my baby coming home
She's been down in Tupelo,
Singing that river boat song
She is a dancer, a river queen
She'll teach them gamblers most anything
She's been down in Tupelo,
Singing that river boat song
Many nights I spend alone
Many days there ain't nobody home
Many times I wish she was here
Yeah, that… I hear a whistle, I hear a moan
Must be my baby coming home
She's been down in Tupelo,
Singing that river boat song
She is a dancer, a river queen
She'll teach them gamblers most anything
She's been down in Tupelo,
Singing that river boat song
Many nights I spend alone
Many days there ain't nobody home
Many times I wish she was here
Yeah, that river boat whistle blows
I know she's getting near
River captain, bring my baby home
I get so lonesome since she's been gone
She's been down in Tupelo,
Working the river boat songSongwriters: J J CaleRiver Boat Song lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
@louissatt8497
I did 3 of his songs at our local open mic night a couple of weeks ago and they went down really well.
I've only recently discovered his music and I think he was ahead of his time I'm 80 this year by the way.
So I rock it up a bit alla 1957.
@johndenman371
Top man . . . . get some videos up . . . be interested to see.
Keep rockin Man
@diogeneilcane7028
This man's music is so good, i could listen it all day long and id still enjoy those sounds
@larrys1173
A driving beat & fantastic guitar work...it just doesn't get any better than this. Been a fan of JJ since his first album in '72. "Thank You Sir"
@clawsrawlins7143
RIP JJ WISH. YOU WERE HERE.
@wilbimcshane2530
It's a gem, and kind of a secret one.
@sandradunn6943
He just has a touch, when you hear anything he plays, you just KNOW it's JJ.
@stevenavakian5250
gotta love the clean and spirited sound of great folk rock
@countblue
I am trying to collect all his songs and play them myself on the guitar. Its easy to play but hard to get it really right. But I think as long as its done with him in mind its ok.
@SkeligMichael
I love this laidback sound. He was one of my favourites. Said to say, that he has passed away. Rest in Peace J. J. Cale.