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.
Sho-Biz Blues
J.J. Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I played the blues in Chicago,
Boy I ran home in Santa Fe
I played guitar for many men,
Signed a deal or two
And all I ever got from them
Is the sho-biz blues
I got hot chicks down in Texas,
Snowed in out on Belibor
You were always in a jam
Worked carnivals down in Georgia,
Night clubs attitude
And all I ever got from them
Is the sho-biz blues
Well the manager's got no money,
The bookers had no jobs
The record man he fell asleep,
He says I look like a slob
The bus breaks down and
The motel's bad
You're always in a stew
You can't quit
You're too far gone,
You got the sho-biz blues
I tried to love the ladies
Everywhere I went
When I got down and out they
Wouldn't ever pay my rent
If you crave your neighbour lights,
The spotlight's right on you
When it's time to get the catch
With the sho-biz blues
Now you can't sleep till two o'clock,
You ain't no millionaire
This entertaining lifestyle
Just seems to go nowhere
You write a song it seems OK,
They say it's nothin' new
It don't take long to find
You've got the sho-biz blues
J.J. Cale's song "Sho-Biz Blues" is a commentary on the harsh realities of the music industry. The first two verses describe the singer's failed attempts to find success by busking in San Francisco and dancing in Los Angeles, and then finally finding success in Chicago only to quickly fall out of favor and return home to Santa Fe. The third verse discusses the singer's experience performing for others and the disappointment he feels at never receiving adequate compensation for his work.
The rest of the song addresses the difficulties of being a struggling musician, including dealing with unreliable managers and bookers, record executives who ignore them, poorly maintained living spaces, and unappreciative audiences. Despite these difficulties, the chorus makes clear that the singer is unable to leave the music industry behind, lamenting that "It don't take long to find/ You've got the sho-biz blues."
Overall, "Sho-Biz Blues" is a reflection on the ways in which the glitz and glamour of the music industry can mask the harsh realities that many struggling artists face. It serves as a reminder that success in this field is not guaranteed, and that even those who do find success often endure difficult and thankless work along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
Tried busking down in Frisco, Tried dancin' in LA
I attempted to perform as a street musician in San Francisco and tried dancing in Los Angeles
I played the blues in Chicago,
I performed blues music in the city of Chicago
Boy I ran home in Santa Fe
I quickly returned home to Santa Fe
I played guitar for many men,
I played the guitar for various individuals
Signed a deal or two
I signed a couple of contracts/agreements
And all I ever got from them
The only thing I received from these experiences
Is the sho-biz blues
Were the negative aspects and disappointments associated with the entertainment industry
I got hot chicks down in Texas,
I had romantic partners in Texas
No work in Alabam'
I couldn't find any employment opportunities in Alabama
Snowed in out on Belibor
I was trapped in Belibor due to heavy snow
You were always in a jam
This situation always caused me trouble
Worked carnivals down in Georgia,
I had jobs at carnivals in Georgia
Night clubs attitude
I experienced negative attitudes at nightclubs
Well the manager's got no money,
The manager didn't have any funds
The bookers had no jobs
The bookers didn't have any job opportunities available
The record man he fell asleep,
The record executive fell asleep during a meeting
He says I look like a slob
He insulted my appearance
The bus breaks down and
The transportation vehicle stops working
The motel's bad
The motel I stayed at was poor-quality
You're always in a stew
I was constantly stressed out and worried
You can't quit
I couldn't give up
You're too far gone,
I was too invested in this lifestyle to give it all up
You got the sho-biz blues
I was experiencing the negative emotions and troubles that come with the entertainment industry
I tried to love the ladies
I tried to seek romance with women
Everywhere I went
In all of my different experiences
When I got down and out they
When I was struggling financially
Wouldn't ever pay my rent
They wouldn't provide me with money to pay for my housing
If you crave your neighbour lights,
If you desire to be in the forefront
The spotlight's right on you
You will receive attention and scrutiny
When it's time to get the catch
When it's time to make a big break or career move
With the sho-biz blues
I was feeling the negative aspects of being in the entertainment industry
Now you can't sleep till two o'clock,
I struggled to stay on a normal sleep schedule
You ain't no millionaire
I didn't have a lot of money
This entertaining lifestyle
This career path filled with performances and events
Just seems to go nowhere
Didn't seem to be leading to success or fulfillment
You write a song it seems OK,
When I created a song, it seemed like a decent track
They say it's nothin' new
But others didn't find it unique or special
It don't take long to find
It didn't take much time to realize
You've got the sho-biz blues
I was impacted by the negative aspects and disappointments associated with the entertainment industry
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: J. Cale
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pattiflansburg3654
Love JJ Cale and EC. Missing JJ’s singular talent and contribution to the real music world.
@bsb683902
Wow with moist eyes. godspeed Mr Cale
@Ad-Ac
Love the piano improvisation in this one... of course JJ's guitar also very tasty.. as always
@lydiakroll6356
Magnifique. Quelle solennite.
@fernandobenavides7267
Wonderfull voice, and the gitatard, the, ya God...........
@zwerker
So beautiful
@fernandobenavides7267
Jhon Weldon, is the BEST, J.J Cale...............
@moatazouahmadi3057
😍😍😍😍🇲🇦🇲🇦🇲🇦