Grammy-winning musician JJ Cale, whose best known songs became hits for Eric Clapton with "After Midnight" and Lynyrd Skynyrd with "Call Me the Breeze," has died. He was 74. The performer and producer's manager Mike Kappus has told The Associated Press that the architect of the Tulsa Sound died Friday night of a heart attack at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, Calif. Born John Weldon Cale in Oklahoma City, he cut a wide path through 1970s rock 'n' roll, influencing some of the most famous musicians at the time with songs that were laid back and mellow, yet imbued with a driving groove. Neil Young, Mark Knopfler and Bryan Ferry are among his many fans in the music world. A former member of the Grand Ole Opry touring company, Cale never rose to the level of success of his admirers, but his fingerprints could be heard all over the genre in the 1970s, and his music remains influential. Read more http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/07/27/jj-cale-clapton-skynyrd/2592351/
