JJ Cale: The man who turned simplicity into an art form?

Sadly, I didn't even hear about him until he passed away. Then I stumbled upon some blog post and this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub1SGEVP6oA. Honestly? It hit me so hard I actually teared up, even though it felt like I’d been listening to his music my entire life...

The guy was a total master. Beyond just carving out his own signature sound, he actually knew how to write a killer song. His music is incredibly smooth and subtle—it just flows. He kept things simple, but would hit you with these sudden, heavy-hitting improvisations that really stick. If I had one gripe, some of the albums can get a little repetitive here and there.

Check this out: JJ Cale – Downtown Los Angeles (Grasshopper, 1982)

He wasn't the first guy to be both a simple man and a true artist—but if I ever had to explain how you blend pure swagger, simplicity, and raw emotion all at once, I'd start by playing one of my all-time favorite vocal performances—his masterpiece, Rock and Roll Records.

I always find myself circling back to him. He’s basically the lighthouse for a lost generation—just wandering through the swamps and grit of everything from the Vietnam era all the way to right now.

A few personal picks (even though there's a literal ocean of killer tracks out there)

He even had those moments where he dipped his toes into other genres—kind of like how the Stones would experiment sometimes.