I’ve been in a J.J. Cale mood for a while so here is another one of his songs made popular by someone else and he was happy about it.
Like Eric Clapton… Lynyrd Skynyrd helped Cale finance his lifestyle, allowing him to release albums in a leisurely fashion. Cale didn’t like fame and tried to avoid it. On his first seven albums, he didn’t include a picture of himself.
Of Skynyrd’s rendition of “Call Me the Breeze,” Cale said that it afforded him the money to have more freedom in how and when he made his music and was always honored when other artists covered his songs. This was a popular song by the band but never was released as a single. It has become a staple of classic rock radio though since the format started. It appeared on Second Helping released in 1974.
Instead of following Cale’s more stripped-back lead on the track, Skynyrd amped the song up with a more rock style. With Van Zant’s vocals and King, Collins, and Rossington’s guitars it became a concert favorite. Throughout the years, “Call Me the Breeze” has been covered by Johnny Cash with his son John Carter Cash, Shooter Jennings, Bobby Bare, Peter Frampton, John Mayer, and more.
When Cale died in 2013 from a heart attack, Clapton paid tribute to his friend by including a rendition of “Call Me the Breeze” and other tracks for a Cale tribute album in 2014, The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale, which also features Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, and John Mayer.
Lynyrd Skynyrd thought a lot of J.J. Cale. They didn’t record covers very often but they covered Cale twice with this one and a song called Same Old Blues off of the 1976 album Gimme Back My Bullets.
Call Me The Breeze
Call me the breeze
I keep blowin’ down the road
Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin’ down the road
I ain’t got me nobody
I don’t carry me no load
Ain’t no change in the weather
Ain’t no changes in me
Well there ain’t no change in the weather
Ain’t no changes in me
And I ain’t hidin’ from nobody
Nobody’s hidin’ from me
Oh, that’s the way it’s supposed to be
Well I got that green light baby
I got to keep movin’ on
Well I got that green light baby
I got to keep movin’ on
Well I might go out to California
Might go down to Georgia
I don’t know
Well I dig you Georgia peaches
Makes me feel right at home
Well now I dig you Georgia peaches
Makes me feel right at home
But I don’t love me no one woman
So I can’t stay in Georgia long
Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin’ down the road
Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin’ down the road
I ain’t got me nobody
I don’t carry me no load
Oooh Mr Breeze
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Great to read that the cash went into the pocket of Cale. This is a good track with a cool vibe to it. Ronnie made this tune even though it was a cover his own.
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Thanks dude… .I’m halfway through the video…I’ll there man
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JJ Cale was amazing. Never got a whole lot of attention for himself, but wrote so many great songs that everyone else covered. His “Travel-Log” album was on heavy rotation in my car for a couple of months…
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He was amazing…a brilliant songwriter…I’m glad some people covered him where he didn’t have to worry.
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Had not heard that LS version, they certainly did amp it up!
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Yes they did…through the roof…they really liked Cale a lot.
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This song surely gets you up and jumping.
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I’ve always loved J.J. Cale. I have that album with the raccoon. Lynyrd Skinner make it a totally different song. Nothing against that, but I prefer Cale’s sound – like sitting on the back porch or around the campfire trading licks with friends, not putting on a show for thousands.
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I do like his version as well. I liked his attitude about it because it freed him to do what he wanted because of the covers…this one and After Midnight by Clapton.
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Great post ✍️
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Honestly I like that one a lot more than I thought I would – quite a lively little rocker, may have been able to have been a single had they wanted it to be.
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Yes I was surprised at that also…but yea it’s really good. When they did do covers…they did them well.
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Did you see them on NYE?
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No…and I have nothing against them playing…but hell…there is no original ones left!
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They sounded pretty good with Johnny. At least he is “family.” Rossington’s wife, Dale is still with them. And, technically speaking, Rickey Medlocke could be considered a founding member, as Bob Burns came and went, pretty frequently. Just sayin’…
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Oh yea…I forgot about that…not putting it down…they sound really good.
Yes Medlocke joined them briefly around 69 so yea he could.
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Really like where they took this. They pulled it off. I’m a big Cale guy for a lot of reasons. Never a bad thing when you can put some cash in your jeans. That live cut is very good.
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They did well at covers…they kept the integrity of the song and give it a kick also.
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A good match. Everyone went away happy JJ, Skynyrd and us.
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Skynyrd were on top form with Second Helping – every track on it is excellent. The fact they were at the top of their game at the time helped make this a great version of the JJ Cale song.
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I always liked Skynyrd’s version of “Call Me the Breeze.” I also love J.J. Cale’s original. It’s a cool laid back sound.
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It’s cool hearing both versions, they kind of expand it and take it somewhere different.
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J.J.Cale version is new to me. Sounds great. I admire him for not getting caught up in all of the bright lights.
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He did it right…lived his life his own way and used the cover money to fund his music.
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