Eric Clapton honors JJ Cale with a cool 'Breeze'

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this interview with Eric Clapton contained an inaccurate quote about meeting the late JJ Cale. Clapton's correct quote: "He showed me a guitar he had rebuilt."

When fans screamed for reluctant rock god Eric Clapton to perform thunderous and otherworldly feats with his guitar in the '70s, the unnerved Brit often found solace in the laid-back sounds of an Oklahoma musician.

Four decades later, Slowhand's still saying thanks.

Today marks the release of Eric Clapton & Friends' The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale, a salute to the late singer/songwriter and guitarist who provided some of Clapton's most beloved hits, including Cocaine and After Midnight. Clapton invited fellow devotees to contribute to the 16-song set, including Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Derek Trucks and Cale bandmate Don White.

Named after Cale's 1972 single Call Me the Breeze (later popularized by Lynyrd Skynyrd), the album contains versions of Cale songs that Clapton hadn't covered, along with three tunes that Cale never published. Cale, considered an originator (with Leon Russell, among others) of the low-key country/blues/folk "Tulsa sound,'' died a year ago at age 74 in La Jolla, Calif.

Clapton has called his friend one of the key figures in rock history, and says he bases "my humble opinion'' on the "very profound musical and philosophical effect he had on my life, through his music and the way he conducted himself as a singer, musician and player. I think he had a similar effect on the whole of the music scene.''

It's telling that Clapton, 69, was taken with Cale's philosophy and conduct as much as he was his music. The somewhat reclusive Oklahoman was known for rejecting the demands of fame — his nearly 50-year career produced just 15 albums and one charting single, Crazy Mama, and he rarely sought publicity. That approach to a career appealed to Clapton, who was fresh off sometimes unsettling, high-profile stints with The Yardbirds and Cream when he encountered Cale's music around 1970.

At that point, "it was reassuring to meet someone who had rejected the spotlight,'' he says. "I think I've found a good way to do it. I don't go on TV and I do little media work. It's not a comfortable medium for me.''

During the fading days of the short-lived supergroup Blind Faith, Clapton hung out with American musicians including Delaney Bramlett and Carl Radle, who exposed him to Cale's music. Bramlett suggested he include After Midnight on his first solo album, "and from that point on, I had my head cocked in JJ's direction. I always wanted to see what would come next. All through the '70s the choices for me were (Bob) Marley, Cale and Stevie Wonder.''

Clapton describes Cale's style as "someone sitting on your shoulder, singing in your ear. He intended to make you listen, like he was singing to himself. He found a way to put that on record. His music drew you in. It was a private experience.''

The two finally met in the late '70s following a Cale show in London, when Clapton introduced himself backstage. "He was very, very polite and friendly. He showed me a guitar he had rebuilt. I said, 'That's fantastic,' and he said, 'This is a piece of (garbage).' He was very self-effacing. Made me feel right at home.''

They stayed in touch and years later recorded an album together, The Road to Escondido, which won a Grammy Award for best contemporary blues album in 2008. It was Cale's only Grammy.

The lack of mainstream recognition and commercial success was of little concern to the artist, says longtime friend and occasional bandmate Don White. "He had plenty of opportunities that he turned down,'' says White. "He was right where he wanted to be.''

White met Clapton at Cale's funeral, and later was invited to sing and play on three Breeze tracks.

"Eric was wonderful,'' says White. "He had total respect for the music of Cale and for Christine (Cale's widow) and the family. The artists on there didn't try to impose their styles. Most stayed pretty close to Cale's style.''

Although Clapton refuses to be pinned down on how much longer he'll continue to tour and record, he does note that he has recorded several more songs that Cale never released. Christine appears on some of those tracks, "and I have got permission (from Cale's family) to go looting'' in his archives.

"There is a lot of stuff, a lot of demos,'' says Clapton. "But believe me, they are un-coverable. I'm hoping, bit-by-bit, the stuff will come out in its original form. That's the way it sounds best.''