J. J. Cale Quotes

In the late 1960s, English artists like the Rolling Stones and Joe Cocker began recording in the States, and at that point, they realised, 'We can get real African-American voices on our records; we don't have to pretend any more.'

The music business inspires designers, and designers inspire the music business.

It just makes you a better artist when you're with people who are great artists themselves. Being around Kanye, soaking up all the knowledge, all the stuff he got.

All of a sudden, there are great Japanese films, or great Italian films, or great Australian films. It's usually because there are a number of people that cross-pollinated each other.

As an artist, I feel so fortunate to be able to learn from all these great musicians that came before me, when some people have nobody that came before them.

Great classic music that I've been turned on to has not only inspired and influenced me, but it has had an effect on my songwriting.

My songs would be nothing had it not been for my father. I follow his footsteps.

Asian music influenced Debussy, who influenced me - it's all a huge circle.

When I work with different musicians, I draw a lot of things from them, and that has really expanded my musical thinking.

New Yorkers know how to borrow wildly. You know, Louis Armstrong was not a New York musician. He went from New Orleans to Chicago to New York, and when he arrived here, he taught those New Yorkers. New York needs that infusion.

Anything that is good influences the next thing. It's inevitable. I believe that Hollywood influences the comics, and the comics influence Hollywood - it's a cycle.

I don't really listen to contemporary R&B with an ear for hearing my influence. Music is a spirit unto itself, and all of us musicians influence each other all along the chain.

I feel like everybody's inspired off of everybody.

Music is like having a conversation. All musicians inspire each other, and they're all geared to play something that matters.

It's so crazy because kids that wrote to me when they were 14 years old are still in my life. A lot have gone on to become musicians and artists in their own right who inspire me now.

I'm usually the last to see my influence in other people's work. People give me stuff and say "Oh look, this guy's ripping you off," and I'm like "What do you mean?" Often I see the people that I've ripped off filtered into my own work. In other people's work, I can only see specific, tiny little instances of inflections stolen from another artist.

Robert Plant, Kenny Chesney, Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal, this incredible array of folks, all taught me a way to carry yourself with dignity.

I know how important '36 Chambers' is, and it inspired me to record 'Lifted.'

No one is making extraordinary things alone. They might be alone in their bedroom while they're recording or writing, but they didn't actually conjure that thing out of nothing - without influence - without assistance - without anything.

I recall a conversation I was having with Pharrell one time. We were in the studio talking about R&B, and he said 'You're like me, we're like each other, we think the same way.' He's one of the few people I would consider a mentor, not because I look up to him but because he's actually given me sound advice and it came from a place inside of him.

Everybody influences everybody else, in my opinion. There are different trends in music all the time. No matter who starts them, if it's a true trend in the music, it ends up influencing other people as well.

American music is always best when it comes from a mixture of things.

I am a very big fan of Brian Eno, of his work as an artist and making his music, and as a producer. In some ways, I have looked to his career as a model for my own.

My father Apresh Lahiri and mother Bansari Lahiri were great composers of their time.

My old man Shorty was a huge figure in my musical life.