Crazy Mama by J.J. Cale

Album: Naturally (1971)

Charted: 22

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Songfacts®:

Oklahoma blues guitarist and songwriter J.J. Cale is best known for a number of songs which became radio favorites when covered by other artists. These include both "After Midnight" and "Cocaine," which were written and recorded by Cale before Eric Clapton cut his versions. Also, Cale's track "Call Me The Breeze" has been covered by numerous acts, most notably by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

"Crazy Mama" is a song from Cale's debut album Naturally, and was his only Top 40 hit in the US.
Cale took a long time to record Naturally. This was partly down to him being a studio boffin, and also Cale was broke at the time and couldn't afford session players, so he had to do everything, painstakingly, himself. It was because Cale didn't want to pay for a drummer that he was one of the first to use drum machines - including on the finished version of this song. Cale recalled to Mojo magazine September 2009: "Well I'm an engineer so they fascinated me, and that first album was spec - I didn't have a record contract - so it saved money hiring a drummer."

Comments: 3

Tony from CanadaThat was indeed a wah-wah pedal, but it wasn't J.J. Cale playing that slide guitar, it was Mac Gayden. J. J. himself said "Mac Gayden overdubbed slide wah-wah using a Lincoln guitar, a Japanese made Les Paul copy, and a Maestro Boomerang pedal through a Fender Deluxe Amplifier."
Mil from EuropeGreat author, please add more of his songs.
Ted from Phoenix, AzI love the guitar sound on this song. I presume J.J. used a wah-wah pedal to get the effect.

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