John Cale

Not to be confused with J. J. Cale.

John Cale
OBE
Cale playing a viola while singing into a microphone onstage
Cale performing at De Warande in Turnhout, Belgium, 2006
Background information
Birth nameJohn Davies Cale
Born (1942-03-09) 9 March 1942 (age 82)
Garnant, Carmarthenshire, Wales[1]
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • viola
  • bass
  • guitar
DiscographyJohn Cale discography
Years active1957–present
Labels
Formerly of
Websitejohn-cale.com

John Davies Cale OBE (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, drone, classical, avant-garde and electronic music.[5]

He studied music at Goldsmiths College, University of London (UoL), before relocating in 1963 to New York City's downtown music scene, where he performed as part of the Theatre of Eternal Music and formed the Velvet Underground. Since leaving the band in 1968, Cale has released seventeen solo studio albums, including the widely acclaimed Paris 1919 (1973) and Music for a New Society (1982). Cale has also acquired a reputation as an adventurous record producer, working on the debut studio albums of several innovative artists, including the Stooges and Patti Smith.[6]

  1. ^ Sarah Larson (6 December 2017). "New Wave Forever: John Cale at Seventy-five". The New Yorker. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  2. ^ Harris, Sophie (7 January 2013). "Musical revolutionary John Cale storms BAM". Time Out. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  3. ^ "At 71, John Cale is a still-vital living legend of avant-garde". Indy Week. 4 September 2013. pp. Ward, Ed. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  4. ^ Kozinn, Allan (15 January 2013). "An Eclectic Rock Pioneer Traversing the Borderline". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  5. ^ Beaumont, Mark (14 September 2014). "John Cale and Liam Young review – Cale's drones outshine Young's flying bots in sinister vision of the future". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  6. ^ "John Cale: The Return of an Underground Icon". NPR. Retrieved 16 May 2018.