The Road to Escondido

The Road to Escondido
Studio album by
J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton
Released7 November 2006
RecordedAugust 2005
StudioLos Angeles, California[1]
GenreBlues, blues rock, Tulsa sound
Length57:05
LabelDuck / Reprise
Producer
  • J.J. Cale
  • Eric Clapton
  • Simon Climie
J. J. Cale chronology
To Tulsa and Back
(2004) 		The Road to Escondido
(2006) 		Rewind: The Unreleased Recordings
(2007)
Eric Clapton chronology
Back Home
(2005) 		The Road to Escondido
(2006) 		Complete Clapton
(2007)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz[2]
AllMusic[3]
Classic Rock[4]
Contactmusic[5]
Glide Magazine[6]
The Music Box[7]
Paste(favourable)[8]
Slant Magazine[9]
Twisted Ear[10]
J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton.

The Road to Escondido is a collaborative studio album by J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton. It was released on 7 November 2006. Contained on this album are the final recordings of keyboardist Billy Preston. The album is jointly dedicated to Preston and Brian Roylance.

In 2004, Eric Clapton held the Crossroads Guitar Festival, a three-day festival in Dallas, Texas. Among the performers was J. J. Cale, giving Clapton the opportunity to ask Cale to produce an album for him. The two started working together and eventually decided to record an album. A number of high-profile musicians also agreed to work on the album, including Billy Preston, Derek Trucks, Taj Mahal, Pino Palladino, John Mayer, Steve Jordan, and Doyle Bramhall II. In a coup, whether intended or not, the entire John Mayer Trio participated on this album in one capacity or another.

Escondido is a city in San Diego County near Cale's home at the time located in the small, unincorporated town of Valley Center, California. Eric Clapton owned a mansion in Escondido in the 1980s and early '90s. The road referenced in the album's title is named Valley Center Road. It runs from Valley Center to Escondido. Cale and Clapton thought it would be a good name for the album because it connected the two locales.

The album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2008.

  1. ^ "The Road To Escondido (with lyrics)". jjcale.org.
  2. ^ Collette, Doug (14 December 2006). "J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton: The Road To Escondido (2006)". All About Jazz. Retrieved 23 December 2014. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2011). "The Road to Escondido – J.J. Cale | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  4. ^ Martin, Gavin (December 2006). "JJ Cale and Eric Clapton The Road To Escondido". Classic Rock. pp. 90–91.
  5. ^ Rea, Mike (21 November 2006). "JJ Cale and Eric Clapton The Road to Escondido Album Review". Contactmusic. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  6. ^ Rooks, Jason (8 December 2006). "J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton: The Road to Escondido". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  7. ^ Metzger, John (December 2006). "J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton – The Road to Escondido (Album Review)". The Music Box (vol. 13, no. 12). Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  8. ^ Beta, Andy (23 January 2007). "J.J. Cale: JJ Cale & Eric Clapton – The Road …". Paste. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  9. ^ Jones, Preston (22 November 2006). "Album Review: JJ Cale & Eric Clapton The Road To Escondido". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  10. ^ Huff, Philip D. (2011). "Twisted Ear – J.J. Cale & Eric Clapton – The Road to Escondido". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2011.