(CNN) -- You've heard J.J. Cale's songs. "After Midnight" was done most famously by Eric Clapton. "Cocaine," too. Lynyrd Skynyrd had a hit with "Call Me the Breeze," Poco did "Cajun Moon," Santana performed "The Sensitive Kind," and Billy Ray Cyrus has done "Crazy Mama." And you've heard J.J. Cale's sound. It's a distinctive groove, a smooth-shuffling gait that calls to mind a bluesier Johnny Cash. Clapton emulates it on many of his late-'70s records, such as "Lay Down Sally" and "Promises," and it runs like a golden seam through several Dire Straits records -- no surprise, since Mark Knopfler's a fan.
@highlight
J.J. Cale is legend among musicians; wrote "After Midnight," "Cocaine"
@highlight
Guitarist has a distinctive, much-emulated bluesy groove
@highlight
Cale's new album is "Roll On," another distinctive collection
Eric Clapton
Clapton
He's put out albums every two or three years since then, but he's just as happy to have others cover his material, particularly @placeholder.