Independence Day

By the mid-1980s J.J. Cale was living an almost reclusive lifestyle, famously residing in a caravan with no telephone. He remained largely musically inactive too during the decade; his last album was 83's #8, prior to his 1990 comeback with Travel-Log. This fine record paved the way for a revival of sorts, and his follow-up, Number 10 in 1992, was equally enticing. Both of these LPs were chock-full of famous names, including such luminaries as Spooner Oldham, Tim Drummond, Jim Keltner, James Burton, Hoyt Axton and Cale's wife Christine Lakeland among their ranks. Although still preferring to remain out of the spotlight, Cale however did embark on a short North American tour in 1993, his first in three years. One of the finest performances he gave during this rare sojourn was an appearance at the High Sierra Music Festival at Leland Meadows in California on Independence Day. The entirety of this concert, which contains a wide selection of classics from across his career and was recorded and broadcast live nationwide over FM radio, is now featured on this CD and thus made available for the first time.