The Road to Escondido
Encyclopedia
The Road to Escondido is an album by J. J. Cale and Eric Clapton
. It was released on November 7, 2006. Contained on this album are the final recordings of Billy Preston
, to whom the album is dedicated.
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 near Cale's hometown of Valley Center, California
. Though it is named Escondido, the album title actually references Valley Center.
The album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2008.
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
. It was released on November 7, 2006. Contained on this album are the final recordings of Billy Preston
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, to whom the album is dedicated.
In 2004, Eric Clapton held the Crossroads Guitar Festival
Crossroads Guitar Festival
The Crossroads Guitar Festival is a music festival and benefit concert first held in 2004 and again in 2007 and 2010. The festivals benefit the Crossroads Centre founded by Eric Clapton, a drug treatment center located in Antigua. The concerts are also intended to be a showcase for a variety of...
, a three day festival in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. 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
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
, Derek Trucks
Derek Trucks
Derek Trucks is a Grammy Award-winning, American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. He founded The Derek Trucks Band and worked as a session musician when he was still in his early teens. Throughout those teenage years, he toured with The Allman Brothers Band primarily as a slide...
, Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
, Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
, John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan (musician)
Steve Jordan is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, musical director and Grammy Award-winning artist, who has made a name for himself as a producer from the Bronx in New York City. A graduate of the Fiorello H...
and Doyle Bramhall II
Doyle Bramhall II
Doyle Bramhall II is a guitarist and vocalist in his band Smokestack and was also the second guitarist in Eric Clapton's band from 2004 to 2009.-Discography:with Arc Angels*Arc Angels...
. In a coup, whether intended or not, the entire John Mayer Trio
John Mayer Trio
In February 2005, the trio played Mayer's single "Daughters" at the 47th Grammy Awards, for which Mayer went on to win the award for Best Male Vocal Performance later that night . The Trio released "Come When I Call" exclusively to iTunes...
participated on this album in one capacity or another.
Escondido is a city near Cale's hometown of Valley Center, California
Valley Center, California
Valley Center is a census-designated place in San Diego County, California. The population was 9,277 at the 2010 census, up from 7,323 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Valley Center is located at ....
. Though it is named Escondido, the album title actually references Valley Center.
The album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2008.
Track listing
All songs by J. J. Cale except where noted.- "Danger" - 5:34
- "Heads in Georgia" - 4:12
- "Missing Person" - 4:26
- "When This War Is Over" - 3:49
- "Sporting Life Blues" (Brownie McGheeBrownie McGheeWalter Brown McGhee was a Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaborations with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.-Life and career:...
) - 3:31 - "Dead End Road" - 3:30
- "It's Easy" - 4:19
- "Hard to Thrill" (Eric Clapton/John MayerJohn MayerJohn Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
) - 5:11 - "Anyway the Wind Blows" - 3:56
- "Three Little Girls" (Eric Clapton) - 2:44
- "Don't Cry Sister" - 3:10
- "Last Will and Testament" - 3:57
- "Who Am I Telling You" - 4:08
- "Ride the River" - 4:35
Personnel
- J.J. Cale: Guitars, keyboards, vocals.
- Eric Clapton: Guitars, vocals.
- Derek TrucksDerek TrucksDerek Trucks is a Grammy Award-winning, American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. He founded The Derek Trucks Band and worked as a session musician when he was still in his early teens. Throughout those teenage years, he toured with The Allman Brothers Band primarily as a slide...
: Guitar. - Jim Karstein: Drums, percussion.
- James Cruce: Drums, Percussion.
- Pino PalladinoPino PalladinoPino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
: Bass guitar - Steve JordanSteve Jordan (musician)Steve Jordan is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, musical director and Grammy Award-winning artist, who has made a name for himself as a producer from the Bronx in New York City. A graduate of the Fiorello H...
: Drums. - Abe Laboriel, Jr: Drums.
- Gary GilmoreGary GilmoreGary Mark Gilmore was an American criminal, and murderer, who gained international notoriety for demanding that his own death sentence be fulfilled following two murders he committed in Utah. He became the first person executed in the United States after the U.S...
: Bass guitar. - Willie WeeksWillie WeeksWillie Weeks is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also gained notoriety touring with many of rock's heavyweights throughout his career...
: Bass guitar. - John MayerJohn MayerJohn Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
: Guitar. - Albert LeeAlbert LeeAlbert William Lee, born 21 December 1943 in Leominster, Herefordshire, England, is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked both in the studio and on tour with some of the most famous musicians which stretch through a very wide of genres...
: Guitar. - Billy PrestonBilly PrestonWilliam Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
: Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer. - Walt Richmond: Piano.
- Doyle Bramhall IIDoyle Bramhall IIDoyle Bramhall II is a guitarist and vocalist in his band Smokestack and was also the second guitarist in Eric Clapton's band from 2004 to 2009.-Discography:with Arc Angels*Arc Angels...
: Guitar. - Nathan EastNathan EastNathan Harrell East is a jazz, R&B and rock bass player and vocalist. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego...
: Bass guitar. - Christine Lakeland: Guitar, vocals.
- Simon ClimieSimon ClimieSimon Climie is a songwriter/producer and the former lead singer of the UK pop duo Climie Fisher, who had hits with "Love Changes " and "Rise to the Occasion"....
: Percussion. - David Teegarden: Percussion.
- Taj MahalTaj Mahal (musician)Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
: Harmonica. - Dennis Caplinger: Fiddle.
- Bruce FowlerBruce FowlerBruce Lambourne Fowler is a prominent American trombone player and composer. He notably played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart, and in the Fowler Brothers Band...
: Horns. - Marty Grebb: Horns.
- Steve Madaio: Horns.
- Jerry Peterson: Horns.
Production
- Eric Clapton: Producer, Concept.
- Simon Climie: Programming, Producer, Digital Editing.
- Alan Douglas: Engineer.
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
: Mastering. - Mike Kappus: Management.
- Lee Dickson: Guitar Technician.
- Catherine Roylance: Art Direction.
- Joel Evenden: Digital Editing.
- Nigel Carroll: Personal Assistant.
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Top 75 Albums | 3 |
| Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums | 15 |
| Belgium (Wallonia) 100 Albums | 12 |
| Danish Top 40 Albums | 8 |
| French Top 200 Albums | 10 |
| German Albums | 2 |
| Hungarian Top 40 Albums | 36 |
| Italian Top 20 Albums | 7 |
| Netherlands Top 100 Albums | 5 |
| Norwegian Top 40 Albums | 3 |
| Spanish Top 100 Albums | 25 |
| Swedish Top 60 Albums | 4 |
| Swiss Top 100 Albums | 7 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
50 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
23 |
| US Digital Albums | 29 |
| US Rock Albums | 7 |
| US Tastemaker Albums | 1 |
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Top 50 Albums | 43 |
| Finnish Top 50 Albums | 14 |
| New Zealand Top 50 Albums | 1 |
Certifications
| Country | Provider | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | IFPI | Gold (10,000 units sold) |
| Germany | BVMI Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
Gold (100,000 units shipped) |
| New Zealand | RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
Platinum (15,000 units shipped) |
| Switzerland | IFPI | Gold (15,000 units sold) |
| United States | RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Gold (500,000 units sold) |