JJ Cale has been and always will be an inspiration on anyone aspiring to play laid back, southern blues. Born in Oklahoma City and raised in Tulsa, Cale had been playing small bars for a long time before moving to Los Angeles and recording a psychedelic album with a songwriter named Roger Tillison in their band the Leather-Coated Minds, a much sought-after rarity these days.

Somehow, Eric Clapton managed to get ahold of some of Cale's music and covered JJ's "After Midnight," making it not only one of Clapton's signiture tunes, but Cale's most famous song. Little did the rest of the world know, the man who penned Clapton's hit had a whole brainful of bluesy tunes that were just as, if not better than "After Midnight."

Cale moved along, practically unnoticed, and seemed to enjoy the minimal amount of recognition. He went on to record more than ten other records receiving massive critical acclaim and a pretty substantial cult following. Cale's still recording today, but Anyway the Wind Blows stands as the ultimate collection of his work, containing fifty remastered tracks, new photos and a massive biography. If you've ever been a fan of Clapton or even Muddy Waters for that matter, you shouldn't be without this two-disc masterpiece.

-Ryan Schreiber