Background
John Cale was born on March 9, 1942 in Garnant, Wales; the son of William Arthur George, a coal miner, and Margaret Davies, a primary school teacher.
8 Lewisham Way, New Cross, London SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
John Cale attended Goldsmith College.
Silk St, London EC2Y 8DT, United Kingdom
John Cale studied at Guildhall School of Music.
26 Gibbs St, Rochester, NY 14604, United States
John Cale studied at Eastman Conservatory.
John Cale circa 1971 in Los Angeles.
John Cale, London, United Kingdom, 2002.
John Cale and Lou Reed perform together in a rehearsal studio in New York in 1975.
John Cale and Lou Reed perform together in a rehearsal studio in New York in 1975.
20-22 Highbury Corner, Highbury East, London N5 1RD, United Kingdom
John Cale during John Cale in Concert at The Garage in London - January 25, 2006 at The Garage in London, Great Britain.
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 8XX, United Kingdom
John Cale perform on stage in the Royal Festival Hall at The South Bank Centre on March 5, 2010 in London, England.
Carrer Nou de la Rambla, 113, 08004 Barcelona, Spain
John Cale performs on stage at Sala Apolo on March 20, 2012 in Barcelona, Spain.
John Cale for the Independent in London, England.
John Cale, London, United Kingdom, 2002.
Chris Spedding and John Cale, New York City on May 4, 1980.
Betsey Johnson and John Cale
John Cale was awarded his Officer of the British Empire (OBE) medal from the Prince of Wales at an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, November 19, 2010 in London.
2124 Broadway, New York, NY 10023, United States
Honorees John Cale and Moe Tucker of The Velvet Underground with Marth Morrison accepting for husband Sterling Morrison onstage during the GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends at Beacon Theatre on July 11, 2017 in New York City.
John Cale, Eden Cale and Betsey Johnson at the John Cale Album Release Party during Olympus Fashion Week Spring 2005 on September 13, 2004 in Bryant Park, New York City.
John Cale and daughter Eden Cale pose with designer Betsey Johnson as they attend the John Cale Album Release Party during Olympus Fashion Week Spring 2005 on September 13, 2004 in Bryant Park, New York City.
composer musician singer writer
John Cale was born on March 9, 1942 in Garnant, Wales; the son of William Arthur George, a coal miner, and Margaret Davies, a primary school teacher.
John Cale studied classical piano in childhood, later studied viola and piano at the Guildhall School of Music in London, and then attended Eastman Conservatory in New York City, where he studied avant-garde music courtesy of a scholarship from the Leonard Bernstein Foundation. He studied with famed composers John Cage, LaMonte Young, and Iannis Xenakis. John also attended Goldsmith College.
John Cale was a musical prodigy who first composed for the BBC when he was eight years old. Since his schooling, Cale has remained primarily in New York City, where he has worked with a wide range of avant-garde artists.
Despite his classical beginnings, Cale was not interested in traditional classical music, but in the work of composers such as John Cage, whose projects included a symphony of silence, and another piece in which the "musicians" held radios which they tuned to different stations at different times. To this day, Cale has retained his dual heritage of classical and avant-garde.
In 1963, Cale met musician Lou Reed at a party in New York and found that he liked Reed’s music. Reed invited Cale to form a band, which later became the rock group the Velvet Underground. Cale was a co-founder of the group, which, while short-lived, had a major influence on many later bands. With Reed on guitar, Cale playing the electric viola, bass, and piano, Sterling Morrison on rhythm guitar and bass, Maureen Tucker on drums, and Nico singing vocals, the band defined "the look, sound, and attitude of New York rock ‘n’ roll," according to the big-shot.com reviewer.
The band began as a house band for pop artist Andy Warhol and his Exploding Plastic Inevitable, a traveling art installation that included sensory overloads of lights, loud rock music, and drug use. However, the band members soon grew tired of Warhol and his show and split off on their own.
In 1968, Cale began his solo career. Four years later, John signed with Reprise Records and released the album Academy in Peril. His album Paris 1919, written in 1973, was recognized by critics as one of his best albums. As a member of the label, Cale produced albums by Jennifer Warnes, Chunky and Novi & Ernie. In 1974, he joined Island Records and worked with such artists as Squeeze, Patti Smith, and Sham 69.
When John experienced some problems in the relationship with his second wife, he released a series of solo albums. The album trilogy - Fear (1974), Slow Dazzle (1975) and Helen of Troy (1975) - was recorded and released throughout the year.
In 1977, Cale released the album Animal Justice. His excesses, his violence on stage, make him a forerunner of punk music. In December 1979, a Sabotage/Live was released. The album consists of new songs, many of which grapple confrontationally with global politics and paranoia.
In 1980, Cale signed a contract with A & M Records, but their collaboration did not last long. He signed with ZE Records and as early as the next year, Cale released Music for a New Society. Cale's next album, Caribbean Sunset, was also recorded on ZE Records. In 1985 in an effort at commercial success, Cale recorded Artificial Intelligence.
Because of his young daughter, Cale took a long break from recording. He made a comeback in 1989 with the release of Brian Eno's album, Words for the Dying. It was written in 1982 in response to the Falkland War.
In 1996, Cale released Walking on Locusts, which was his only solo album of the decade. In two years, Cale was the programmer of the festival "With A Little Help From My Friends" which is held at the Paradiso of Amsterdam. In 1999, he gave a concert in Cardiff on the occasion of the festivities for the creation of the National Assembly of Wales.
In 2000, John wrote a well-received memoir, What's Welsh for Zen?: The Autobiography of John Cale. Much of Cale’s memoir focuses on his years with the group and his complex relationships with Reed and Warhol. Critics considered the book an impressive account of the experimental music scene of which Cale was an influential part.
In February 2011, Cale signed a record deal with Domino Records subsidiary Double Six and released an Extra Playful. In five years Cale released his sixteenth solo album M:FANS, which features new versions of songs from his 1982 album Music for a New Society. Recently, in September 2019 he gave three concerts under the title 1964-2019 Futurespective at the Philharmonie de Paris.
Quotations:
"If you're all loaded up on love, you haven't got anywhere else to go."
"Time plays a role in almost every decision. And some decisions define your attitude about time."
"The only reason we wore sunglasses onstage was because we couldn't stand the sight of the audience."
"I am a ham. I've no business being rock 'n' roll. I've said it over and over again that I'm a classical composer, dishevelling my personality by dabbling in rock 'n' roll."
Physical Characteristics: John Cale is 6 feet tall.
Quotes from others about the person
Lou Reed: "I only hope that one day John will be recognized as … the Beethoven or something of his day. He knows so much about music, he's such a great musician. He's completely mad - but that's because he's Welsh."
Nat Finkelstein: "Never knew whether John Cale wanted to be Elvis Presley, Frankenstein's creature or the young Chopin."
Deantoni Parks: "He's the only musician I’ll mention if people ask who I play with. There’s only one name. He’s the greatest. He has more of an impact on me than any drummer, more than anyone, in my adult life."
Ingrid Superstar: "John Cale? Good grief! I couldn't begin to describe him. He's just funny-looking..... He looks like the devil."
Cale married Betsey Johnson in 1968. They divorced less than a year later. In 1971, Cale met Cynthia "Cindy" Wells and they married. The couple divorced in 1975. On 6 December 1981, Cale married his third wife, Risé Irushalmi. They had one daughter, Eden Cale. The couple divorced in 1997.