The Substack Jukebox 🎵🎶🎵

Love songs he sent me ❤️. JJ Cale, Jewel, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Wylie Hubbard

Substack Jukebox 6/22/2026

Hello music lovers! This stack is devoted to music and artists outside the mainstream and new versions of your favorites, with a little backstory on the work.

What have you been listening to? Tell me and I’ll try to share it! Thanks for listening and turn it up!

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"Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart." — Pablo Casals

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Before I moved to Philadelphia, our long distance romance was sustained by music. When my phone binged with a message, my heart binged, too. That meant there was a song from Tim. *sigh

Tim respected ALL music. From heavy metal to opera and everything in between, he understood its power to communicate the way nothing else can.

These selections I’m sharing are a reminder of a great love and a future cut short by cancer. So, schedule your colonoscopy today, OK? I’ll drive you.

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"Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart." — Pablo Casals

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Jewel

This pop/folk hit is one of Jewel’s most famous releases. I honestly was surprised when I first heard this. I didn’t think Jewel would be on his playlist.

Jewel Kilcher is now 52 years old, has sold over THIRTY MILLION albums, and has been Grammy nominated 4 times. These are such sweet lyrics. I remember pulling the car over and listening to it with tears in my eyes.

Bonnie Raitt and Richard Thompson

‘Dimming of the Day’ was written by Thompson, a British singer/songwriter. It was released in the way back times of 1975. It’s been covered by so many great artists, but this version with Bonnie Raitt and Thompson himself is what I first heard. The lyrics... 😭

Ray Wylie Hubbard

Gotta admit I’m not a country fan, but Tim introduced me to “progressive” or “alt” country, and “Americana”, so I have since softened my stance. Ray is a feisty 79 year old and in 2018, won songwriter of the year at the Austin Music Awards. Also, he wrote ‘Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother’, which was made famous by Jerry Jeff Walker. You can listen to that here. 😂

‘Without Love’ is on my playlist of love songs… and you might add it to yours.

JJ Cale

We really did have a ‘thing’ going on. This is from JJ Cale, and it’s slow, dreamy, and gently moves you along. Tim was ever the romantic. 🥰

JJ Cale shunned the limelight, but has been recognized as a major influence by greats like Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, and Neil Young. Cale and Clapton won a Grammy for their album ‘The Road to Escondido’. Cale wrote 11 of the 14 songs on that album! Cale also wrote ‘Cocaine’, that Clapton made famous.

Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound. I had to look that up. The Tulsa Sound is “It is a mix of blues, blues rock, country, rock and roll and swamp pop sounds of the late 1950s and early 1960s. JJ Cale died in 2013. He was only 74. I hope you enjoy this gorgeous love song.

Don’t keep your music a secret! Tell us what you turn on… when you’re sad, happy, in love, or just need to unwind. Send me your favorites!

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