“My name is Eric Gales. Any questions?” It’s this spoken line that opens Gales’ latest album, Crown: A piping hot platter of blues rock brilliance. Turns out we did have questions, and quite a few at that. In between a rigorous touring and promotion schedule, Gales managed to sit down with us to discuss his past, present, and future as “the greatest living guitarist”. Don’t take our word for it. Take it from the numerous fans, critics, and peers who have labeled him such. Never one to let ego get to his head, Gales welcomed us with a warm and open heart, the same one that fuels his music. His name is Eric Gales. Here are his answers.
Greetings Eric and welcome to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing this afternoon?
Eric Gales: I’m doing great man. Hanging in there. I’m a little tired, but I’m hanging in there man. Everything’s good.
I can understand that. Crown just came out last week and I know you did the kick off show over the weekend. How did that go?
EG: It was amazing bro. It was mind blowing. We had a wonderful time.
Before we go into this new album, I want to talk about the events leading up to it. 2021 seemed to be a turning point for you. Shows started getting bigger, crowds started getting bigger, and all of a sudden, you’re on the cover of Guitar World. How did these past couple years shape the creation of Crown?
EG: I just stayed persistent. I really hadn’t done anything different but do a record with some of my friends. It definitely went up three, four, five, six notches. As far as the playing and touring and all that, it’s nothing different than what I’ve been doing for quite some time, since it’s been actively a part of my career and I’ve shifted my life in the right gear. I made a lot of the right decisions. Again, I got together with some good friends of mine and we put a very, very serious record out there. I hope the world is taking to it pretty well.
We here at Defenders have taken it very well. You speak of these friends you have on this album, perhaps none better than Joe Bonamassa, who lends his production talents. He did an excellent job capturing your energy on tape. He also joins you on the namesake single, “I Want My Crown”. Much like yourself, Joe started at a very young age. When did you and he first meet?
EG: We met, I was maybe 16 or 17. He was with a band called Bloodline and they opened up for the Eric Gales Band in Huntsville, Alabama quite some time ago.
And I assume you friendship grew from there?
EG: Yeah.
Was there any intention on collaborating leading up to Crown or did everything just happen to fall into place?
EG: It just fell into place. We played on his cruise a couple times. One time he called me up and we did the battle on “John Henry”. That stirred up the pot. We just capitalized off of that. That was a rekindling of friendship with me and Joe from many, many years back then. After we met about 30 years ago, his career with hard work and dedication skyrocketed. Mine with hard work and dedication to the opposite thing, drugs and stuff like that. I’m just fortunate that I didn’t die in the process.
We’re grateful to have you here. You speak very honestly about these experiences on this album. The lyrics are extremely autobiographical, to me even more so than past releases. Was the goal of Crown to set your life story to music?
EG: Yes. It’s a continuation because I’ve been doing this on previous records. I did it on Middle of the Road (2017) and The Bookends (2019). Most of all the records I put out contain autobiographical stories about my life and experiences that I went through. I’ve allowed myself to be very vulnerable in spreading the message of things that have happened in my life, hopefully for the sake of being able to help, being able to send healing to some people who may be in some of those predicaments that I was in. I want to show them that you can get through the fire. There’s a way to come out on the other side.
That vulnerability is present not just in your lyrics, but your music as well. I feel that you are able to pack emotion into a song in a way that I haven’t heard a guitarist do since Gary Moore. We hear this on tracks like “I Found Her”, and my personal favorite, “Too Close to the Fire”. Did you ever cross paths with Moore?
EG: No, we never met before. I’ve heard his name and mine in the same sentence before and it’s a high compliment. For a guy to have done the things that he done in his lifetime and to hear someone mention my name in the same sentence is very, very gratifying and humbling. I’m very honored.
In between the songs on this album are some brief instrumental interludes. There’s three in particular: “Had to Dip”, “Cupcakin'”, and my favorite, “Rattlin’ Change”. Why did you decide to not make “Rattlin’ Change” into a full blown song?
EG: All three of those tunes were based off things that me and Joe (Bonamassa) and Josh (Smith) remembered coming up. We’d hear tunes that were on a B side of an Albert King record that would be just a groove that faded out. It was just enough to make the listener want more. That’s exactly what we decided to do, give ’em a little bit of something. Evidently, mission accomplished as you asked, “Why wasn’t there more?” It’s a little rest stop in between the journey. We let you know that we’re still alive, you know what I mean? It was a personal favorite thing of myself and Joe and Josh and we decided to do a reenactment of that.
It definitely worked. As I was listening, I was getting into it and I saw after a minute it was done. I was like, “Wait, that was it?”
EG: *laughs* Yeah man. In and out!
Throughout your career, critics and fans alike have compared your playing style to that of Jimi Hendrix. Do these comparisons bother you?
EG: You know, they don’t man. To be honest, to have my name in the same sentence as any one of the legends that I have been highly inspired and influenced by is an honor. For the sake of clarification, I’m not trying to be the next anybody. I’m just trying to be the first Eric Gales. The remnants in all of that, I have no problem with, as long as you’re aware that I’m doing all of the things I do being me first and foremost. I’m influenced by a whole hell of a lot of people, so it’s very hard to not hear nuances of them come through.
Not only Jimi, but Albert (King) and Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker and Wes Montgomery and Chet Atkins and Roy Clark and Jerry Reed and Kenny Burrell and Herb Ellis and Freddie King and B.B. King. There’s a lot of them out there. I just named quite a few, but there’s a whole hell of a lot more that I hadn’t named that are part of the gumbo that I like to dip my spoon in. Ain’t no telling what comes out. You have Eric Johnson, Robin Trower, Frank Marino. All of these cats I’m highly, highly, highly influenced by. Dare I not mention Stevie Ray Vaughan.
You have all of those guys. If they broke a string, I wanted to do it just like that. That is how into these artists and musicians that I am, but at the same time, it’s all about giving homage to who I was inspired and influenced by, by doing it the Eric Gales way. With all that being said, I’m always gonna give honor where honor is due for where a lot of it came. At the same time, let it be noted that I’m trying to be the first Eric Gales. That’s all.
It’s funny you mention Stevie Ray Vaughan, because that’s actually the perfect segue into the next question. You’ve spoken in the past about how fast success came to you when you first hit the scene. Despite your natural talent and ability, did you ever think this was partially due to the general public’s interest, or perhaps even need, for a new guitar hero after the passing of Vaughan?
EG: It’s possible. It’s hard to give my opinion on what the public has been yearning or longing for. But once Stevie Ray passed away, there were quite a few of us young guns, Kenny Wayne (Shepherd), Jonny Lang, Derek Trucks, Robert Randolph, that were coming along and doing this and that. It’s hard for me to answer that question, but like I said before, I’m very fortunate that I didn’t die in the process. I’m still here with even more of an experience to speak about and play about, and just dive into some peoples souls if they’ll let me in. Show them what’s going on in my world.
You spoke earlier of the various influences that shaped your career. When I listen to your music, blues is the backbone, but I also hear soul, funk, hard rock, country, jazz, and so many other elements. When you’re writing riffs, solos, or whatever comes to your mind, do you ever tend to write within one certain style for a period of time?
EG: It comes and goes. Yeah, of course you get kind of caught up in some things, but at the end of it, you just sit back and analyze what’s the best thing for the tune. You adjust and accommodate for the best outcome of what the tune is trying to say.
You played guitar on Doro’s 1993 album, Angels Never Die, specifically on “Bad Blood”, “Born to Bleed”, and “Heaven with You”. How did this collaboration happen and what are your memories of recording these songs?
EG: The memories of recording those songs are an awesome, amazing time. I was blown away that we got the call. It was also my brother (Eugene Gales) as well. Jack Ponti, the producer of those records, was a huge fan of ours. He actually co-wrote some of the tunes on the first two Eric Gales Band records. We had already had a relationship with Jack Ponti, so that’s how the connection was made to be a part of another project he was producing. I’ll never forget it. We had some really fun times.
Which songs on Crown are you most excited to play live?
EG: Every last one of ’em. All of ’em. There’s not one that I love more than the other. I’m excited to do the whole record.
Finally, what can the fans expect from Eric Gales for the rest of 2022?
EG: Energy, passion, emotion, and giving everything I’ve got in the promotion of this record. I want them to see what hard work we put into the writing of this record, the recording of this record, holding up to let the pandemic lighten up a little bit; to show them how much of an endearing project this is, that we want the whole world to beat witness to.
The new Eric Gales album, Crown, is out now on Provogue. For more information on Eric Gales, visit www.ericgales.com.