Blues rock guitarist Eric Gales will tour the UK in March and April 2022, following the release of a brand-new album in Crown that will be out on the Provogue record labelcomeFriday 28th January.
Ahead of that he’s just released new single ‘I Want My Crown’ that features Keb’ Mo and Joe Bonamassa, who also produced the new album. Opening with a fanfare of elegant lead guitar virtuosity before slipping into a funky groove. With playful bravado, he sings about finally getting his due while also admitting his self-sabotaging past.
You can also check out the official video here at RAMzine. In it, clean and focused with guitar in hand, Gales eyes the crown and goes for it, battling Joe Bonamassain a Rocky-like epic fight of a guitar duel.
Crow is already being hotly tipped, as Gale opens up like never before, sharing his struggles with substance abuse, his hopes about a new era of sobriety and unbridled creativity, and his personal reflections on racism.
A child prodigy, Gales released his debut album The Eric Gales Band in 1991 as a 16-year-old on Elektra Records. It was the first of 10 albums on a major label through a blistering career. He has released 16 studio albums in total ahead of Crown and a host of other collaborations.
His passion for music and a boundless desire to keep it vital has apparently never waned, even when his own light dimmed due to his substance struggles. Since 1991, the Memphis-born guitarist has blazed a path reinvigorating the blues with a virtuosity and rock swagger that have had him being heralded as the second coming of Jimi Hendrix.
He’s earned high praise by guitarists’ guitarist and household name axe-men such as Bonamassa, Carlos Santana, Dave Navarro, and Mark Tremonti. In addition, he has held his own with some of the greatest guitarists in the world, including Carlos Santana at Woodstock 1994, Zakk Wylde, Eric Johnson, and a posse of others as a featured guest guitarist touring with the Experience Hendrix Tour.
Gales’ 2019 album The Bookends was written over a nine-month period, the album was recorded at Recorded at Studio Delux, Van Nuys, California, The Doghouse, Woodland Hills, California, Blakeslee Recording, North Hollywood. Three-time Grammy-nominated and Emmy Award winning vocalist B. Slade appears on two songs, ‘Something’s Gotta Give’ and bonus track ‘Pedal To The Metal’. Following its release, he was due to tour the UK, but covid put paid to that, thus 2022 will see his delayed arrival on these shores.
Previously, his 2017 album, Middle of the Road, reached #1 on the iTunes Blues chart and #4 on the Billboard Blues chart. It made Classic Rock Magazine and Total Guitar albums of the year with the latter saying it was “the album that should define his career.” Classic Rock said, “the notes drip from Gales’ fretboard like warm honey.” Guitar Magazine exclaimed: “it’s the “the injection of danger and unpredictability that the blues-rock scene desperately needs.” Blues Matters professed “truly the man is blessed.” Powerplay Magazine said, “the more you listen to it the more the brilliance of Eric Gales becomes apparent.”
These more recent events, come with the passing of sobriety. The man has previously battled drink and drug issues and spent time in jail in 2009 for possession of drugs and a weapon. Now, Gales, proudly tells his story every night before every show, now over two years sober he is creating some of the best he has ever made. Talking about his approach to song writing in this time he reflects. “I guess the songs would answer the question more or less, I definitely don’t have anything clouding my view and it’s definitely a much purer place where its coming from.”
You can pre-order Crown here.
Special guest on all his UK shows will be British blues rock guitarist Danny Bryant, who recently released his 12th studio album The Rage To Survive. Tickets for all dates are available from The Gig Cartel.
