Eric Gales is no longer the underdog threatening to take the world by storm. He’s already done it, and is now enjoying recognition with Grammy nominations and sold-out performances across the globe. But Eric is keen to acknowledge that it might have been a different story had his older sibling not shown him the musical ropes from an early age. Eric’s latest album, A Tribute To LJK, acts as a doff of the cap to his brother. The record starts with a familiar voice saying, “All hail, a tribute to our brother Manuel Gales, also known as Little Jimmy King,” followed by 47 minutes of the most life-affirming blues. As the leader of the Memphis Soul Survivors, Little Jimmy King enjoyed a successful career in blues, having cut his own records with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section, performed in Albert King’s band and toured with Buddy Guy, until Manuel’s life was tragically cut short by a heart attack at the age of 37 in 2002. A Tribute To LJK was co-produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, and is the sound of Eric reimagining his sibling’s music and celebrating his memory through the medium of electrifying noise. A fitting tribute.What was the vibe like in the studio while you were cutting this record?Pretty straightforward. Just me plugging my Magneto guitar into my DV Mark amp, as well as one of Joe’s Dumbles. That was the bulk of the tone. I used one of Joe’s Les Pauls for a solo or two, maybe a rhythm here or there. It was my normal pedalboard running in front, nothing had changed. There’s no sense in messing with things when they’re working fine. So that’s what we did. We just kept the tape rolling.
