The ROYAL TREATMENT

SIX-STRING HEAVYWEIGHT ERIC GALES DISCUSSES HIS TRIUMPHANT NEW ALBUM, CROWN, AND HIS JOURNEY TO ULTIMATE BLUES SALVATION

- ANDY ALEDORT

Since 1991, the Memphis-born Gales has redefined the language of blues guitar with stunning virtuosity and on-the-edge musical daring, combining the influences of Albert King and Jimi Hendrix with an infusion of the harmonically complex sounds of jazz and classical music, all delivered with a combination of emotional intensity and masterful precision. When he was just 16, Gales released his Elektra Records debut, The Eric Gales Band [1991], instantly earning high praise as a guitarists’ guitarist. Over the course of 30 years and 18 albums, his passion for the guitar and his boundless desire to keep his music vital has never waned. But like so many before him, the track of his career was derailed numerous times due to substance abuse. “I put myself in the backseat through my drug addiction,” Gales says candidly. In 2009, he hit bottom and served jail time at Shelby County Correctional Center outside of Memphis for possession of drugs and a weapon.

Now five years sober, a rejuvenated Gales is set to release Crown [January 28, via Provogue/Mascot Label Group], the strongest album of his career in terms of songwriting, singing and his signature explosive guitar playing. Produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, Crown showcases Gales sharing his feelings of positivity and dedication as well as his reflections on the fraught state of the world today. The album was recorded in Nashville at Ocean Way and Sound Emporium studios.

What led up to making this new record with Joe Bonamassa as producer?