Cover photo © 2026 Laura Carbone
Many blues fans are disappointed and angered lately about the seemingly unavoidable wave of AI-generated music tracks. In addition to the concerns about copyright infringement and loss of revenue for musicians, it has been noted that the tracks themselves are too perfect or “soulless,” and are contributing to the erosion of authentic artistry. What’s a good antidote for that? Attending an Eric Gales performance! This highly gifted guitarist displays passion and authenticity with every note he plays. And the fact that he is an excellent songwriter with a great voice is an extra bonus. Blues Blast Magazine had the opportunity to catch up with Eric prior to his set at the Heritage Blues Festival in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Eric came from a very musical family, with older brothers who played guitar. Modeling after them, he picked up the guitar at age four and, like them, he turned the guitar upside down and played it left-handed. While he focused first on drums, and then bass guitar, it was soon clear that he had a special gift on the guitar, and everybody was starting to notice. Perhaps his most significant supporter at that time was Carlos Santana who, during an interview on the Arsenio Hall show, mentioned Eric when asked whether any new talent had caught his attention. By the age of sixteen, Eric had his first record deal, and at the age of twenty, he was asked to share the stage with Carlos Santana at the Woodstock’94 festival. He released two albums relatively quickly. However, he then slipped into the haze of a 27 year-long drug addiction, sabotaging his skyrocketing career and even doing some prison time in 2009. But, with the help of an excellent drug treatment program, the unwavering support of his talented and beautiful wife, LaDonna (who is also a bandmate), and a tremendous amount of hard work, Eric got clean and sober and regained the admiration and respect of his fellow musicians by demonstrating that his undeniable talent was back, better than ever, and here to stay.
One supporter who was very happy to welcome him back to the music world was Joe Bonamassa. Joe featured Eric on several of his Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea cruises. He also produced (along with Josh Smith) Eric’s 2022 release, Crown, which went on to place Number One on the Billboard Blues Album Chart and was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. One of the most popular songs on that album is a track featuring Joe Bonamassa. In “I Want My Crown”, Eric playfully pretends to be envious of his good friend, with lyrics like:
“tired of bein’ in the backseat–I want my crown!
Tired of hearing ’bout Joe B. and how he tweaks that sound.
Now it’s my turn, my time to eat.
I want my crown!”
In the video they step into a boxing ring together, trading licks in a guitar battle. The video ends with a crown on Eric’s head.
“That song came about from us doing a jam together on the boat. We just kind of made it into a song and it turned into this big thing. We thought the world might have a strong reaction to it and that’s exactly what happened—they did. We’re actually very supportive of each other. It was never about a competition. It was never about who was better than who. We just did that for the audience and we really enjoyed it. We were like two kids in a sandbox. We could do that all day long!”
Eric was asked if he was aware that many other musicians seem motivated to find reasons to criticize his good friend and might question Eric’s collaborations with him.
“They do, and I don’t know why. Maybe they just think of Joe as a privileged white kid, but he’s paid his dues. I’ve seen him pay his dues. We started at the same age. We came out around the same time. His career went one way and mine went another, but he did it the right way. And if you want to be mad at somebody for doing it the right way, then go ahead, but if I was him, I would just laugh all the way to the bank. There are a lot of things that Joe does that go unmentioned too. He supports a lot of people. In COVID he provided a lot of stipends for bands when it was time to get back on the road, and he paid some artists’ rents. Then there is what he is doing to try to keep the music in the schools. There are other things that I know about personally, being a friend of his, that he has done. He just chooses for the world not to know about them, but he has done a lot for many people.”
Eric was asked how he manages to achieve such a beautiful pure tone and articulation of notes, but in a smooth, connected way that seems so rare. Additionally, he seems to consistently throw himself physically into every performance in such a way that it can’t be anything but a very emotional experience for those in the audience.
“I guess everything I do just comes from in here (pointing to his heart). It just translates through the pedal or whatever I am using. I just know the authenticity of where it is coming from is so unmatched and so powerful that I think it comes through to the listener in one way or another. And I don’t know any other way to do it. It’s pretty powerful. I’ve tried to explain it before but found it difficult. I try to do my best to stay up with the Source that is providing it to me. I get so overwhelmed sometimes that I feel like I’m going to bust open. It’s such a powerful thing. I’m just trying to relay that to the audience and hopefully they will receive what I am giving.”
One of Eric’s guitar-playing older brothers was Emmanuel Gales, known to fans as “Little Jimmy King” (a name he chose to honor Jimi Hendrix and Albert King). Emmanuel died in 2002, and in 2025 Eric put out the album “A Tribute to LJK”. He was asked if it got the response that he hoped it would receive.
“Yes, but I was just happy the moment I finished the record. That was response enough for me, as far as my own personal acceptance of paying homage to my brother after so many years. I just wanted to let the world know that this guy was a bad, bad man and he was my brother. But people are taking well to the record.”
In 2025, Eric’s music was featured on the soundtrack of the movie “Sinners”. Set in 1932 Mississippi, this movie portrays blues musicians opening a juke joint but encountering vampires. It has an exceptional soundtrack, featuring music from many artists including Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Bobby Rush. Buddy Guy is also featured at the end of the film. The film earned 16 nominations for Oscars, including one for best original score, and broke the industry’s records for the most nominations for a single movie. Eric was asked how it came about that he was involved in the soundtrack for the movie.
“We just got a phone call to be involved in this movie. I was actually supposed to have a role in it, but I was obligated with a tour with Joe (Bonamassa) over in Brazil. I would have loved to have been in it. But they still wanted me to be a part of it, so luckily Ludwig (Goransson) looked me up through Raphael Saadiq. He said, ‘I have some scenes that I want you to play on’. So, I flew out there and some scenes were put up on the screen, and I was told to ‘just play what you feel’—and the rest is history”
One of the most memorable moments at the Oscars ceremony was the live performance of the song “I Lied to You”, from the Sinners soundtrack. With the stage set up as a juke joint, and a wide variety of dancers symbolizing different areas of Black cultural expression throughout the generations, viewers were treated to numerous blues legends sharing the spotlight, including Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Bobby Rush. As the song ends, there is a dance sequence by Misty Copeland, the first African American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater, who came out of retirement after undergoing hip surgery for this performance. The audience jumped to their feet for a standing ovation, and many believed that this was one of the most unforgettable performances in the history of the award ceremony.
“It was incredible to be a part of something like that. I’ve never done something like that before. To be part of such an enormous platform, being witnessed all around the world. It was huge! The Grammys, the Oscars, the BT Awards—it was amazing to be a part of all of them.”
Most recently, Eric was somewhat surprisingly featured on an album put out by the Ohio-based Red Hands Band, who are sometimes categorized as “Christian Soul Music”.
“Yes—we got together and did this mashup which turned into something incredible. Nothing was rehearsed. I walked in and played and what you guys hear is what happened. We did it in one take. It was an amazing outpouring of emotion and music coming together. We called the album “Kinfolk” because come to find out the guitar player in that group and I are cousins. A couple of worlds came together and created a perfect storm. We landed number one not only on the gospel charts but also on the blues charts. That was really mind blowing! I don’t think that has ever happened in history, so it gives me foresight about the history of labels. With labels, I think that they will be all out the window soon, and we’ll go with whatever feels good—whatever comes out. I have lived by that for quite some time now. Even though I have been labeled before, I’m much more than a blues rocker. I play what I feel—whatever comes out. I can’t help it.”
Coming up later this year, fans can look forward to seeing Eric play at Buddy Guy’s 90th birthday celebration at Radio Music Hall in New York, and at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, a benefit for the drug treatment center founded by Clapton.
“I’m so excited to be at Buddy Guy’s Birthday celebration. Buddy is a legend, man. One of the last living ones. Luckily our schedule was open, so of course I accepted. I want to be part of such a legendary guy who paved the way for a lot of artists. He was very influential on the style of a lot of guitarists. Inspirational and influential, whether they choose to admit it or mention it or not. He’s still alive and kicking, doing a bunch of dates each year. I was just with Robert Cray the other day too. Him, and Bobby Rush and Buddy and Taj Mahal—they are some of the legends that are still around. And yes, I’m doing Crossroads again. I’m going to be guesting with Robert Randolph. We’ve played together before, so it should be a whole lot of fun. I am really looking forward to that. It was exhilarating to have the conversation with Clapton—yet another legend, and to be a part of this. It’s not a small event, and it’s a great cause. So, we have those two really huge events happening almost back-to-back. and there are a lot of other things happening later this year. Some of them I’m not at liberty to mention yet, but I can say there will be some exciting mashups that are on the horizon that the world is probably going to be pretty shocked to see. It’s going to be fun! I have a few acoustic shows coming up too. It’s just me, my wife, and Trevor, and I incorporate this kick drum. It’s like this backyard, back-in-the-day feel. I really love doing those formats.”
It’s been an incredible year for Eric Gales, and it seems like he is finally getting the well-deserved recognition of his hard work.
“It does feel like that. It’s been a long time. I put in a lot of time—paid a lot of dues. It’s good to be able to smell the flowers while I can. And I just want to say thanks to everyone for their support. Thanks for hanging with Eric and LaDonna Gales throughout all of these years and know that there is definitely more to come—stay tuned!”
Do yourself a favor and go feel the emotional cleansing you will experience after watching a live performance by this intriguing, passionate and extraordinarily talented artist. You can check out his schedule at www.ericgales.com
