Eric Gales today releases his sizzling new single “Don’t Wanna Go Home” featuring Joe Bonamassa. You can watch the video HERE.
This is the latest single taken from his new album, a powerful and moving homage to his late brother Manuel Gales, ‘A Tribute To LJK‘. The album will be released digitally on 29 August and physically on 24 October via Provogue and features appearances by Buddy Guy, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Joe Bonamassa, Roosevelt Collier and Josh Smith.
There comes a time when every musician must look their past squarely in the eye. And while Gales’ latest release, Tribute To LJK, is a thrillingly modern record for the here and now, it’s also a nod to his bloodline and the roots of his family tree. “This record has been a long time coming,” he says of the speaker-rattling release co-produced by Bonamassa and Josh Smith. “I wanted it to be the ultimate tribute to my late brother, Little Jimmy King, to keep his memory alive and make sure people remember who he was and still is. All of these songs, except one, are his originals. I wanted to deliver his tunes to the world through my eyes. And I wanted it to be badass – and that’s exactly how it turned out.”
“Don’t Wanna Go Home” has an infectious, slinky groove with some fiery fretwork that whips it up into a swaggering song about taking your paycheque out on the town. The song saw Joe Bonamassa break out of the control room for a stinger solo and is a homage to the Little Jimmy King song from his 1997 album Soldier For The Blues.
Talking about the song, Gales says, “That may be the most rocking song on the album. Me and Joe looked at each other and I told him, ‘Man, I think this is the one you should be on’. And he said, ‘Hey man, let’s do it. ‘ It’s just a clear depiction of a dude that don’t wanna go home with his paycheque. We broke out the rare Les Pauls – Joe took the solo in the middle, I took the ride-out, and we went for it. I think it turned out great.”
“Don’t Wanna Go Home” follows the first single from the album “Somebody” (feat. Buddy Guy and Roosevelt Collier). Gales joined Buddy Guy on his farewell tour in June. Talking about the song, he says, “It’s just a really dope song, man, and I thought it was a great way to end the record. Buddy Guy is a legend, and that idea was actually mentioned by my wife, LaDonna. She said, ‘I think you should see if Buddy is available. We don’t know how much time any of us has, so while you have the opportunity, you should give it a shot.’ So we went for it, and he said, ‘Yeah.’ He knew my brother, and they played together, so I think it was easy for him to agree to do this song – and the rest is history.”
The blues is an ecosystem, and it’s a measure of the respect commanded by both Eric and his fabled older brother, real name Manuel, who sadly passed away in 2002, that these ten explosive covers are delivered by an all-star cast with deep ties to the project.
To understand why Tribute To LJK might be the proudest moment of Gales’ meteoric career, you have to follow the thread back to the late 1970s and a hectic family home in Memphis, Tennessee. “I’m the youngest of five siblings, so I grew up with all my brothers, and everybody played guitar,” he recalls. “Manuel was ten years older, and it was great to have him to look up to. I was so proud when he started his own band and began his career; he was off to the races. And then, after all his years of grinding away at his craft, to hear that he was touring with Albert King’s band in the late-’80s was awesome.”
And while Manuel made his mark in the world – graduating from King’s lineup to front his own ’90s outfit, Little Jimmy King & the Memphis Soul Survivors – Eric and his sibling Eugene signed to Elektra Records for 1991’s debut album, The Eric Gales Band. “I had a deal at 15, and the record came out when I was 16,” he recalls. “Even at that age, I already felt this was what I was gonna do in life.”
If you weren’t already familiar with the jaw-dropping life’s work of Little Jimmy King, Eric Gales’ new album lays it all out there for the world to hear. The album opens with a poignant spoken-word introduction by Danuel Gales (Manuel’s twin brother). Bridging past and present while igniting these masterful songs with his unmistakable delivery, A Tribute to LJK is even more than the sum of its parts – and while the music plays, Manuel Gales lives again. “I foresaw a great record,” considers Eric, “but I didn’t foresee it turning out as amazing as this. My brother is there throughout this whole record – and I can’t wait for it to start turning people’s heads…”
