MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS

ERIC GALES EXPLODED onto the music scene at the age of 16 with his 1991 debut album, The Eric Gales Band. Inevitably, as with any Black blues guitarist adding a little rock to the mix, the “next Hendrix” tag was duly applied. Indeed, it did seem Gales was channeling a strong Hendrix vibe, not only by the way he played but also in how he looked. A clip on YouTube shows him winning a local battle of the bands contest in 1989, at the age of 14, with an incendiary rendition of “Spanish Castle Magic.” Featuring his brother Eugene on bass and vocals, the performance showcases a staggeringly gifted guitarist, able to peel off face-melting Hendrix licks with ease. Likewise, Gales’ first appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show, in 1991, plugging “Sign of the Storm,” from his debut album, had all the swagger of classic SRV at his best.

Gales started to learn guitar at the age of four, and, by his own admission, it came fairly easily for him. “It felt very natural,” he tells . “Actually, every musical instrument I’ve played has always felt