“I didn’t foresee it turning out as amazing as this”: Eric Gales and Buddy Guy trade licks in new album honouring his late brother Little Jimmy King
Eric Gales is set to release A Tribute To LJK, a new album dedicated to his late brother and blues guitar phenom Manuel Gales aka Little Jimmy King.
To mark the announcement, Gales has unveiled Somebody, a soulful new track that closes the record and finds him trading licks with the legendary Buddy Guy and ‘sacred steel’ guitarist Roosevelt Collier.
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“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,” says Gales, noting that the idea for the collaboration actually came from his 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.”
Of the song’s making, Gales explains that “Me and Buddy actually did our parts at separate times, but you wouldn’t know it: It seems like we’re in the same room at the same time. And that was the intention, to bridge the gap between semi-old and middle-aged, if you will.”
“That’s an anthological sort of tune, in how it starts off acoustically, blows up big, then comes back down again.”
Produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, A Tribute To LJK features all original material by Little Jimmy King (save for one song), reinterpreted through Gales’ lens. Aside from Guy and Collier, the record also boasts appearances from a host of heavyweights, including Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Joe Bonamassa, and Josh Smith.
“This record has been a long time coming,” says Gales. “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.”
“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.”
While he “foresaw a great record”, Gales admits he “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…”
A prodigy out of the Bluff City, Manuel Gales played with Albert King’s band in his teens before launching a solo career that earned him critical acclaim through the ‘90s. He died of a heart attack in 2002 at the age of 37.
A Tribute To LJK is now available to pre-order. The album will be released digitally on 29 August and physically (vinyl & CD) on 24 October. Listen to the first single Somebody below.
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