Eric Gale | |
|---|---|
 Gale in Montreux, Switzerland, 1976 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | September 20, 1938 Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | May 25, 1994 (aged 55) Baja California, Mexico |
| Genres | Jazz, smooth jazz, crossover jazz, jazz fusion |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1960s–1990s |
| Labels | CTI, Kudu, Columbia, Elektra/Musician, Klik |
| Formerly of | Stuff, Fania All-Stars |
Eric Gale (September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz and jazz fusion guitarist.
Eric Gale was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York to an American mother and British father. His grandfather was English so he spent his holidays visiting family in the UK, which allowed him to look at the world through a different perspective. He was fluent in German and Spanish. Gale started playing the guitar at age 12.
He attended private, all-boys Catholic schools and was exceptionally skilled at math. He skipped junior high school and, while in high school, frequently visited John Coltrane's home where he sat in on jam sessions, and was given after-school snacks by John Coltrane's wife, which he appreciated. Gale received his Masters in chemistry at Niagara University. While a professor at Penn State University he made the momentous decision to pursue a musical career instead of a Ph.D. in Chemistry, which displeased his mother. In the late 1960's, Van Morrison recorded "Brown Eyed Girl", which was originally titled "Brown Skinned Girl". You can hear Eric's catchy riff in the session, but the radio stations requested the title be changed to "Brown Eyed Girl", as the original was considered too controversial for the times. Soon after, Frank Sinatra approached Eric to work on the hit song "My Way," as mentioned in Sinatra's autobiography. He also appears on Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway's "Where Is the Love" (1972), and has worked with Phil Upchurch and George Benson, to name a few.
Roberta Flack called Gale and begged him to come back home to New York to help her with her Killing Me Softly (1973) album. Gale was reluctant, so she flew the band members to him instead. After some persuading, they ended up returning to the United States. A close, intelligent friend of his, Flack worked together with Gale on her Killing Me Softly album. He had just finished recording his Negril album with Cedric Brooks, Richard Tee, the Wailers, along with Peter Tosh on vocals, in Kingston, Jamaica. He flew out to Montego Bay, Jamaica, to clear his mind and reconnect with nature, then was able to finish an album in Kingston with his friends who understood the inexplicable injustice of politics. This was mentioned in Aston "Familyman" Barrett's autobiography.[citation needed]
Gale often worked as a session musician, recording with musicians such as Bobby Lewis, King Curtis, Quincy Jones, Roberta Flack, Van McCoy, Jesse Belvin, Maxine Brown, Bobby Timmons, George Benson, Lena Horne, Joe Cocker, The Drifters, The Flamingos, Ashford & Simpson, Illinois Jacquet, Billy Joel, Herbie Mann, David "Fathead" Newman, Patti Austin, Mongo Santamaria, Paul Simon, Nina Simone, Jimmy Smith, Clark Terry, Fania All-Stars, and Jackie Wilson. In the 1970s he became a studio guitarist for CTI Records, recording with Bob James, Stanley Turrentine, and Grover Washington Jr., and was a member of the R&B band Stuff with Steve Gadd and others. His first of many albums as a solo act was released by Kudu. Gale played guitar on Van McCoy's hit "The Hustle"(1975) and Grover Washington Jr.'s "Just the Two of Us".
Gale died of lung cancer in 1994 at the age of 55.
With Stuff
With Ashford & Simpson
With Patti Austin
With George Benson
With Ron Carter
With Hank Crawford
With Fania All-Stars
With Roberta Flack
With Jun Fukamachi
With Freddie Hubbard
With Bob James
With Quincy Jones
With Yusef Lateef
With Ralph MacDonald
With Van McCoy
With Esther Phillips
With Diana Ross
With David Ruffin
With Mongo Santamaria
With Shirley Scott
With Tom Scott
With Frank Sinatra
With Richard Tee
With Stanley Turrentine
With Sadao Watanabe
With others
