Eric Gale (September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz and jazz fusion guitarist.

Biography

Eric Gale was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. His grandfather was English, and Gale had relatives in Venezuela and Barbados. Eric's father always managed to keep him safe. Growing up, Eric spent his holidays visiting family in the UK, which allowed him to look at the world through a different perspective. He was fluent in Spanish, German, and French. Gale started playing the guitar at age 12. He attended private, all-boys Catholic schools and he was exceptionally skilled at math, which resulted in him skipping junior high school. During high school, he frequently visited John Coltrane's home after school and sat in on jam sessions, which inspired Gale's readily recognizable style. Eric mentioned how John Coltrane's wife would provide after school snacks and that he was grateful for them. Gale received his Masters in chemistry at Niagara University. Gale made a fateful decision to pursue a musical career full-time instead of earning his Ph.D. in Chemistry, which did not sit well with his mother at all. Gale played guitar on Bobby Lewis's big hit "Tossin' and Turnin'"(1961) and Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway's ""Where Is the Love"(1972). Roberta Flack called Gale and begged him to come back home to New York to help her with the 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, Roberta Flack, worked together with Eric 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 the Aston "Familyman" Barrett's autobiography. 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 big 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 and is survived by his wife Masako Gale, their three daughters, and three grandchildren.

Discography

As leader

With Stuff

As sideman

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 Gladys Knight & the Pips With Yusef Lateef With Ralph MacDonald With Van McCoy With David "Fathead" Newman With Esther Phillips With Diana Ross With David Ruffin With Mongo Santamaria With Shirley Scott With Tom Scott With Frank Sinatra With Johnny "Hammond" Smith With Richard Tee With Stanley Turrentine With Grover Washington Jr. With Sadao Watanabe With others