Gales Brothers Find Strength in Family

" I learned how to play the guitar backwards and upside down, and it works. "

Norm Shaw

There is a long tradition in the blues of one family member passing on the flame to another. Sometimes it's father to son. Others it is brother to brother.

In the case of the Gales family of Memphis, it's been both, with some uncles and adopted grandfathers thrown in for good measure. Brothers Eugene and Eric Gales together makeup the core of the Eric Gales Band, a rock/blues band that has released two records. Manuel Gales, also known as Little Jimmy King, has released a few blues records. And now for the first time you can hear all three on the same record, the new release, Left Hand Brand by the Gales Brothers. While they had played together live before, Left Hand Brand is the first family affair together on record.

"This is a totally different ballgame," says Eugene. "Eric and me have a rock band, and Manuel does the blues thing. But the Eric Gales Band would call Manny up and he'd sit in with us. Manny did a show at the opening of B.B.'s (B.B. King's Blues Club) in Los Angeles, and we sat in. Then everybody got to talking about maybe us doing something together. Isaac Tigrett had a vision of us doing something for his new blues label. The rest is history."

The Gales Brothers' history is deeply rooted in Memphis. Eugene, the oldest, learned to play by listening to his grandfather, uncles and father. The unique left-hand playing style comes from the family.

"I learned how to play the guitar backwards and upside down, and it works," Eugene says. "By the time I learned it was backwards, it was too late."

Eugene started teaching Manuel how to play when Manny was about 8 years old. While Eugene favored rock and blues, Manuel's love was the blues. Manuel soaked up whatever Eugene played, though.

"Eugene didn't even know I was listening sometimes," Manuel says. "I would be in the closet in the other room so I could hear more."

Manuel says he and his twin brother Daniel moved out of the house when they were fairly young. His music education continued, eventually leading him to being noticed by the late Albert King. At that time, Manuel was performing as Little Jimmy Gales. King said he should change his name to Little Jimmy King, and that he would then be Albert's adopted grandson. "He said I could use that later, that it would come in handy," Manuel says. "I give all thanks to him. (Albert) said it would mean more to me later, and he was right."

Meanwhile, Eugene began working with the youngest brother, Eric. Eric was performing in public by the time he was 12.

"It didn't take long for him to pass me," Eugene says. "I used a little psychology on him. I'd give him a piece to learn, stuff I couldn't even play. He was picking it up so fast. I used to tell him I'd give him $5 if he could learn something perfectly. But I didn't know how to play it, so if it sounded right to me, he'd take the money."

When Eugene heard Manuel for the first time in a couple of years, he was amazed at the progress Manuel had made. The future looked bright for everyone, but the paths were different. About five years after debut records from each camp, the paths converged.

The brothers came home to Memphis to record at the House of Blues Studio with producer David Z. The end result is a nice mix of rock and blues. It hit the shelves at the end of March. Now the Gales Brothers are hitting the road. For the next nine months they will be touring in support of the record. Summer festivals are being lined up, as are potential tours with Buddy Guy, Joe Cocker and others.

At the end, Eugene plans to return home to Memphis. So does Manuel - for now. He's thought about moving to Australia or the Cayman Islands. Eric is spending more time in Los Angeles doing session work. But there is talk of more work together.

"There's still the Eric Gales Band and there's still Little Jimmy King," says Eugene. "But we'll just see where this all goes. It's definitely been fun."