Eric Gale
b. 20 September 1938, Brooklyn, New York, USA, d. 25 May 1994, Baja California, Mexico. Gale studied chemistry at Niagara University. He took up the double bass when he was 12 years old and also played tenor saxophone, trombone and tuba before he chose the guitar. The basis of his style was formed on the '50s and '60s R&B circuit. He was with The Drifters, Jackie Wilson, The Flamingos and Maxine Brown, before playing in the '60s with King Curtis, Jimmy Smith, Fathead Newman, Mongo Santamaria and Aretha Franklin. In the early '70s Gale became the house guitarist with Creed Taylor's new CTI label and worked with Stanley Turrentine's band. He took four years off on his Ohio farm and went to Jamaica where he assimilated the reggae style. On his return to New York in 1976 he was a founder of the influential funk band Stuff along with artists including Steve Gadd, Cornell Dupree and Richard Tee. They played regularly at Mikell's in Manhattan with only minimal rehearsal. In the early '90s he performed as a regular band member in several US television shows. Gale thought like a front line musician and played like a saxophonist.