Gary Lucas remains an under-the-radar guitar hero. A prolific collaborator, the mercurial guitarist is best known for conjuring the six-string wizardry that formed the backbone of Jeff Buckley epics Grace and Mojo Pin.
But the former Captain Beefheart member also lent his talents to another of rock’s all-time greatest voices in Chris Cornell, when he appeared on his 2007 solo album, Carry On – the singer’s first since leaving rock supergroup Audioslave.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Lucas looked back at the sessions with the Soundgarden icon, describing him as “a real gentleman”.
“Out of the blue, I got a call from [producer] Steve Lillywhite, who said, ‘I’m producing Chris’ new album. He’d really like you to play on it,’” Lucas says.
“The deal was I’d do one studio day with him in LA. I flew out there, went in on a Monday morning, and he threw a lot of music at me. [laughs]
“I played a lot, and at the end of the day, he came back and said, ‘Listen, can you be here all week? I’m really digging your guitar playing.’”
Lucas would go on to play guitar on the bulk of the album’s tracklisting, including Cornell’s unlikely cover of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.
“I stayed there until the end of the week. I think, on that Carry On album, I’m on at least eight tracks [Lucas plays on tracks three through 14].
“That included a shred solo I did on his cover of Billie Jean. That’s controversial among the fans, but I don’t know… he loved it. He was going for it, you know?”
Although Lucas proposed some songwriting ideas during the sessions, his role was primarily to be a session guitarist – and that involvement remains a standout moment in his career.
“I gave him some music, little lines, and bits to support the songs. He was a very good songwriter. I offered him some material on instrumentals, like I had with Jeff, but he didn’t really pursue it.
“I’m very proud of having worked on it – and I wish that he was still here. I couldn’t believe that he passed away. It was so horrible and a big shock to me. I didn’t see that coming.”
Gary Lucas is one of many shared connections between the two rock icons.
After a brief friendship in the ’90s, Cornell helped to compile Buckley’s posthumous collection Sketches (For My Sweetheart the Drunk), alongside the late singer’s mother Mary Guibert.
She would go on to gift Cornell a red telephone that was once owned by Buckley, which accompanied the Soundgarden singer onstage during his Songbook acoustic tours.
Cornell also wrote Wave Goodbye, which appeared on 1999 solo effort Euphoria Morning, in tribute to Buckley.
Guitar World’s full interview with Gary Lucas will be published later this week.
