Steve Lukather has recalled the time he performed secret jam shows with Eddie Van Halen, Steve Morris and Albert Lee, surprising audiences by booking the gigs under false names.
In his latest conversation with YouTube music sage Rick Beato, Lukather brought up the band after a prompt about his lesser-known talent for chicken-picking – a skill Lukather humbly dismisses as something he can “bullshit” his way through.
“I used to do these fun little tours with Sterling Ball, who was Ernie Ball’s son,” explains Lukather in the clip below (approx. 7.45).
“We’d have this thing called Biff Babies All-Stars. We would just show up places and the guitar players, it was me, Steve Morse, Albert Lee and Eddie Van Halen. And occasionally somebody else might come sit in too.”
The group initially came about thanks to all of the player’s association with Ernie Ball Music Man and featured Sterling Ball on bass, Sherwood Ball (“a great singer”) on vocals, Jim Cox on keyboards and session pro John Ferraro on drums.
“We play at the Palomino under some weird name, we’d just show up, so nobody would know. By halfway through the set, the place was jam-packed, and we’d just mess around – call out goofy tunes, like we would in junior high school.”
While the gigs were just for fun, Lukather says he was still stretched on occasion – as you might be in that kind of company. Not least when it came to Albert Lee’s signature tune, the masterful hybrid-picking monster that is Country Boy.
“Occasionally, because of Albert and Steve, they’d end with Country Boy,” explains Luke. “I would practice for a little bit to get in that, because it’s all major chords. You can’t just play the blues!
“So you try to play through that, you have to define the thirds and try to find a way around here and there. But I’ll leave that (chicken-picking stuff) to the big boys. Under pressure back then, with a couple of beers in me, I would go for it – and I’d do alright!”
The guitarist recently told Guitar World about another star-studded appearance, which also involved his late friend Eddie Van Halen, as Lukather recalled the first-time he jammed with George Harrison – and loaned him his ’59 Burst for the gig – a move he says has since added a million dollars to the guitar’s value.
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