ENTERTAINMENT

Gary Hoey to perform at Newton on March 20

BILL NUTT
CORRESPONDENT

For close to 30 years, Gary Hoey has played guitar with a wide spectrum of musicians, from surf legend Dick Dale to classic rockers like Peter Frampton and Jeff Beck. Being able to play with such diverse artists would seem difficult.

But Hoey says one of the most challenging workouts of his career was playing into the blues.

Hoey’s most recent CD, “Deja Blues,” is steeped in the blues, both slow ballads and lightning-fast workouts. He describes the process of writing and recording the album as exhausting but ultimately satisfying.

He actually came to the decision to do a blues album after co-producing and playing the latest CD from Lita Ford, the heavy metal diva. “I realized, after working with her, that I wanted to get back to solo work for a while,” says Hoey.

“I had been thinking about doing a blues record for a while,” he says. “Most musicians have respect for the blues. But when you get into rock ’n’ roll, you’re following a different path.”

“Getting into the blues vibe was tough,” says Hoey. “I’d hear a song on playback, and it would sound flat. If you’re going to play a five-minute blues song, you have to be completely into it, or it won’t work.”

For all the effort “Deja Blues” required, Hoey remains proud of his guitar and his singing on the finished product. The songs on the CD form the core of his current live show, which will come to the Newton Theatre tonight.

His reinvention as a blues guitarist is the latest step for Hoey. A native of Lowell, Massachusetts, he was introduced to the guitar when he was 14. “My sister dated a guy who played guitar, and he taught me some chords, and that was all it took,” he recalls.

Hoey threw himself into learning the instrument. “I even dropped out of school. That’s how committed I was. You have to go on blind faith.” From the late 1970s through most of the 1980s, he worked at clubs in the Boston area and gave guitar lessons.

In 1987, Hoey learned that Ozzy Osbourne was looking for a guitarist. Hoey sent a tape, which impressed Osbourne enough to fly the guitarist out to Los Angeles.

“I didn’t get the job, but Ozzy encouraged me to stay in L.A.,” Hoey says. “That’s when people started noticing me.”

Success did not come overnight. He formed a band called Heavy Bones, but the group disbanded shortly after its 1992 debut. Hoey also auditioned for tours with such artists as Cher and David Lee Roth, but nothing came of them.

The turning point came in 1993 with the release of his “Animal Instinct” album. The CD included a cover of “Hocus Pocus” by Focus, which reached the Top Five in Billboard. A later cover of War’s “Low Rider” was also a hit.

“I like doing covers,” says Hoey. “But you can’t just cover anything. You have to find a twist to do it your own way.”

In addition, Hoey began working on soundtracks for such films as “Endless Summer II” and “Office Space.” “I love doing that,” he says. “(The filmmakers) send you a scene, and you come up with something to play behind it.”

Hoey adds that soundtracks are beneficial for another reason: royalty checks. “They’re the gift that keeps on giving,” he says with a laugh.

Among his nearly 20 solo CDs are a couple of holiday albums, released under the name “Gary Ho-Ho-Hoey.” He is in the process of cutting another Christmas record, which will include his version of Tchaikovsky’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.”

Currently, Hoey splits his time between solo projects and work accompanying other artists. “I always wanted to drive my own ship,” he says. “But when you’re a sideman, the pressure is off you.”

GARY HOEY

WHAT: Hoey has played guitar with a wide array of artists, from surf legend Dick Dale to heavy metal rocker Lita Ford. In concert he draws on material from nearly 20 solo CDs, including his most recent album, “Deja Blues.”

WHEN: 8 p.m. today

WHERE: Newton Theatre, 234 Spring St., Newton

TICKETS: $24 to $34

INFORMATION: 973-383-3700 or www.thenewtontheatre.com.