Artist Profile: Rory Gallagher
A unique rock and blues guitarist and outstanding live performer
Dec 6, 2007
Born in Northern Ireland, raised in Cork, Rory Gallagher wanted to be a musician from the time he was 6 years old. He purchased a second-hand 1961 Fender Stratocaster and played in show bands where he paid his dues and learned his craft. His big break came in 1967 when he formed the 3-piece band Taste. How good were they? At the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, Taste stole the show from Jimi Hendrix and The Who, playing an unprecedented 5 encores. Afterwards, they were compared by critics to the power-trios, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream, who by then had both disbanded. Soon after Taste broke up too and Gallagher launched his solo career.
Rory Gallagher’s Solo Career
Gallagher cut his first eponymous album in 1971 and went on to release 15 more over the next 20 years, playing with outstanding musicians in 3 and 4-piece bands. His 2 live albums, Live in Europe (1972) and Irish Tour ’74 (1974), more than any others, capture the majestic guitar-playing and soulful vocals that were his hallmark. His songs were a collection of classic blues numbers popularized by bluesmen like Muddy Waters, Blind Boy Fuller, Junior Wells, Freddie King, and Leadbelly enhanced, sometimes by his unique arrangements and his own outstanding compositions. Mostly performing on his famous battered Fender Stratocaster, he also played acoustic and outstanding slide. He also played harmonica and, in his early days, saxophone but it was his mastery of the guitar that amazes. He could play blues, rock, folk, celtic or jazz. Many of his songs are his singular blend of several styles.
Gallagher Was a Non-Conformist Who Delighted His Fans
He typically played several hundred shows yearly, touring the U.S. more than 25 times, yet he never released a single. Though his recordings were virtually unplayed on commercial radio stations, he sold more than 30 million albums/CDs, worldwide. Quiet and shy off-stage, he turned into a human volcano in front of his wildly cheering fans as he spewed his legendary riffs for 2 hours or more, strutting and spinning, in total command of his instrument. He was the only headliner that would play in Belfast during the troubles, ignoring bomb threats, to the eternal gratitude of his music-starved fans there. He was at the top of the bill at 5 RockPalast concerts in Germany and performed 5 times at Montreux. 14 hours of glorious blues and rock magic, from these shows, are preserved for posterity on DVD.
Gallagher’s Peers Admired His Talent
When Gallagher’s hero, Muddy Waters, came to London in 1971 to record an album, he selected Rory as his guitarist. Gallagher also played on recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis, Albert King, and Albert Collins back when this sort of collaboration was rarely done. When Mick Taylor left the Rolling Stones in 1974, they asked Gallagher to come to Germany and play with them but he left shortly after - not wanting to renege on his commitment to tour in Japan. Only Mick and Keith know whether they wanted Rory to join the band. Then there are the legions of musicians who number Gallagher among their inspirations, including Brian May, Slash, and The Edge.
Rory Gallagher Lives on Through His Music
Rory Gallagher died in 1995 after contracting a chest infection following a successful liver transplant. Shocked at his passing, rock music’s finest paid their tribute to the man, who inspired so many of them with his no-holds barred performances and consummate playing. Eric Clapton, perhaps, said it best when he stated that Rory Gallagher was “the man who got me back into the blues."
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