RORY GALLAGHER

Highly regarded by his peers, the Irish guitarist personified the grass-roots musicianship of blues rock.

If ever a man let the music do the talking, it was Rory Gallagher. On stage he wore the same old shirts and denims that he’d wear to the pub. His favourite guitar, a battered 1961 Stratocaster, looked like something he’d picked up from a flea market, its sunburst finish erased by all the sweat and wear and tear. To Rory, what mattered was not how you looked but how you played. And Rory Gallagher was simply one of the greatest guitar players that ever lived.

He was so good that the Rolling Stones offered him a job in 1975, before Ronnie Wood was eventually chosen as the replacement for Mick Taylor. But Gallagher was never cut out for playing second banana to Jagger and Richards; he was a born leader, a virtuoso guitarist and a richly expressive singer. Moreover, he didn’t care for making hit records, or playing by anybody’s rules but his own.

For Rory, it was only ever about the music. He was an explosive performer, a riveting entertainer, but he had no interest in flaunting or exploiting his wealth and fame. He refused to release singles, he never learned to drive, he dressed in denim, he lived modestly in London, he was famous for his gentle and polite personality, and he made time for his fans – always.

As Gary Moore noted: “He was such a purist. He wouldn’t sell himself out. How many people do you know in the music business who would take that kind of stand? If there hadn’t been people like Rory around to set that example, it would probably spell the end of quality music.”

Born William Rory Gallagher on March 2, 1948 in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, he was a born guitarist, a natural. But he never stopped listening, learning, perfecting and personalising the age-old techniques of the blues in its infinite variety, electric and acoustic. Equally, there was nothing casual about his relationships with country music, C&W, folk, jazz, boogie, rock’n’roll and hard-line, no-nonsense rifferama.

Gallagher served his apprenticeship in a number of mediocre local showbands before finding his true calling as guitarist/ vocalist with blues-rock power trio Taste. Between 1966 and 1970 the band made two acclaimed albums, opened for Cream at their farewell shows at the Royal Albert Hall, supported Blind Faith in America and appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival alongside Jimi Hendrix and The Who.

Despite Taste’s successes, in late 1970 Gallagher dissolved the band to record and tour under his own name. And it was as a solo artist that he created his best work. Blues was always at the heart of his music, but his range extended from heavy rock’n’roll to folk. A stubborn purist to the end, he nevertheless sold more than 30 million albums over a 25-year period.

Gallagher’s love of the blues began early. It started with him tuning into the American Forces Network radio while growing up in Derry. “He’d somehow gotten the schedule of the programmes,” recalls Rory’s brother and long-time manager, Donal, “because I remember he’d tune in for the Jazz Hour. It was like an obsession for him. But during that program they would also introduce some blues music. There was also a parallel to that on the BBC, which was the World Service.

“These were the initial places that Rory fed off for the blues. Then we moved to Cork City. He’d go in and grab books out on the blues at the library there… anything that referenced blues music. I suppose he saw parallels with the traditional music in Ireland and, coming from the background that we were coming from, there was a growing civil rights movement as well. So he’d sort of taken blues on as his adopted music.”

When Rory died nearly 25 years ago, having sold more than 30 million albums, he left a body of work that is revered the world over. He passed away in hospital on June 14, 1995 due to complications arising from a liver transplant. He was 47 years old. He was a role model for Irish musicians, and an inspiration to all kinds of guitarists. He is commemorated with a bronze statue in Ballyshannon, and a sculpture of his guitar at Rory Gallagher Corner in Dublin’s Temple Bar district. He was, and always will be, a true Irish folk hero.

Killer Track: Pistol Slapper Blues

‘Rory never stopped listening, learning, perfecting and personalising the age-old techniques of the blues.’