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Rory Gallagher
Born	March 2, 1948 Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, Ireland
Died	June 14, 1995
Genre(s)	Blues Rock R&B
Affiliation(s)	Taste
Label(s)	Polydor
Notable guitars	1961 Fender Stratocaster
Years active	1963 - 1995
Official site	Official website

Rory Gallagher (March 2, 1948 – June 14, 1995) was an Irish blues/rock guitarist, born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, grew up in Cork City in the south of Ireland.

Contents 1 Life and works 2 Guitars and Equipment 2.1 Rory's Stratocaster 2.2 Other Instruments 2.3 Amplifiers and Effects 2.4 Quotes 2.5 Tributes 3 Discography 3.1 Albums 3.2 Compilations 3.3 DVDs 3.4 Guest appearances 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Rory's first bands were showbands which played the popular hits of the day. In 1965 he turned The Impact into an R'n'B group which played gigs in Ireland and Spain. He formed Taste in 1966, but the line-up which became legendary was formed in 1967, featuring his guitar and vocals, the jazz-tinged drumming of John Wilson and intricate bass playing of Richard McCracken. Recordings of the earlier version of Taste are still available and it's interesting to compare Rory's rudimentary guitar playing to the virtuosity that became evident fairly soon after in the later Taste. This was the group who released two studio albums, Taste and On the Boards, and made two live recordings showing the band at its incendiary best, Live at Montreux and Live at the Isle of Wight. The latter appeared a long time after the band broke up, famously, at that same Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. A legend of blues music, Rory played with many of the genre's biggest stars, including collaboration with Muddy Waters and Jerry Lee Lewis on their respective "London Sessions"in the mid 70s and Rory received invitations to jam with the Rolling Stones following the loss of their lead Guitarist Mick Taylor, and Canned Heat after the departure of The Eagle.

After the demise of Taste, Rory toured under his own name, hiring bass player Gerry McAvoy to play on his first eponymous 'solo' album (a relationship that would last 20 years on the road) and Wilgar Cambell on Drums.

The 70s were Rory's most prolific period. He produced 10 albums in the 70s including two highly regarded live albums, Live in Europe and Irish Tour '74 which for many captured best his bands' raw and naturally dynamic qualities. The classic lineup is largely considered to be with Rod De'Ath' on drums and Lou Martin on Keys between '73 and '78. Other release highlights include the jazz tinged Against the Grain and Calling Card Albums, assisted in production by Roger Glover (bassist with Deep Purple) and the heavier sounding Top Priority and Photo Finish Albums with Ted McKenna on drums.

In 2003 "Wheels Within Wheels" a collection of acoustic tracks was released posthumously by Rory's brother Donal Gallagher. Collaborators on this album included Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy, The Dubliners and Lonnie Donegan.

A shy and humble man, Rory never married and had no children. Instead he is thought to have devoted his life to his music, especially the blues. He played and recorded what he said was "in me all the time, and not just something I turn on ...". Though he sold over 30 million albums world wide it was his marathon live performances that won him greatest acclaim. His passion and skill for the blues is well documented in the 1974 film "Irish Tour '74" directed by Tony Palmer.

In 1972 he was voted Melody Maker's Top Musician of the Year, dethroning Eric Clapton. His album Live in Europe has been a big selling album not only in Ireland but also internationally. Generally regarded as one of the top ten guitarists ever, many of today's top musicians, including The Edge from U2, Slash of Guns N' Roses fame, Johnny Marr of the Smiths, Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest and Brian May of Queen cite Rory as an inspiration in their formative musical years. It is also well documented that the Rolling Stones auditioned Rory among a number of other guitarists for the band in the 70s.

Rory lived for a time in Belgium and from the late 1980s suffered increasingly poor health yet he continued touring. By the time of his final performance on 10 January 1995 in the Netherlands, he was visibly unwell. Rory Gallagher died in London on 14 June 1995 from MRSA complications following a liver transplant. His final resting place is in St. Oliver's Cemetery outside Cork.

Rory was always associated with his well-worn sunburst 1961 Stratocaster, which his brother Donal has officially retired. It was reputedly the first in Ireland, ordered by a showband member who changed his mind about the colour. Rory bought it for just shy of £100 at Crowley's Music Store on Cork's McCurtain Street. The guitar was extensively modified by Rory. The tuning pegs, for a start, are odd (5 Sperzels and one Gotoh) and all of these have been found to be replacements. Secondly, it is thought that the nut has been replaced and interchanged a number of times. Thirdly, the scratchplate was changed during Gallagher's time with Taste. Another change was the pickups of which none are original. The final modification was that of the wiring. Rory disconnected the bottom tone pot and rewired so he had just a master tone control along with the master volume control. Rory also installed a 5-way selector switch in place of the vintage 3-way one. The most notable effect that years of touring have had is the almost complete removal of the guitar's sunburst finish, partly through being left out in the rain in a ditch for days after being stolen. Some of the damage has also been attributed to Rory's acidic sweat. Other quirks include a 'hump' in the scratch plate which moves the neck pickup closer to the neck on the bass side and a replacement of all of the pickups, though this replacement was due to damage rather than a perception of a tonal inadequacy. Reproductions of the guitar have recently been sold by Fender, though with smaller frets and lower action than the original.^[1]

Rory owned a number of other instruments, including:

Coral Sitar

Purchased for $2000 in Florida by Donal Gallagher. Used on the song 'Philby' in 1979.

Danelectro Silvertone

This guitar was bought for $15 from a pawnshop. It was often used in Rory's live set to play 'Cradle Rock' and 'A Million Miles Away'.

Fender Esquire

This guitar dating to 1959 was heavily modified by Rory. It started off as a stock Esquire in cream and ended up as a black Telecaster. At one point in between, Rory put a Strat pickup in the middle position and added a 5-way selector.

Fender Telecaster (1967)

This was very similar to the Esquire after the Esquire had undergone all of its modifications. It can be seen in action on Rory's 'Live at Rockpalast' DVD in the song 'Bullfrog Blues'.

Acoustic Guitars

Rory's main acoustic guitar was a Martin D-35. In his later years, he used an Electro-Acoustic Takamine (a prototype model given to him by Takamine while he was touring Japan) that was much easier to amplify in a live context.

Martin Mandolin

This was used most famously in Rory's joint effort with Lonnie Donegan, 'Goin' To My Hometown'.

National Resonator (1932)

Rory used this to play blues standards and acoustic sets and often used a heavy steel slide with it.

Other Instruments

Rory also played the saxophone, showcased on the song 'On The Boards' by Taste, and harmonica which can be heard on the Taste song 'I'm Not Surprised'

Rory used various makes and models of amplifiers during his career. In general, however, he preferred smaller 'combo' amplifiers to the larger, more powerful 'stacks' that are popular with rock and hard rock guitarists. To make up for the relative lack of power on stage, he would often link several different combo amps together.

When Rory was with Taste, he used a single Vox AC30 with a Dallas Rangemaster treble booster plugged into the 'normal' input. Examples of this sound can be heard on the Taste albums, as well as the album Live in Europe. Brian May, of the band Queen, has admitted in interviews that as a young man, he was inspired to use a similar amplifier and treble booster setup after meeting Rory and asking him how he got his sound. Rory has also been known to have used Ibanez Tube Screamers and various Boss effects.

In the early to mid 70s, Rory began to use Fender amplifiers, most notably a Bassman and a Twin, both of a 50s vintage. An example of this sound can be heard on the Irish Tour '74 album. Rory also had a Fender Concert amp.

In the mid to late 70s, when Rory was moving towards a hard rock sound, he experimented with Ampeg VT40 and VT22 amps. He also began using Marshall combos. During this period and beyond, Rory used different combinations of amps on stage to achieve more power and to blend the tonal characteristics of different amps.

"Playing on stage with him in LA was one of the biggest thrills for me ever." Slash (Guns N' Roses)

"A beautiful man and an amazing guitar player. He was a very sensitive man and a great musician." The Edge (U2)

"It was all about him playing the guitar, it got into your soul." Cameron Crowe (Writer/Film Director)

"In the 70s he built himself a reputation as a live performer of tremendous vitality." "He was even headhunted to join The Rolling Stones." Niall Stokes (Editor, Hot Press)

"One of the things that was crucial for me I got from Rory Gallagher, which was the idea of, like, being a guitar player for life and living it." Johnny Marr (The Smiths/Johnny Marr and the Healers/Modest Mouse)

"Rory's death really upset me. I heard about it just before we went on stage, and it put a damper on the evening. I can't say I knew him that well, but I remember meeting him in our offices once, and we spent an hour talking. He was such a nice guy and a great player." Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin

"So these couple of kids come up, who's me and my mate, and say 'How do you get your sound Mr. Gallagher?' and he sits and tells us. So I owe Rory Gallagher my sound." Brian May (Queen)

"Rory's death is a tragic loss of a great musician and a very good friend." Van Morrison

"The man who got me back into the blues." Eric Clapton

"An uncompromisingly serious musician" The Times, 16 June 1995.

Reference for musician quotes: UK Guitarist 265 / The Rory Gallagher Story, BBC Radio 2

• On October 25, 1997 a tribute sculpture to Rory Gallagher was unveiled in the newly renamed Rory Gallagher Place (formerly St. Paul's St. Square) in Cork. The sculptor was a childhood friend of Rory, Geraldine Creedon. The two had grown up together in the McCurtain Street area of the city.

• Comic book artist Timothy Truman is also a fan, and GrimJack #4: Legacy has a cover and story line utilizing Rory's image.

• There is a Rory Gallagher Museum located in Ballyshannon, Ireland which contains a detailed history of Rory's life and many items of memorabilia.

• There are a number of Rory Gallagher tribute bands, many of whom perform at the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival.

• A theatre in Ballyshannon has been renamed as the Rory Gallagher Theatre.

• There is a Rory Gallagher Corner at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, Dublin.

• A life-size bronze statue in the shape of Rory's Stratocaster has been installed at Rory Gallagher Corner in Dublins Temple Bar. Some of those who attended the unveiling include The Edge of U2 and the Lord Mayor of Dublin.

• In 2004 the Rory Gallagher Music Library was opened in Cork. [2]

• In March 2006 an online petition was started in an effort to persuade the operators of Cork International Airport to rename it to Cork Rory Gallagher Airport as a permanent tribute.[3]
• The French town of Bedoin in Vaucluse at the base of Mont Ventoux has a street named after Rory Gallagher in the old town "Impasse Rory Gallagher"

• In Cork City, Ireland, 'Taste - The Rory Gallagher Café' is trading on Union Quay, doors away from famous Cork music pub 'The Lobby', and metres away from the Cork School of Music, where Marcus Connaughton gave a lecture on the 1st anniversary of Rory's Death. Marcus is one of Rory's most prolific posthumous PR reps.

• Rory Gallagher - 1971
• Deuce - 1971
• Live In Europe - 1972
• Blueprint - 1973
• Tattoo - 1973
• Irish Tour '74 - 1974
• Against the Grain - 1975
• Calling Card - 1976
• Photo Finish - 1978
• Top Priority - 1979
• Stage Struck - 1980
• Live in Athens (bootleg) - 1981
• Jinx - 1982
• Defender - 1987
• Fresh Evidence - 1990
• BBC Sessions - 1999
• Let's Go To Work - 2001
• Meeting With The G-Man - 2003

• The Story So Far - 1974
• In The Beginning - 1975
• Sinner... and Saint - 1975
• Take It Easy Baby - 1976
  
• A Blue Day For The Blues - 1995
• Last of the Independents - 1995
• Etched In Blue - 1998
• Wheels Within Wheels - 2003
• Big Guns: The Very Best Of Rory Gallagher - 2005
• Live At Montreux - 2006

• Irish Tour 1974 - 2000
• At Rockpalast - 2004
• The Complete Rockpalast Collection - 2005
• Live at Cork Opera House - 2006
• Live In Montreux - 2006

• The London Muddy Waters Sessions - Muddy Waters - 1972
• The Session - Jerry Lee Lewis - 1973
• Drat That Fratle Rat - Chris Barber - 1974
• London Revisited - Muddy Waters - 1974
• Gaodhal's Vision - Joe O'Donnell - 1977
• Live - Albert King - 1977
• Tarot Suite - Mike Batt - 1978
• Jammin` With Albert - Albert Collins & The Icebreakers - 1983
• Box Of Frogs - Box Of Frogs - 1984
• Strangeland - Box of Frogs - 1986
• The Scattering - The Fureys and Davey Arthur - 1989
• Out of the Air - Davy Spillane - 1989
• Words and Music - Phil Coulter - 1989
• 30 Years A-Greying - The Dubliners - 1992
• The Outstanding - Chris Barber and Band - 1993

• List of people on stamps of Ireland

1. ^ [1] Rory Gallagher:Equipment

• Official Rory Gallagher website
• hp for the late great RORY GALLAGHER