With plaid shirt and battered Strat this Irish folk hero needs no introduction, so join David Gerrish as he investigates one of blues’s greatest performers.
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This month we take a look at an unsung member of the late 60s guitar god hierarchy and one of Ireland’s first rock stars, Rory Gallagher. Despite his immense talent, prolific recording output and extensive touring, Rory never really achieved the fame or the guitar star status he so deserved. Throughout his career he was determined in his rejection of compromise for commercialism’s sake, refusing to allow the release of singles to attract a wider mainstream audience that might well have brought him worldwide success.
Regardless of this shunning of the mainstream, Rory earned a solid fanbase that has grown considerably in the years after his untimely death in 1995, aged just 47. Audiences around the world are still captivated by his primitive passion, his unwavering devotion to his roots based sound, and to his mesmerising performances. The body of work he has left behind is remarkable for its consistency, honesty and earthiness and his influence can be recognised in the generations of guitarists that followed.
Rory was a traditionalist at heart. He had studied the masters with great attention to detail and commanded an authenticity that can only be earned from a deep devotion to the music. However, his unique style came from a melting pot of influences, perhaps most interesting being the inclusion of the traditional Irish folk that he grew up listening to. If there was ever a contender for the king of Celtic blues, then Rory would surely be the highest contender. He mixed these two styles along with elements of rock, country, jazz and everything else he could absorb. This gave him a unique approach to improvising which was often based around full seven note scales compared to the more traditional Pentatonic palette we might expect. He would include 2nds and 6ths and often created lines that weaved
