Rory Gallagher

For other uses, see Rory Gallagher (disambiguation).

Rory Gallagher
Gallagher performing at the Manchester Apollo in 1982
Gallagher performing at the Manchester Apollo in 1982
Background information
Birth nameWilliam Rory Gallagher
Born(1948-03-02)2 March 1948
Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland
OriginCork, Ireland
Died14 June 1995(1995-06-14) (aged 47)
London, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • harmonica
  • mandolin
  • saxophone
Years active1963–1995
Labels
Formerly ofTaste
Websiterorygallagher.com

William Rory Gallagher (/ˈrɔːri ˈɡæləhər/ GAL-ə-hər; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995)[1][2][3] was an Irish musician and songwriter. He is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing, and is often referred to as "the greatest guitarist you've never heard of".[4][5] A number of guitarists, including Alex Lifeson of Rush, Brian May of Queen, and Eric Clapton, have cited Gallagher as an influence. He was voted as guitarist of the year by Melody Maker magazine in 1972,[6] and listed as the 57th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2015.[7]

In 1966, Gallagher formed the blues rock power trio Taste, which experienced moderate commercial success and popularity in the United Kingdom. After the dissolution of Taste, Gallagher pursued a solo career, releasing music throughout the 1970s and 1980s and selling more than 30 million records worldwide.[8][9]

Gallagher's popularity declined throughout the 1980s due to changes within the music industry and poor health.[10] He received a liver transplant in 1995 but died of complications later that same year in London at the age of 47.[11]

  1. ^ "Rory Gallagher's birth certificate". Flickr. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  2. ^ O'Hagan, Lauren Alex (28 June 2021). "'Rory played the greens, not the blues': expressions of Irishness on the Rory Gallagher YouTube channel". Irish Studies Review. 29 (3): 348–369. doi:10.1080/09670882.2021.1946919. S2CID 236144825. Irish fans often mock non-Irish fans for pronouncing [Gallagher's name] with a hard 'g' (/ˈgæləɡə/) instead of a soft 'g' (/ˈgæləhə/): 'it's Gall-a-HER, not Gall-AGG-er'; 'Galla-her: the second g is silent.'
  3. ^ "Rory Gallagher". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  4. ^ Wardle, Drew (2 March 2021). "Rory Gallagher the greatest guitarist you've never heard of". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  5. ^ Peacock, Tim (2 March 2022). "Why Guitar God Rory Gallagher Was Ireland's Hendrix And Clapton Rolled into One". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference connaughton2012 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "100 Greatest Guitarists". Rolling Stone. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Extract from Riding Shotgun biography – Prologue: Can't Believe It's True". Ridingshotgun.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  9. ^ "The A-Z of Irish Music: G — Rory Gallagher Biography". Irish Connections. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  10. ^ O'Hagan, Lauren Alex (10 March 2022). "Fashioning the "People's Guitarist" The Mythologization of Rory Gallagher in the International Music Press". Rock Music Studies. 9 (2): 174–198. doi:10.1080/19401159.2022.2048988. S2CID 247393495.
  11. ^ Stanton, Scott. (2003). The Tombstone Tourist: Musicians. Simon & Schuster. p. 319. ISBN 0-7434-6330-7.