Rory Gallagher & His 1961 Fender Stratocaster - Page 2

TDavis · #16 10-13-2021, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Dru, judging by the number of responses, so far, not many have either heard of Rory Gallagher or maybe don't rate him very highly as a player? Don't know, maybe ...

That's sad. Rory was a pure guitar hero, at least to me, back when he was alive and playing. I love blues-rock, and he made me long for a Stratocaster. "Boom Boom (Out go the lights)" was a great tune, and showcased a lot of his chops.

I also love the story of his Stratocaster, and how it got so...relic.

Also sad that he went the way of so many blues guitarists back in the day...not drugs, but alcohol. I guess booze was cheaper than cocaine. I hear drinking destroyed his liver, and ultimately cost him his life. Garry Moore met a similar fate, I believe.

FrankHudson · #17 10-13-2021, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paleolith54

Exactly. He was in exactly the right era for what he did, he just wasn't a big commercial success. That's 90% to do with music business decisions, not talent. I'm a huge Rory fan but what he did was just never going to get great commercial success, certainly not over the long haul, and he apparently had zero interest in straying outside his lane. Good for him! He made a good living at what he loved and he's remembered with near-reverence by a huge swath of guitar players at all levels. That's pretty successful by most any measure.

Amen. "Music business" doesn't have a lot to do with what I choose to listen to or play too. Maybe more would have heard him if he had his "Layla" or "White Room" or "All Along the Watchtower" or "Because We've Ended as Lovers" etc. -- but then we also might have had to discuss his disco album.

Dru Edwards · #18 10-13-2021, 01:59 PM

Rory was so much more than just a guitarist, he was an entertainer. So much energy, so much life.

Wikipedia: "A bronze statue of Gallagher in Ballyshannon, County Donegal":

frankmcr · #19 10-13-2021, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Eastwood

That's Whispering Bob Harris in the first clip, not John Peel...

Yes, of course. It's been a while, is my excuse

David Eastwood · #20 10-13-2021, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmcr

Yes, of course. It's been a while, is my excuse

You’re excused - just this once

Tuch · #21 10-18-2021, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Rory was so much more than just a guitarist, he was an entertainer. So much energy, so much life.

Wikipedia: "A bronze statue of Gallagher in Ballyshannon, County Donegal":

RG was a 'master Riff Maker'-

talister106 · #22 10-21-2021, 12:28 PM

In moving some old boxes, I opened one and on top was the August 1991 issue of Guitar Mag. With EVH on the cover, what stood out was a interview with Rory given by Vivian Campbell. The article was long and complete covering all you could ever want to know. What a unexpected find.

brandall10 · #23 10-26-2021, 08:16 AM

Rory Gallagher is a name I'm familiar w/ since beginning my guitar journey some 30 years ago - to me, he was an early blues rock guitar hero. Didn't realize he was that successful to have sold so many records, he was just some dude you'd see guitar mags gush over from time to time. Got to discover his live talents in the youtube age.

Possibly the thing that separates folks like Rory from ones like Clapton and Hendrix (and some mentioned Neil Young, though not a guitar hero at all) is the songs. I'm not actually familiar with any songs of his that somehow were super popular and stood the test of time. When we get right down to it, there are a lot of notable guitar heros like that. Heck, think about Jeff Beck... as guitarists we love and respect that guy so much, some put him way beyond maybe a contemporary like Clapton, but the general public does not know who he is (aside from maybe being the inspiration for Nigel Tufnel, lol).

I don't think SRV for instance would be publicly notable without having written Crossfire, Pride and Joy and Tighrope - just those three songs. But he did and because of that your mom knows who he is, even if she isn't familiar with that handful of songs.

Paleolith54 · #24 10-26-2021, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandall10

Rory Gallagher is a name I'm familiar w/ since beginning my guitar journey some 30 years ago - to me, he was an early blues rock guitar hero. Didn't realize he was that successful to have sold so many records, he was just some dude you'd see guitar mags gush over from time to time. Got to discover his live talents in the youtube age.

Possibly the thing that separates folks like Rory from ones like Clapton and Hendrix (and some mentioned Neil Young, though not a guitar hero at all) is the songs. I'm not actually familiar with any songs of his that somehow were super popular and stood the test of time. When we get right down to it, there are a lot of notable guitar heros like that. Heck, think about Jeff Beck... as guitarists we love and respect that guy so much, some put him way beyond maybe a contemporary like Clapton, but the general public does not know who he is (aside from maybe being the inspiration for Nigel Tufnel, lol).

I don't think SRV for instance would be publicly notable without having written Crossfire, Pride and Joy and Tighrope - just those three songs. But he did and because of that your mom knows who he is, even if she isn't familiar with that handful of songs.

Right, and I suspect not having songs is largely a result of not going after the business side, the building of the Rory Machine, like he went after the music. Clapton, for example, actually did and had people writing songs for him (like JJ Cale) for many years, so there was a lot of bench strength there. With Rory, my sense is that it was just Rory. And my understanding is that this was his preference: he focused on what he wanted to do, the way he wanted to do it, rather than what and how some others might have expected.

BTW, SRV didn't write Crossfire: the other three did. Stevie really didn't even like it very much at first, but was later happy to have given in as it was their only #1 song.

GoPappy · #25 10-26-2021, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandall10

Rory Gallagher is a name I'm familiar w/ since beginning my guitar journey some 30 years ago - to me, he was an early blues rock guitar hero. Didn't realize he was that successful to have sold so many records, he was just some dude you'd see guitar mags gush over from time to time. Got to discover his live talents in the youtube age.

Possibly the thing that separates folks like Rory from ones like Clapton and Hendrix (and some mentioned Neil Young, though not a guitar hero at all) is the songs. I'm not actually familiar with any songs of his that somehow were super popular and stood the test of time. When we get right down to it, there are a lot of notable guitar heros like that. Heck, think about Jeff Beck... as guitarists we love and respect that guy so much, some put him way beyond maybe a contemporary like Clapton, but the general public does not know who he is (aside from maybe being the inspiration for Nigel Tufnel, lol).

I don't think SRV for instance would be publicly notable without having written Crossfire, Pride and Joy and Tighrope - just those three songs. But he did and because of that your mom knows who he is, even if she isn't familiar with that handful of songs.

One of my favorite guitar players of all time fits into that category too: The late great Bugs Henderson. He never achieved commercial success, and most people never heard of him, but he was an amazing blues guitar player. I always got the feeling that Bugs just played the music he loved and let the chips fall where they might.

EIEIO9995 · #26 10-26-2021, 07:59 PM

Tommy Bolin sorta falls into the same category. Died way too young.