A Requiem for Rory Gallagher

An Appreciation

Nov 21, 2021

My guess is that, as you read this article’s title, the voice inside your head said: “Rory Gallagher? Who’s Rory Gallagher? I’ve never heard of him.”

‘Tis a pity. But it is also probably erroneous. Of all the billions of words you've heard spoken in your life, you probably did hear someone, somewhere, some time, utter the name “Rory Gallagher.” He was at one time acknowledged as a better guitarist than Eric Clapton of Cream, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, and Jeff Beck of The Yardbirds. In 1972, he won the award as International Guitarist of the Year. Fan polls also placed him at the pinnacle of all rock guitarists.

Gallagher was sought after by the Rolling Stones, as a replacement for Mick (Taylor, not Jagger).

But if Rory’s name only resides in the deep recesses of your cranium and not in your conscious memory (IOW, it’s on your hard drive, but not in RAM), that’s OK. Rory Gallagher did not set out to be ultra-famous. What he cared about was the music, not the fame. As long as he could entertain crowds with his guitar and quaff the odd pint of Guinness (or two), he was satisfied. He didn’t want to be known for a single song (pun intended), but for his body of work.

The best introduction of Rory Gallagher to your conscious mind is perhaps this live version of Shinkicker. This performance from the 1979 Montreaux Jazz Festival is the epitome of what rock and roll’s supposed to be all about: Rory’s irrepressible energy and overflowing exuberance are on full display.

Although fundamentally a blues-rocker, Rory played acoustic fingerpicking songs (such as Barley and Grape Rag), jazz (such as The Loop), and laid-back mellow stuff occasionally, too, such as If I Had a Reason. He even recorded a sort of country-rock parody, complete with a fake “country” accent (My Baby, Sure).

Besides wondering who in the world Rory Gallagher is, the word requiem in the post’s title may have stumped you. The definition that suits my intent best is, “an act or token of remembrance.”

Gallagher died in late spring 1995, at the age of 47, from a staph infection following surgery.

Consider this my tribute to Rory Gallagher, who put music above fame and fortune, and demonstrated that you don’t need to abuse drugs and women, trash hotel rooms, or sport flashy duds to be a rocker. Rory was genuine, down-to-earth. Everybody who knew him said you could never meet a nicer guy. Many of his friends described him the same way: “a lovely man.”

In addition to those linked to above, here are a few more Rory Gallagher songs, some from his early years while fronting the Irish power trio Taste, and the rest from his solo career:

A Million Miles Away