Rory Gallagher – “They don’t make them like you anymore”

 The super guitarist died in June 

In the last 10 years, it had all turned quiet around the Irishman in the lumberjack shirt with the battered Stratocaster: only on his albums Defender (1987) and Fresh Evidence (1990) did the unpretentiously honest workaholic of blues rock twice pull all the stops between acoustic and inspired Bottleneck ballads and compact riff rockers.

Gallagher also “lived” at home in Chelsea in Rock ‘n Roll style! Sporadic tours and close-ups, which were shown less and less frequently, documented his substance abuse [sic]. This finally made a liver transplant necessary in the spring, which went well, but weakened Rory’s immune system so much so that he succumbed to the fourth bout of pneumonia [sic] in just as many weeks on 14th June 1995…

Born on 2nd March 1949 [sic] in Ballyshannon in County Donegal, Gallagher began work after leaving school in 1964 in Ireland’s Fontana Showband, which soon became the bluesy group The Impact. An early version of his taste trio performed live at the Star Club in Hamburg. But it was only with his new Taste partners John Wilson (drums) and Charlie McCracken (bass) that the “boy-next-door from Cork” had international success from 1968: ‘Leaving Blues’, for example, identified him as a sensitive interpreter of classic blues and his own numbers such as ‘Eat My Words’ defied power trio champions like Cream. In the scandal-ridden split of the triumvirate because of mismanagement, Rory was wronged by the media: in the face of accusations of dictatorship, he too faced financial ruin, and his label also walled up.

With a loan from his mother, Rory finally consolidated his solo career from 1970, with brilliantly composed and executed trio albums such as Deuce and the atmospheric Live In Europe, as well as numerous marathon tours – the energetic blues player shrugged his shoulders and spent four months in the USA relaxed sipping his Guinness. From ’72, Gallagher increased his band to a quartet, the ex-Killing Floor Rhythm Section of Lou Martin (p) and Rod de’Ath (dr) now supporting the loyal bassist Gerry McAvoy (’70-’90) on Irish Tour ’74 and Calling Card. Rory’s appearance with this line-up on TV’s Rockpalast” in ’77 is unforgottable. Highlight and end of the foursome: Rory soon ditched the San Francisco sessions and once again returned to a trio format, but after Photo Finish and Jinx, his proverbial energy waned.

Rory Gallagher always took his working-class image literally and was never a showman. He had to counter the Marshall towers of the late 1960s with his familiar Vox AC30 amp, and these 30 watts were amplified via PA systems. Rory introduced his audience to the allure of acoustic music twenty years before “Unplugged” but never jumped on the bandwagon. Nevertheless, fans have been hoping for years for a coupling of his unamplified numbers, and perhaps further archive treasures will be unearthed posthumously. In his brother Dónal, Rory surely leaves behind the most sincere executor he could wish for, albeit one who wished him so many more years of music and health!

There is no one in the business who says negative things about Gallagher. Many studio invitations may be taken as proof – by Muddy Waters, Albert King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chris Barber, Lonnie Donegan, Mike Batt, Gary Brooker, The Dubliners. My afternoon with Rory at the Bonn Blues Festival 1992 was not an interview, but an unforgettable fireside chat full of lively rock history, characterised by vulnerability and deep-seated depressive feelings. Who would have thought that this heartfelt conversation would be Rory’s last public communication internationally?! – Yes indeed, they don’t make them like you anymore…”