About three and a half years ago (14^th June 1995) William Rory Gallagher – nothing to do with the unibrow brothers – died in a London hospital after a liver transplant. He was 47 years old and far from his best musical times, but those who knew his music and remembered him will never forget that he was the first Irish rock’n’roll star.

…By the end of 1970, Taste had two albums -Taste (69) and On the Boards (70)- and toured extensively in Europe and America. But the pressures and personal problems between the members of the group (they say that Rory withdrew into himself when he was not on stage) led them to disband, after which Rory spent a few months playing as a solo acoustic guitarist, influenced by people like Leadbelly and Davy Graham. But the passion for his Stratocaster propelled him back to the electric format with a band (bass, drums and keyboards) and he launched his solo career with a totally personal sound, a powerful style that brought together both the classic blues of Robert Johnson and all the Mississippi and the rhythm ‘n’ blues of people like the Yardbirds, Cream, Zeppelin or even the Who. Thus, since Rory Gallagher (71), each new album was the perfect excuse to start another tour, each one more scorching, since without a doubt, the best thing about Rory was his live shows (just listen to Live in Europe or Irish Tour to realise).

But like so many others, success came to Rory so young that he began to lose control of his life and career, in artistic and commercial decline except for occasional works such as Photo Finish (78) and Fresh Evidence (90). In a fight ever since with his manager, Eddie Kennedy, for the rights to his catalogue (which he did not recover until 10 years ago), Rory began to report problems of fatigue and anxiety and turned to drink; musically, he was losing spontaneity, becoming a perfectionist and spending long periods in the studio, and his music became darker.

But Irish blues will forever be associated with his name. He achieved what Gary Moore will dream of all his life and will never achieve: beating Eric Clapton in 1972 as the best guitarist in the preferences of the British public; playing sessions with Muddy Waters ans Jerry Lee Lewis and being offered to join the Rolling Stones after Mick Taylor left. It is impossible to resist discovering him.