Rory Gallagher: The Later Years
By Lauren Alex O’Hagan and Rayne Morales
Rory Gallagher (1948-1995) was a trailblazing Irish blues-rock singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Over four decades, he pioneered his unique style of music across the globe, building his reputation through electrifying live performances. Known for his dedicated and hard-working attitude, Gallagher actively shunned the trappings of the decadent rockstar and always maintained an authentic, no sell-out image.
But to date, accounts of Gallagher’s life have been overwhelmingly focused on his success in the 1970s, with the latter half of his career unfairly written off as a time of ill health and musical decline.
Rory Gallagher: The Later Years challenges this ‘rise and fall’ narrative, documenting and reappraising Gallagher’s musical trajectory over the final decade of his life through fresh interviews with those who knew him and previously unexplored archival materials. This collection of essays corrects the assumption that Gallagher’s decline in health translated into a decline in musicianship and reveals the story of a maturing bluesman broadening his horizons, rather than bidding farewell to them.
Ultimately, it provides a different story to that which has been told countless times before. A story that does not follow the easy and familiar pathway of a man victim to the 1980s zeitgeist, victim to ‘addiction’ and victim to himself and, instead, portrays him as the hero of all he was still able to accomplish. It seeks to provide the long-awaited – and accurate – answer for those who perhaps once asked the question: “what became of Rory Gallagher?”
Table of Contents:
Introduction: The Celtic King Without His Crown?
Part 1 – In the Studio
Part 2 – On the Stage 1985-1991
Interlude: Introducing the New Rory Gallagher Band
Part 3 – On the Stage 1992-1995
Part 4 – Ireland
Conclusion – The Rise and Rise of Rory Gallagher
Out on 4 October 2024
Preorder now from WP Wymer
REWRITING RORY 
Leave a reply to Denise Cancel reply