Rock on, Rory. Rock on!

These days.. there’s an undeniable Rory buzz felt around the globe! A resounding, posthumous reverberation.. gaining more amplitude by the moment as more people discover his music.

Rory Gallagher - Charismatic Blues-Rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, band leader. March 2, 1948 – June 14, 1995

 While well known and loved in Ireland and much of Europe in the 70’s /80’s, and voted Melody Maker‘s Guitarist of the Year in 1971 - ahead of such players as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend and Jerry Garcia - he didn't get the FM airplay he deserved in the states. Progressive programmers and a few AOR (Album Oriented Rock) stations were on it - especially we renegades who played music for our audiences.. not the consultants and general managers - but with little play, he never 'broke big' and remained relatively unknown. Not entirely radio's fault. He wasn’t a sell-out.. didn’t care to be ‘number one with a bullet’ in Billboard Magazine.. stayed true to his music and even shunned his record company once as they were about to launch his career in America.

Without substantial on-air support in the USA, he was out there touring non-stop, blowing audiences away.. city after city. He didn’t need American radio to one day have a street named after him in Paris where anyone can stroll down le Rue Rory Gallagher and feel his presence. 

In Ireland folks understand what a beautiful force of nature this guy was. Their native son is celebrated in a large way with memorials and monuments from a street corner in Dublin to a bronze statue in Donegal.

Rory Gallagher Corner - Temple Bar, Dublin

Rory Gallagher Statue - Donegal

Consider the old Woodstock yarn which goes something like this - “A reporter comes up to Jimi Hendrix after the concert and asks him what it feels like to be the best guitar player in the world. And Jimi says: “How should I know? Go ask Rory Gallagher.” Some say it was Woodstock.. others claim it was the legendary Isle of Wight where Hendrix uttered such high praise, if he ever did. Whether the story is true or not.. that’s debatable.. fact is, Rory WAS one of the absolute finest players.. ever.. who lives on in the warmest of ways in the hearts and minds of many. He’s way up there in my pantheon of Guitar Gods.. definitely hovering near or at the very top.. and is attracting a whole new generation of fans who are beginning to feel same way.

 

Much more global recognition now than when he was alive and so it goes for many of the great artists and legends who have graced the planet. Thanks in part to the excellent 2010 documentary Ghost Blues - a 2 DVD set which includes The Beat Club Sessions, also found on a separately released audio CD - Rory's story and more of his music is out there. Highly recommend these discs along with his complete music catalog!

Extra thanks to Sirius-XM Radio’s Earle Bailey, who, on his always thoughtful Deep Tracks show, has gone the extra mile in turning his listeners on to RG.  He’s given Rory more on-air exposure in the past decade, or so.. and shown him more love and appreciation than any broadcaster I can think of.