Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher (/ˈrɔːri ˈɡæləhər/ GAL-ə-hər; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995)[1][2][3] was an Irish musician and songwriter. He is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing, and is often referred to as "the greatest guitarist you've never heard of".[4][5] A number of guitarists, including Alex Lifeson of Rush, Brian May of Queen, and Eric Clapton, have cited Gallagher as an influence. He was voted as guitarist of the year by Melody Maker magazine in 1972,[6] and listed as the 57th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2015.[7]
For other uses, see Rory Gallagher (disambiguation).
Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher
2 March 1948
Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland
Cork, Ireland
14 June 1995 (aged 47)
London, England
- Musician
- songwriter
- producer
- Guitar
- vocals
- harmonica
- mandolin
- saxophone
1963–1995
In 1966, Gallagher formed the blues rock power trio Taste, which experienced moderate commercial success and popularity in the United Kingdom. After the dissolution of Taste, Gallagher pursued a solo career, releasing music throughout the 1970s and 1980s and selling more than 30 million records worldwide.[8][9]
Gallagher's popularity declined throughout the 1980s due to changes within the music industry and poor health.[10] He received a liver transplant in 1995, but died of complications later that same year in London at the age of 47.[11]
In addition to Gallagher himself (on guitar and vocals), over the years Gallagher's band included:
Death[edit]
In the later years of his life, Gallagher developed a phobia of flying. To overcome this, he was prescribed various drugs. Gallagher also had a series of health problems for which he was prescribed steroids (e.g. thyroid disorder, psoriasis, asthma).[10] By the time of his final performance on 10 January 1995 in the Netherlands, he was visibly ill with severe abdominal pain and the tour had to be cancelled. He had been prescribed paracetamol for the pain, a drug that can be extremely harmful to the liver when taken in large doses and for long periods of time.[66]
Gallagher was admitted to London's King's College Hospital in March 1995, and it was only then that the extent of his ill health became apparent; his liver was failing and the doctors determined that, in spite of his relatively young age, a liver transplant was the only possible course of action.[67] After thirteen weeks in intensive care, while waiting to be transferred to a convalescent home, his health suddenly worsened when he contracted a staphylococcal (MRSA) infection, and he died on 14 June 1995, at the age of 47.[34] He was unmarried and had no children.
Gallagher was buried in St Oliver's Cemetery, on the Clash Road just outside Ballincollig near Cork City, Ireland. The grave's headstone is in the image of an award he received in 1972 for International Guitarist of the Year.[68]
Gallagher released 14 albums during his lifetime as a solo act, which included 3 live albums: