By Michael Baginski/ Rory Gallagher is having a moment, seemingly all over the Internet these days. “The greatest guitarist you’ve never heard” was considered Ireland’s first rock star in the early ‘70s and influenced a who’s who of subsequent guitar gods, from the Edge to Slash and even Canada’s own Alex Lifeson (Rush), plus many others.
Brian May (Queen) says Gallagher helped him find his distinctive sound, and Gallagher was even considered by the Rolling Stones to replace Mick Taylor (but deemed unlikely to settle for a role in the background behind the big egos of Jagger and Richards).
Despite being feted and remembered across Ireland even today, Gallagher never achieved full international stardom (a curious fact: In 1974, a nascent Rush opened for him; eight years later the roles were reversed), and his career – and life – were cut short after ultimately not surviving a liver transplant in 1995.
So, if you missed him, here is the “fantastic” Rory Gallagher (as introduced, in case you don’t recognize him, by the great Ray Davies of The Kinks).
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