William Rory Gallagher ( GAL-ə-hər; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometimes been referred to as "the greatest guitarist you've never heard of".
Gallagher gained international recognition in the late 1960s as the frontman and lead guitarist of the blues rock power trio Taste. Following the band's break-up in 1970, he launched a solo career and was voted Guitarist of the Year by Melody Maker magazine in 1972. Gallagher played over 2,000 concerts worldwide throughout his career, including many in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. He had global record sales exceeding 30 million.
During the 1980s, Gallagher continued to tour and record new music, but his popularity declined due to shifting trends in the music industry. His health also began to deteriorate, resulting in a liver transplant in March 1995 at King's College Hospital in London. Following the operation, he contracted a staphylococcal infection (MRSA) and died three months later at the age of 47.
Gallagher has been commemorated posthumously with statues in Ballyshannon and Belfast, and public spaces renamed in his memory in Dublin, Cork, and Paris. He has been commemorated on an An Post set of postage stamps and a Central Bank of Ireland commemorative coin. Since 2002, the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival has been held annually in Ballyshannon.
A number of musicians in the world of rock and blues cite Gallagher as an influence, both for his musicianship and character, including Brian May (Queen), Johnny Marr (the Smiths), Slash (Guns N' Roses), the Edge (U2), Glenn Tipton (Judas Priest), Janick Gers (Iron Maiden), Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard), Joan Armatrading, Gary Moore, and Joe Bonamassa.
Early life
Gallagher was born on 2 March 1948 to Daniel (Danny) and Monica Gallagher (née Roche) at the Rock Hospital in Ballyshannon in County Donegal, Ireland. He was baptised in the nearby St Joseph's Church.
His father, Danny, was originally from Derry and served for a time in the Irish Army. Danny was also an accordionist and led his own céilí dance orchestra. He met Gallagher’s mother, Monica – a native of County Cork – in the 1940s while stationed in Cork city, and they later married.
The couple moved to Ballyshannon when Danny was demobilised and took up employment with the Irish Electricity Supply Board (ESB), which was constructing the Cathaleen's Fall hydroelectric power station on the River Erne.
In 1949, the family moved to Derry City. It was here that Gallagher's younger brother Dónal was born later that year. Dónal would go on to manage Gallagher throughout most of his career. While in Derry, Gallagher attended the Christian Brothers Primary School, known locally as the Brow of the Hill.
Over the next seven years, due to a lack of steady work, the family moved frequently, spending time in Coventry and Birmingham in England, as well as moving back and forth between Cork and Derry. This instability put a strain on Danny and Monica’s marriage, and in 1956, Monica moved back to Cork permanently with her two sons. They lived with Gallagher's maternal grandparents in an apartment above the Modern Bar (later renamed Roche's Bar) at 27 MacCurtain Street. Gallagher attended the North Monastery School and, later, St Kieran's College.
Gallagher developed a love for music at a young age through the radio, listening to broadcasts from Radio Luxembourg, the BBC, and the American Forces Network. His first musical inspiration was Roy Rogers, "the Singing Cowboy", followed by Lonnie Donegan, whose covers of American blues and folk artists introduced Gallagher to the genre. He later discovered rock and roll, particularly Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, and Chuck Berry, before finding his greatest influence in Muddy Waters. Other musicians he cited as influences include Woody Guthrie, Big Bill Broonzy, and Lead Belly.
At age nine, Gallagher received a plastic Elvis Presley model ukelele for Christmas, on which he taught himself basic chords. Recognising his aptitude, Gallagher’s mother later bought him an acoustic guitar. Gallagher would study music books in his local library, such as Lonnie Donegan’s Skiffle Hits, and copy the hand shapes of musicians from photographs in Melody Maker.
Having acquired a repertoire of songs, Gallagher began performing at minor functions around Cork, often accompanied by his brother. In 1961, he won a cash prize as a solo performer in a talent contest at Cork City Hall, and his photo was featured in the Evening Echo.
As Gallagher began performing more frequently, he sought to emulate the electric sound of beat groups. To achieve this, he persuaded his mother to buy him a black Rosetti Solid Seven electric guitar.
The showband years
1963–1965 The Fontana Showband
Gallagher was eager to form a band but struggled to find anyone in Cork who shared his interest. In the summer of 1963, while searching through local newspapers, he came across an advertisement from brothers Oliver and Bernie Tobin, who were looking for a lead guitarist to join their newly-formed band, the Fontana Showband.
The six-piece ensemble, which played the popular hits of the day, featured Bernie Tobin on trombone, Oliver Tobin on bass, John Lehane on saxophone, Eamonn O'Sullivan on drums, and Jimmy Flynn on guitar. Gallagher impressed the band with his audition and lied about his age to secure the position. In the following weeks, Flynn left the band by mutual consent and Declan O’Keefe joined as rhythm guitarist.
Shortly after joining the Fontana Showband, Gallagher purchased a 1961 Fender Stratocaster for £100 from Crowley's Music Shop. This guitar became his primary instrument and was most associated with him during his career.
The band performed in ballrooms and dancehalls across Ireland almost every evening, often for 5–6 hours at a time. This allowed Gallagher to earn the money for the payments that were due on his Stratocaster guitar. During Lent, when dances were "banned" by the Catholic Church in Ireland, they toured Great Britain.
Despite not playing the music he truly wanted, Gallagher saw the Fontana Showband as a valuable training ground. Recognising the shifting musical landscape of the time, he gradually began to influence the band's repertoire, steering it away from mainstream pop music and incorporating some of Chuck Berry's songs. By 1965, he had successfully moulded Fontana into "The Impact", now with Michael Lehane on keyboards and Johnny Campbell on drums, replacing O’Sullivan.
1965–1966 The Impact
On 22 April 1965, The Impact made an appearance on Irish television show Pickin’ the Pops, where they were scheduled to perform Buddy Holly’s 'Valley of Tears'. However, at the last minute, Gallagher switched the song to Larry Williams’ 'Slow Down' instead, an act that caused a sensation.
As Gallagher's guitar skills gained recognition, the band began performing at larger venues, including the Arcadia Ballroom, which was run by Peter Prendergast. Prendergast’s brother, Phillip, decided to take on management of the band, securing them support slots for major acts like The Animals. Around this time, Gallagher was also invited by the showband The Victors to play as a session guitarist on their recording 'Call Up the Showbands'.
In June 1965, the band travelled to Spain for a residency at an American Air Force base outside Madrid, in Alcalá de Henares. With Spain under dictatorship at this time, Gallagher was required to cut his hair before entering the country. After their time in Spain, the band recorded their first demo tape, which featured a cover of 'Slow Down' with 'Valley of Tears' as the B-side.
By early summer 1966, The Impact had dissolved. Gallagher, along with bassist Oliver Tobin and drummer Johnny Campbell, formed a trio and started a three-week stint at the Big Apple in Hamburg, Germany. They were billed as 'The Fendermen'.
Taste
1966–1968 Taste Mark 1
Upon returning to Ireland, Gallagher jammed with local Cork band, the Axills, which featured bassist Eric Kitteringham and drummer Norman Damery, and was offered the position of guitarist. However, having completed a musical apprenticeship in the showbands and influenced by the increasing popularity of beat groups, he decided it was time to form his own band instead and asked Kitteringham and Damery to join him.
Together, they formed The Taste, which was later renamed simply Taste, a blues rock and R&B power trio. The band was formed inside the Long Valley Bar, with the name Taste inspired by a beermat boasting the superior taste of Beamish stout.
Taste began rehearsing on the upper floor of 5 Park View, where the Kitteringham family lived, and made their debut on 10 September 1966 at a school dance held at the Imperial Hotel on Grand Parade in Cork. While Taste performed many covers, they also began developing original material, including an early version of "Blister on the Moon".
Looking to expand their reach to Belfast's blues scene, Taste performed at the city's Sammy Houston's Jazz Club on Great Victoria Street in December 1966. Their performance caught the attention of promoter Eddie Kennedy, who offered them a residency at the city's Maritime Hotel and a management deal.
Gallagher persuaded Kitteringham and Damery, who were working as a printer and an insurance broker at the time, to go fully professional, and they agreed. Several months later, Damery's work replacement died in the Aer Lingus 712 flight disaster, leading Damery to tell Gallagher, "Whatever turns out for me professionally now is a bonus. You saved my life".
During their residency at the Maritime Hotel, Taste opened for acts like Cream, Fleetwood Mac and Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds, drawing audiences from both Protestant and Catholic communities.
In 1967, the Major-Minor record label, run by Phil Solomon, showed interest in signing Taste and gave them the opportunity to make a demo recording. "Blister on the Moon" (with B-Side "Born on the Wrong Side of Time") was subsequently released as a single without Gallagher's consent.
Kennedy's connections with Robert Stigwood, the manager of Cream and the Bee Gees, helped secure gigs for Taste at London's Marquee Club. At their first gig, supporting Robert Hirst and the Big Taste in February 1968, they were billed as 'The Erection' to avoid a name clash. The band’s raw sound made an immediate impression on critics and spectators, leading to a residency offer and a permanent move to London in the summer of 1968.
Polydor began showing interest in signing Taste, but Kennedy claimed the label was unhappy with the current rhythm section. Despite initial resistance from Gallagher, Kitteringham and Damery were replaced by bassist Richard McCracken and drummer John Wilson, both experienced musicians from Belfast who played in the band Cheese, also managed by Kennedy. The change was made amicably, with everyone understanding it was a necessary step for the band's progression.
1968–1970 Taste Mark 2
In August 1968, the new line-up of Taste signed with Polydor and relocated to Earl's Court. While living there, Gallagher bought a saxophone and taught himself how to play, practicing in the cupboard of his bedsit to avoid disturbing the other residents.
Three months later, at Eric Clapton's request, Taste supported Cream at their farewell concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. After Cream disbanded, the band's manager Robert Stigwood approached Gallagher with a proposal to join Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in a new version of the band. Gallagher refused the offer outright.
In early 1969, Taste recorded their eponymous debut album Taste in a single day at De Lane Lea Studios in London. The album was produced by Tony Colton, who had previously produced albums for Yes. Released in April, it included rearranged blues standards like "Leavin’ Blues", "Sugar Mama" and "Catfish", a cover of Hank Snow's "I'm Movin' On", and Gallagher's own song "Blister on the Moon", among others.
The album was praised by critics for its "raw and honest" sound, selling particularly well in Northern Europe.
In July 1969, Clapton invited Taste to support his new supergroup, Blind Faith, on their US tour. Despite Taste's positive audience reception, the tour was fraught with issues. These included Taste being denied soundcheck time and a proper PA system, playing daytime gigs in large arenas, and tensions with Kennedy over travelling on the musicians' bus and not allowing the band to stay on in the US to play smaller club gigs. During the tour, Gallagher saw Muddy Waters play for the first time at Ungano's in New York.
Once back in London, Polydor requested that Taste begin recording their second album. This time, they were given almost a week to complete the project, which resulted in On the Boards. All ten tracks were composed by Gallagher and showcased his progressive blues style, mixing blues rock with acoustic ballads and experimental jazz-blues fusion. The album was released in January 1970 and reached no. 18 on the UK Albums Chart. Without Gallagher's permission, Polydor issued the opening track "What's Going On" as a single in Germany, where it became a Top 5 hit.
Throughout 1970, Taste continued to build their reputation as a live band, breaking the Marquee Club's all-time box office record on 21 July, previously held by Jimi Hendrix. John Lennon, who attended one of their performances, told a New Musical Express writer, "I heard Taste for the first time the other day and that bloke is going places".
However, behind the scenes, tensions were escalating due to creative differences and management issues. Gallagher and his brother Dónal were aware that Kennedy was misappropriating funds, but Wilson and McCracken sided with the manager, creating a rift within the group. The situation worsened when Taste's van was broken into the night before the Isle of Wight Festival, and Wilson accused Gallagher of orchestrating the break-in because only his drum pedals were stolen.
Despite these tensions, Taste delivered a strong performance at the Isle of Wight Festival before a crowd of 600,000 people, returning for multiple encores. Their performance was recorded in full by Murray Lerner and later released as the concert film Live at the Isle of Wight (2015).
Gallagher had intended to disband Taste after the Isle of Wight Festival, feeling that the band had "just came to the end of our natural life". However, with Polydor having already scheduled several festival dates and a major European tour, contractual obligations required them to continue. Just three days later, the band performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, marking the beginning of Gallagher's long relationship with the festival.
Taste's final concert took place at Queen’s University in Belfast on 24 October 1970. Following the breakup, Gallagher would never perform a released Taste song on stage again. McCracken and Wilson would go on to form the rock band Stud.
Despite describing the break-up of Taste as a "traumatic" and "very dreadful time", particularly because "the press all attacked me as if I was some kind of dictator", Gallagher always refused to publicly speak ill of the other band members. He would later reflect on the break-up with regret, describing it as a "communications breakdown" that "shouldn't have been allowed to happen".
Gallagher's brother Dónal, who took on the role of his manager, insisted they bring his previous manager, Eddie Kennedy, to court to recoup royalty payments, but Kennedy capitulated before the case reached trial. He agreed to transfer the Taste royalties, though he claimed to have no money. This meant that Gallagher never received any of the funds generated from Taste's album sales. The episode made Gallagher reluctant to seek out 'big' management deals in future.
Solo career
1971–1972 Rory Gallagher Band Mark 1
After Taste broke up, Gallagher decided to pursue a solo career and enlisted his brother Dónal as manager. In June 1971, they formed Strange Music to handle the production rights to Gallagher’s songs. Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant was involved in negotiating Gallagher a solo deal with Polydor, which secured him a contract for six albums on more generous terms than previously with Taste.
With a record contract secured with Polydor, Gallagher began assembling a new band. He reached out to Belfast musicians Gerry McAvoy (bass) and Wilgar Campbell (drums), who had previously been part of Deep Joy – a band that had supported Taste in 1970.
Gallagher arranged an audition at Fulham Palace Practising Studios in London and, according to McAvoy, "it gelled from the word go". Gallagher also considered former Jimi Hendrix Experience members Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, before moving forward with McAvoy and Campbell. They made their debut at the Paris Olympia on 30 March 1971. Other performances in 1971 included the Weeley Festival, Reading Festival, and the Crystal Palace Bowl Garden Party, where they performed alongside Elton John, Yes, and Fairport Convention.
Gallagher borrowed money from his mother to make his first solo album Rory Gallagher, which was released in May 1971. The album was recorded at Advision Studios in Fitzrovia, London, and self-produced, with sound engineering by Eddy Offord, who had previously worked with Gallagher on On the Boards. The album displays Gallagher's folk and jazz influences, with several of its songs carrying a melancholic tone that reflects the emotional impact of the break-up of Taste, such as "For the Last Time" and "I Fall Apart". The album also features keyboard contributions from Vincent Crane, known for his work with Atomic Rooster. Most of the album was recorded without overdubbing: according to Gallagher, it was "the only way to record this sort of music […] just go in and try and get it all first take". The album was reviewed favourably by Melody Maker, which stated: "Gallagher has all the makings to be an absolute monster, and his first album since the break-up of Taste is another pointer in that direction".
Six months later, Gallagher released Deuce, recorded at Tangerine Studios in Dalston, London, and again self-produced. Tangerine's staff engineer, Robin Sylvester, described the album as "Rory's 'live self' documented on tape", with all vocals and guitar solos performed live and minimal overdubs. Gallagher told Sounds that he was "happy" with Deuce and felt the mix was "well-balanced", but said that "there's only so much you can get out of a studio". NME saw the album as giving Gallagher’s reputation "a further stride forward" with its "contrastingly different sides of the band's music in rock and roll, blues and a country and western tinged style". Although the album was not a major commercial success at the time of its release, it subsequently gained cult status among fans, with guitarist Johnny Marr calling it "a complete turning point" for him, and American comedian Bill Hicks claiming to have worn out several copies.
In December 1971, Gallagher was invited by Muddy Waters to participate in The London Muddy Waters Sessions, playing on three tracks: "Young Fashion Ways", "Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man When I'm Gone", and "Key to the Highway". At the time, Gallagher was on a UK tour and went directly from his concerts to late-night recording sessions. Reflecting later on the experience, he described it as a "special memory", recalling how Waters was "so kind" and had a "spectacular" attitude. The album went on to win a 1972 Grammy Award. Additional tracks from the sessions were released two years later as London Revisited, with Gallagher featuring on three: "Hard Days", "I Almost Lost My Mind", and "Lovin' Man". During this period, Gallagher also made guest appearances on Mike Vernon’s Bring It Back Home and Chris Barber’s Drat that Fratle Rat!