- After he moved from Ireland to London, he was at one time considered for membership in The Rolling Stones.
- Born in Donegal, he grew up in Cork City.
- Many famous guitarists have cited him as an influence, including Slash, The Edge, Johnny Marr, Vivian Campbell, Glenn Tipton, Brian May, Jimmy Page, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Moore, Alex Lifeson, etc.
- Named Worlds greatest guitarist in music papers in 1979.
- During his distinguished career, Rory Gallagher never changed his style whilst performing live. He didn't use any fancy special effects, he simply sang and played the guitar with all the passion he could muster.
- Jimi Hendrix was a huge fan of Rory. When asked "What's it was like to be the best rock guitarist in the world?" Jimi responded "I don't know, you'll have to ask Rory Gallagher".
- Was known for shying away from any potential media attention.
- Although Irish, Rory was often considered one of the greatest "British Blues" guitarists of all time, alongside Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Peter Green.
- Bought first acoustic guitar at the age of 9 and taught himself to play.
- Collaborated with, amongst others, the The Dubliners and Van Morrison.
- Formed his first band at 13.
- His most well-known albums were "Tattoo", "Against the Grain", "Calling Card" and "Jinx".
- Formed the blues band Taste.
- Although known primarily as an ace guitarist, he was also an excellent saxophonist, like Van Morrison. Also like Morrison, he began his career playing in a series of Irish show bands before abandoning them to concentrate on playing the kind of music he really wanted to play--heavily blues-oriented rock.
- Lived in London for most of his career, although he once moved to Belgium for tax reasons.
- Although primarily known for playing a Fender Stratocaster, he owned and played numerous guitars, including a Fender Esquire, Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul and a Gretsch Corvette, which his brother Donal Gallagher bought in a pawn shop in Los Angeles.
- Was the frontman of his own band, called "Taste." After a disagreement with their record label "Polydor," the group disbanded.
- Was once described by Jimi Hendrix, as the best guitarist.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content