Rory Gallagher

William Rory Gallagher (/ɡæləhər/ 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.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.