In a career dating back to the 1960s he has played with bands including Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and Skid Row as well as having a successful solo career.
Moore started performing from a young age and got his first good guitar at the age of 14. In a career lasting over 30 years he has demonstrated that he is a fine musician, and his unique style of playing has adapted to very different music genres, including jazz rock jazz, blues, electric blues, hard rock, celtic rock and heavy metal.
One of his most famous non-blues records is Wild Frontier, his first studio album after a trip back to his native Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1985, this album has several songs about Ireland and even the music itself is steeped in Celtic roots. The title track was intended to be sung by Phil Lynott, however Lynott's death in January 1986 prevented that. The album is dedicated to Lynott's memory, with the words "For Philip" on the rear cover.
Wild Frontier contains the hit "Over the Hills and Far Away", which reached #20 in the UK as well as a cover of the Australian band The Easybeats' hit of the middle of the 1960s, "Friday on My Mind". The Max Middleton-penned "The Loner" was originally recorded by Cozy Powell for his Over the Top album in 1979 (which Moore did perform on, albeit not on Powell's recording of "The Loner"), but was substantially altered by Moore for his own recording, thus he was credited as a co-writer.
For blues fans, Moore's best recorded, live performance on video is "LIVE BLUES" recorded in a small night club in London and was released in 1992 on VHS. It is now available on DVD as well. "LIVE BLUES" also features two songs with B.B. King appearing on stage with Moore. "The Thrill Is Gone" on this recording is probably the best version of this, complete with More's Midnight Horns, female backup singers and dueling guitars. Many of Moore's standard songs are on this 90 minute show and were mixed better than most of the studio versions of the same tunes for a very rich and full sound. Even Moore's voice sounds better than it usually does in the studio. Moore did not seem interested in touring the United States.
Connection with Peter Green
According to numerous interviews he has given to guitar magazines, he was the protege of British Blues pioneer Peter Green, whom he had always admired ever since the Bluesbreakers days. When Green quit Fleetwood Mac and the entire music scene, he sold his famous nasal-sounding 1959 Gibson Les Paul to Moore for the same price that Moore had managed to sell his then guitar (a Gibson SG) for. The nasal sound of the neck pickup on Green's guitar was not, as used to be believed, the result of the pickup having been turned backwards, but instead its two coils had been - perhaps accidentally - reconnected in parallel and out of phase, as per the "in between" positions of a Fender Stratocaster. Moore has used this guitar in the recordings of some songs of his albums Still Got The Blues, After Hours and Blues For Greeny. Green and Moore also reportedly had a disagreement regarding what guitar the former was playing in the song "Albatross". Moore insists it was the Les Paul, because the guitar tone was particularly warm and rich in the bass, while Peter Green maintains he was using a Strat, as the vibrato in that song was not finger vibrato, but subtle tremolo arm vibrato. Up to the day of his death, Green and Moore remained good friends.
Guitars used
Over the years Gary has used numerous guitars. These include: Peter Green's 1959 Gibson Les Paul, Peter Green's 1961 Fender Stratocaster and 1950s Gibson Les Paul Junior. He has also used guitars from Charvel, Ibanez, Hamer, Jackson and Heritage. Amplification has generally come from Marshall, though Soldanos and Fender have also been used, as well as transistor-driven Dean Markley units (especially in the studio). He also has used numerous effects over the years. these include; Delay units such as the Echoplex, Overdrive/Booster units such as the Boss DS-1, Ibanez Tubescreamer variants, Marshall Bluesbreaker and Guv'nor pedals as well as Wah-Wah pedals such as the Vox Wah. He appears nowadays to favour Gibson and Fender Guitars through Marshall amps with any of the above Overdrive pedals and Wah pedals to make his sound.
Solo career
In 1973 he released his first solo album as the Gary Moore Band. In 1979 his solo career started again with help from Phil Lynott, the combination of Gary's blues based guitar and Phil's voice produced "Parisenne Walkways" which reached the UK Top Ten in April 1979 and the no.2 album 'Black Rose'. After a series of powerful rock records Gary returned to blues music with Still Got the Blues, with contributions from B. B. King, Albert King and Albert Collins the album was well received by fans and a huge success. Gary stayed with the blues format until 1997 when he decided to experiment with modern dance beats in Dark Days In Paradise; this left many fans as well as the music press confused. Back to the Blues saw Gary return to the tried and tested blues format.
Albums
* Grinding Stone, 1973
* Parisienne Walkways, 1977
* Back on the Streets, 1978
* Corridors of Power, 1982
* Live at the Marquee, 1983
* Rockin' Every Night - Live in Japan, 1983
* Victims of the Future, 1983
* Dirty Fingers, 1984
* We Want Moore, 1984
* Run for Cover, 1985
* Wild Frontier, 1987
* After the War, 1989
* Still Got the Blues, 1990
* After Hours, 1992
* Blues Alive, 1993
* Ballads & Blues 1982-1994, 1994
* Blues For Greeny, 1995
* Dark Days in Paradise, 1997
* Out in the Fields - The Very Best of Part 1, 1998
* Blood of Emeralds - The Very Best of Part 2, 1999
* A Different Beat, 1999
* Back to the Blues, 2001
* Power Of The Blues, 2004
* Old New Ballads Blues, 2006
* Close As You Get, 2007
* Bad For You Baby, 2008
Singles
* Parisienne Walkways
* Out in the Fields
* Empty Rooms
* Wild Frontier
* Still Got the Blues
The Future (2005-present)
Later on in 2006, Gary will support BB King on his 'Farewell UK Tour'. It unfortunately did not lead to a tour of the United States with BB King.
The studio album entitled 'Old New Ballads Blues' was a follow up of 2004's 'Power of the Blues' and it featured new material as well as new versions of fan favourites 'Midnight Blues' and 'All your Love'
Gary Moore has also sold his Les Paul that was given to him by Peter Green to a private owner.
On February 6th 2011, he died from a heart attack in his sleep while on holiday in Spain.
External links
* The Official Gary Moore World Wide Website: http://www.gary-moore.com/
* The Lord Of The Strings - World Wide Gary Moore Fansite: http://www.garymoore.hu/eng.htm Thanks for the music.
Boogie My Way Back Home
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where did you play last night?
I do believe it was in Memphis,
but I can't remember right now.
'Cause I been foul politicin'
and I acted in fear to be.
I had to get up five this morning
with them bells playing in my head.
Sometimes I work so hard,
I'm gonna play my fingers to the bone.
Well, I can boogie, boogie,
boogie on my way back home.
Well, I've been workin' every night
for the pastes buy meats and needs.
I'm gonna finish up tomorrow night
and turn myself a plane back east.
I'm gonna do my work
so I can help my pain and rest.
Well, I'll be back here someday soon
hope I can give my best.
Sometimes I work so hard,
I'm gonna play my fingers to the bone.
And now I can boogie, boogie,
boogie on my way back home.
Yeah.
Well, my axe is gettin' rusty
and an old slow demon I seem to be.
The throat is gettin' dusty,
before it's gone that I had thrifty hands.
Well, I've been up for heart breakin'
and I had to keep my men to pay.
I had to catch a plane this morning
with them bells ringing in my head.
Sometimes I work so hard,
I'm gonna, gonna play my fingers to the bone, hooh.
Well, now I can boogie, boogie,
boogie on my way back home.
Said I learned to boogie, boogie,
boogie on my way back home.
I can boogie, boogie,
boogie on my way back home.
The lyrics of Gary Moore's "Boogie My Way Back Home" depict the life of a musician on the road, working hard every night to make a living, but also struggling with the pressures of the industry. The first verse begins with the singer asking another musician where he played last night, suggesting that he may have been too busy with his own work to keep up with his friend's schedule. The singer then admits to being involved in politics and acting out of fear, suggesting that he may have had to make difficult decisions in order to further his career.
The second verse continues the theme of hard work, with the singer explaining that he has been working every night to make ends meet. Despite his exhaustion, he is determined to finish his work so that he can rest and heal his pain. The third verse touches on the toll that this lifestyle has taken on the singer's body and soul. He admits to feeling old and rusty, and to experiencing heartbreak and financial stress. Nevertheless, he insists that he has learned to "boogie" his way through life and find joy in his craft.
Overall, the lyrics of "Boogie My Way Back Home" provide a glimpse into the life of a working musician, with all of its ups and downs, successes and setbacks.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey you with the guitar.
The singer addresses a person holding a guitar.
Where did you play last night?
The singer asks the guitarist about their recent performance.
I do believe it was in Memphis,
The singer thinks that the guitarist played in Memphis.
but I can't remember right now.
The artist is uncertain about their memory.
'Cause I been foul politicin'
The artist has been engaging in dishonest political activities.
and I acted in fear to be.
The singer's actions were motivated by fear.
I had to get up five this morning
The singer woke up early in the morning.
with them bells playing in my head.
The artist has bells ringing in their head, perhaps as a result of their recent activities.
Sometimes I work so hard,
The artist works very hard at times.
I'm gonna play my fingers to the bone.
The artist will work so hard that they will exhaust their fingers.
Well, I can boogie, boogie,
The singer can dance the boogie.
boogie on my way back home.
The artist can dance the boogie while returning home.
Well, I've been workin' every night
The singer has been working every night.
for the pastes buy meats and needs.
The singer is working to buy food and necessities.
I'm gonna finish up tomorrow night
The singer plans to finish their work the next night.
and turn myself a plane back east.
The artist will take a plane to the east.
I'm gonna do my work
The artist will perform their work.
so I can help my pain and rest.
The singer will earn enough money to alleviate their suffering and rest.
Well, I'll be back here someday soon
The singer plans to return in the near future.
hope I can give my best.
The artist hopes to perform their best in their next performance.
Yeah.
An exclamation indicating agreement or enthusiasm.
Well, my axe is gettin' rusty
The artist's guitar is becoming old and rusty.
and an old slow demon I seem to be.
The singer feels like an old and sluggish person.
The throat is gettin' dusty,
The artist's throat is getting dry and dusty.
before it's gone that I had thrifty hands.
The singer regrets not being more careful with their hands in the past.
Well, I've been up for heart breakin'
The singer has been dealing with heartbreak and emotional pain.
and I had to keep my men to pay.
The singer had to manage their employees and pay them.
I had to catch a plane this morning
The artist had to take a flight early in the morning.
with them bells ringing in my head.
The artist still has bells ringing in their head from earlier.
Said I learned to boogie, boogie,
The singer learned how to dance the boogie.
boogie on my way back home.
The singer can dance the boogie while returning home.
I can boogie, boogie,
The artist can dance the boogie.
boogie on my way back home.
The artist can dance the boogie while returning home.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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