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.
Midnight Blues
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
of the darkest night
It's a million miles
from the morning light
Can't get no sleep
Don't know what to do
I've got those midnight blues
When the shadows fall,
There must be some reason
for this mood I'm getting in
Can't get no sleep
Don't know what to do
I've got those midnight blues
Every evening after sundown,
as the light begins to fade
I feel so low, but I just don't know
why these blues won't go away
Every evening after sundown,
as the light begins to fade
I feel so low, but I just don't know
why these blues won't go away
It's the darkest hour
of the darkest night
It's a million miles
to the morning light
Can't get no sleep
Don't know what to do
I've got those midnight blues
I've got those midnight blues
I've got those midnight blues
I've got those midnight blues
Gary Moore's "Midnight Blues" is a heartfelt blues song about feeling down and blue in the darkest hour of the night. The lyrics speak of the overwhelming sense of emptiness and loneliness that can afflict a person during this time. Moore's opening lines describe the night as an unforgiving and unrelenting entity that seems to stretch out into infinity, making it impossible for him to gather any rest or find any solace. He is left alone with his thoughts and tortured by a sense of despair that he can't seem to shake. This verse sets the tone for the rest of song, as Moore uses vivid imagery to paint a picture of the desolate and empty spaces that consume his mind.
As the song progresses, the lyrics delve further into the sense of hopelessness and despair that Moore is feeling. He asks whether there is any reason for this mood that he's descending into and wonders why he can't seem to shake these feelings of loneliness and melancholy. Moore then repeats the opening verse, causing the listener to feel the same sense of hopelessness and desperation that he does. The overall message of the song seems to be that sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we can't escape feelings of sadness and depression that overwhelm us during the darkest hours of the night.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the darkest hour
I feel like it's the worst possible time
of the darkest night
Of the night, it's the one that brings me the most sadness
It's a million miles
I feel so far from happiness
from the morning light
The hope of a new day isn't even in sight
Can't get no sleep
I'm restless and can't find any rest
Don't know what to do
I feel lost and helpless
I've got those midnight blues
I'm feeling melancholic and sad
When the shadows fall,
As the day turns to night
I feel the night closing in
I feel like the darkness is overtaking me
There must be some reason
I can't understand why I feel this way
for this mood I'm getting in
For the feelings of sadness and despair that are overwhelming me
Every evening after sundown,
As nightfall approaches each day
as the light begins to fade
As the day turns to night
I feel so low, but I just don't know
I'm feeling down, but I can't explain why
why these blues won't go away
Why these feelings of sadness aren't leaving me
It's a million miles
I feel so far from happiness
to the morning light
Hope for a new day is far away
I've got those midnight blues
I'm feeling melancholic and sad
I've got those midnight blues
I'm feeling melancholic and sad
I've got those midnight blues
I'm feeling melancholic and sad
I've got those midnight blues
I'm feeling melancholic and sad
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: GARY (GB MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@enilrahc6964
It's the darkest hour
of the darkest night.
It's a million miles
from the morning light.
Can't get no sleep.
Don't know what to do.
I've got those midnight blues.
When the shadows fall,
I feel the night closing in.
There must be some reason
for this mood I'm getting in.
Can't get no sleep.
Don't know what to do.
I've got those midnight blues.
Every evening after sundown,
as the light begins to fade.
I feel so low, but I just don't know
why these blues won't go away.
Every evening after sundown,
as the light begins to fade.
I feel so low, but I just don't know
why these blues won't go away.
It's the darkest hour
of the darkest night.
It's a million miles
to the morning light.
Can't get no sleep.
Don't know what to do.
I've got those midnight blues.
I've got those midnight blues.
I've got those midnight blues.
I've got those midnight blues.
@lyb.
I was listening this tonight in a bus, it was just me and the driver, and it was raining outside.... I almost didn't get off. It was beautiful moment, rain wasn't strong, lights in the bus were mild, sky became clear with all stars, and i wish that song and the ride could last longer.
@jamuga60
That's a really cool story...........................thanks.
@loiskief7333
Don't know who you are - but I have to say that anyone who loves " blues" has a heart - and the short story you just told proves it.
@roverwaters3875
just like Brokeback mountain...
@steffenhaas
I totally get this ♥️
@ingeborgbello
So nice.....
@ivangospodinov425
Един от най-големите музиканти за всички времена ❤ . Това което остави след себе си този човек е истинско богатство. Музика изпълнена с любов ❤ ..едно от най- красивите неща .Уникален ! ❤ И точно тук думите свършват и отстъпват на чувствата .. 😊
@savinanikovasi1214
Първият ми подарен диск...преди около 30 години. Бях дете, но силно ме впечатли. След толкова години все още ми е любим, а и по- добре го разбирам. Сигурно смешно звучи ,но това е песен от детството ми.
@LMCSM
This song is phenomenal. I wish I had someone to share music like this with, sitting here desperately lonely, this song transports me away to a place where I am not alone, I FEEL every part of it, it makes me feel like everything isn't so bad. The power of great music knows no bounds ❤
@sonjavukoja4936
One of the special blues songs that permeates even in the deepest cores of your brain and pushes you to ultimate heights bordering with delirium! Rest in peace, Gary , model of complete blues artist.