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.
Mojo Boogie
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I sure had a wonderful time
I been to New Orleans
And I sure had a wonderful time
I was high, high as a Georgia pine
My auntie carried me all down on Rampart Street
Seen everybody I wanted to meet
They got somethin' knock you off of your feet"
They got that mojo boogie
The mojo boogie
Got that mojo boogie
Begin to slide on down
I thought she was talkin' about all over in Algiers
Said, "Auntie, please tell me just what did you say?"
They got the Louisiana boogie, all them other kinda things
They even got that thing they call that mojo hand
They got that mojo boogie
The mojo boogie
Got that mojo boogie
Begin to slide on down
I got one jack, sure is crazy
My aunt forgot to teach me just how to operate it
I went to a night club, I was squeezin' it tight
Below I believe that [Incomprehensible] start to fight
Me and this mojo boogie
I had the mojo boogie
Had that mojo boogie
Begin to slide on down
The lyrics of "Mojo Boogie" by Gary Moore are both straightforward and enigmatic. The first verse is about the singer's experience in New Orleans. He says that he had a wonderful time, but he was also high as a Georgia pine. The second verse is about his auntie and their conversation about the music in the area. She tells him to stop, look, and listen because they have something that will knock him off of his feet. She is referring to the mojo boogie, a type of music that is popular in Louisiana. He doesn't understand what she means at first and asks her to clarify. She explains that the mojo boogie is just one type of music they have and that they also have the Louisiana boogie and other kinds of music.
The chorus repeats the phrase "They got that mojo boogie" several times. The phrase "mojo boogie" refers to a type of dance that is popular in Louisiana. The word "mojo" refers to a magic charm or spell that is used in voodoo rituals. The singer is saying that the music in Louisiana is so powerful that it feels like a magic charm or spell. The third verse is about the singer's experience with a jack. He says that his aunt forgot to teach him how to operate it, and he went to a nightclub and squeezed it tight. The sentence "Below I believe that [Incomprehensible] start to fight" is difficult to understand, but it seems like the singer got into a fight because of the way he was dancing.
Overall, "Mojo Boogie" is a song about the power of music and dance, particularly in Louisiana. The lyrics are simple and repetitive, but they convey a sense of joy and excitement that is infectious.
Line by Line Meaning
Been to New Orleans
I have traveled to New Orleans.
And I sure had a wonderful time
And I had an amazing experience.
I was high, high as a Georgia pine
I felt euphoric, similar to being as high as a Georgia pine tree.
My auntie carried me all down on Rampart Street
My aunt accompanied me down Rampart Street.
Seen everybody I wanted to meet
I was able to meet all the people I wanted to see.
She said, "J.B., son, stop, look and listen to me
My aunt advised me to pay close attention to what she was about to say.
They got somethin' knock you off of your feet"
There was something truly remarkable that I needed to experience.
They got that mojo boogie
There's a popular dance that goes by the name of mojo boogie in New Orleans.
The mojo boogie
It's called the mojo boogie.
Got that mojo boogie
People are enjoying the mojo boogie.
Begin to slide on down
It's time to dance and get moving.
I thought she was talkin' about all over in Algiers
I initially assumed we were discussing a location called Algiers.
Said, "Auntie, please tell me just what did you say?
I was confused and asked my aunt to clarify.
They got the Louisiana boogie, all them other kinda things
There are various styles of dance and music originating from Louisiana.
They even got that thing they call that mojo hand
There's also a popular talisman called the mojo hand.
I got one jack, sure is crazy
I acquired a particular knick-knack, and it's quite bizarre.
My aunt forgot to teach me just how to operate it
Unfortunately, my aunt failed to provide me instruction on how to use it.
I went to a night club, I was squeezin' it tight
I brought my knick-knack to a nightclub and gripped it firmly.
Below I believe that [Incomprehensible] start to fight
Things started to get heated below me, although I couldn't quite make out what was happening.
Me and this mojo boogie
I'm really into this mojo boogie.
I had the mojo boogie
I was completely immersed in the mojo boogie.
Had that mojo boogie
People were continuing to enjoy the mojo boogie.
Begin to slide on down
And we continued to dance the night away.
Contributed by Aaron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.