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.
Still Got the Blues
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I found out the hard way
There's a price you have to pay
I found out that love was no friend of mine
I should have known time after time
So long, it was so long ago
But I've still got the blues for you
Used to be so easy to fall in love again
But I found out the hard way
It's a road that leads to pain
I found that love was more than just a game
You're playin' to win, but you lose just the same
So long, it was so long ago
But I've still got the blues for you
So many years since I've seen your face
Here in my heart, there's an empty space
Where you used to be
So long, it was so long ago
But I've still got the blues for you
Though the days come and go
There is one thing I know
I've still got the blues for you
In Gary Moore's song "Still Got the Blues," the lyrics tell the story of a man who has been hurt by love but still can’t seem to shake the feelings he has for someone from his past. He reflects on the pain and the price he paid for love and how it wasn't always easy to just fall in love again. He realizes that love was not his friend, and every time he thought he had moved on, his heart still aches for the person he loved.
The lyrics are deeply emotional and resonate with so many people who have experienced heartbreak. The song is more than just a typical blues tune; it’s a ballad with a strong melody that captures the sadness and longing of someone who has lost love. The haunting guitar solo in the middle of the song adds to the emotional impact of the lyrics.
The final lines of "Still Got the Blues" indicate that the singer hasn't been able to move on, even though so much time has passed. He knows that the love he has for this person will always be with him, and that's just the way it is. The song is a powerful reminder of the impact that love can have on our lives and how it can leave a lasting impression.
Line by Line Meaning
Used to be so easy to give my heart away
I used to give my heart away easily without much thought.
But I found out the hard way
But I learned from experience that it can be difficult.
There's a price you have to pay
There are consequences to giving your heart away easily.
I found out that love was no friend of mine
I realized that love was not always kind to me.
I should have known time after time
I should have learned from my past experiences.
So long, it was so long ago
It has been a long time since I gave my heart away easily.
But I've still got the blues for you
But I still feel sad about losing you.
Used to be so easy to fall in love again
I used to easily fall in love again without much thought.
But I found out the hard way
But I learned from experience that it can be painful.
It's a road that leads to pain
Falling in love can lead to heartache and disappointment.
I found that love was more than just a game
I learned that love is not just something to play with or take lightly.
You're playin' to win, but you lose just the same
You may think that love is a competition, but sometimes you still end up losing.
So many years since I've seen your face
It has been many years since I last saw you.
Here in my heart, there's an empty space
I still feel a void in my heart where you used to be.
Where you used to be
Where your presence in my life used to be.
Though the days come and go
Although time passes by.
There is one thing I know
One thing that I am certain of.
I've still got the blues for you
I still feel sad about losing you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gary Moore
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fabricioribeiro8311
His guitar cries, he cries, i cry, you cry, everybody cries
@victorguittard7525
Such a empty space he left on this planet. Hei smissed
@russellnorth1418
To me, Stevie's guitar sings to my soul, he sings I sing, we rejoice in Stevie and remember his legacy. But I hear you..
@user-rk8yv2pq2e
Don't cry ... but sad..
Wish he were here 😪
RIP 🙏
@user-yz7rh6gm8q
don't cry for me fabricio
@leeyandzlim7763
Dam right
@helmutb.2700
This is definitely one of the most iconic moments in music history.
@manan-543
@@LoganStryker82why are u here then. Go listen to gay bts
@kaybaas5821
@@manan-543read that comment again
@TheGalilee416
Im embarrassed as a guitarist I never listened to Gary Moore. It's no wonder this has 91+ million views in 2023.....Legend.