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.
Story Of The Blues
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My sweet little angel has spread her wings and flown.
Can't think of a reason for going on.
From this day I will play the blues.
She said it was over, this time it's the end.
Bad luck and trouble gonna be my only friend.
I still can't believe it, after all we've been through.
Everyday I will play the blues.
It's a pain you can't live with.
It's a woman you can't live without.
She came from Chicago.
She read me the news.
In the headlines was a story of the blues.
They say a broken heart can always mend.
Time is the healer and sadness will end.
But I've done so much crying, when will I laugh again?
Till that day I will play the blues.
Everybody knows what the blues is all about.
It's a pain you can't live with.
It's a woman you can't live without.
Could have cried me a river
when they told me the news.
On that day was a story of the blues.
Gary Moore's song "Story Of The Blues" relates to the universal topic of heartbreak and the feelings that come along with it. The song mourns the loss of a relationship and the loneliness that follows, as expressed through the lyrics "My baby she left me, my baby she's gone" and "Can't think of a reason for going on." The song expresses the singer's confusion, disbelief and sadness at the end of the relationship, the only solution being to play the blues.
Furthermore, the lyrics reflect on the nature of the blues, which is the pain and emptiness one feels after a significant loss. The singer repeats the line "It's a pain you can't live with. It's a woman you can't live without" as a representation of the emotions relating to the blues. The singers from Chicago reads the news about the heartbreak in the headlines, showing that the pain and heartbreak are universal and heartbreaking events can happen to anyone. The song repeats the phrase "Story Of The Blues," affirming that everyone has their story of heartbreak to tell.
Line by Line Meaning
My baby she left me, my baby she's gone.
The woman he loved has left him, and he is now alone and without her.
My sweet little angel has spread her wings and flown.
The woman he loved has left him, and he is now alone and without her.
Can't think of a reason for going on.
He is so sad that he can't find any reason to continue living.
From this day I will play the blues.
He will use music to express his sadness, and play the blues from now on.
She said it was over, this time it's the end.
The woman he loved told him that their relationship is over and this time it is really over for good.
Bad luck and trouble gonna be my only friend.
He is now alone and without anyone to turn to, so his only companions will be bad luck and trouble.
I still can't believe it, after all we've been through.
He is still in shock and can't believe that their relationship is over, despite everything they had been through together.
Everyday I will play the blues.
He will use music to express his sadness, and play the blues every day from now on.
Everybody knows what the blues is all about.
The blues is a genre of music that expresses the sadness and pain of life that everyone can understand.
It's a pain you can't live with.
The sadness and pain expressed in the blues is so strong that it feels like it is impossible to live with.
It's a woman you can't live without.
The woman he loved was so important to him that he feels like he cannot live without her.
She came from Chicago.
The woman he loved was from Chicago.
She read me the news.
She told him the news of their breakup.
In the headlines was a story of the blues.
The news of their breakup is similar to the theme of the blues genre, which is about sadness and pain in life.
They say a broken heart can always mend.
People say that a broken heart will eventually heal over time.
Time is the healer and sadness will end.
As time passes, the pain and sadness will eventually come to an end.
But I've done so much crying, when will I laugh again?
He has been so sad and has cried so much that he feels like he will never be able to laugh and be happy again.
Till that day I will play the blues.
Until the day he is able to laugh and be happy again, he will continue to use music to express his sadness and play the blues.
Could have cried me a river when they told me the news.
The news of their breakup was so sad that he felt like he could have cried a river.
On that day was a story of the blues.
The day he found out about their breakup was a day that matched the theme of the blues genre, which is about sadness and pain in life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GARY MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brad Holman
This is as good as it gets. Gary was on fire, and the solo on this song is the pinnacle of electric blues guitar. Playing to a nearly comatose audience, the solo comes to a climax with such conviction and energy, it leaves me breathless every time I listen to it. If you don't feel it, I feel sorry for you. Every note where it belongs, the rules of tension and release in place, beautiful touch and vibrato, and perfect tone and execution; in a word, magic. Not a player alive can match this.
Playboiqarti
Well said brother. And i support every single word you said! Gary just plays guitar with unique emotions like no other guitarist can.
Cmt Neto
The most underrated guitarist of all time... he has showed us, how the Les Paul is so able to create incredible sounds... May God bless his memory...
Paul Bingham
Gary Moore is simply the best!!
He makes that Gibson Les Paul sing through that Soldano amp sing!! 🎸 🔥 🔥🇮🇪
Big Dirty SS
100 % Today’s world isn’t good enough for Gary any way he’s needed else where. What a voice too. His pocket is incredible.
Kevin Mccall
Absolutely. Your comment is bang on the money. He can belt a tune out too!!. His blues are so soulfull and crying out through his playing. Just perfect
Keith Singleton
Having seen Gary live, his solos gave me goosebumps - just an incredible guitarist and I don't know of any living guitarist that can match him. I always felt he was underrated in success terms but not by people who appreciate excellent electric blues.
David Hayward
Agree with everything you said, huge huge Fan just a great incredible player the bet that will ever be no one came near , and with a great voice to boot ,love you GM
PlayerX
Gary was the most bold and melodic sounding bluesman who ever lived. You can feel his music, his drive, and his pain. This song is from After Hours, an amazing album.
Luriê Peixoto
Oh Shit, It really is!! Im very, very high, and, thks for the call! regards from Brasil!