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.
The Sky Is Crying
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you see the tears roll down the street.
The sky is crying,
Can you see the tears roll down the street.
I've been looking for my baby
And I've been wondering where can she be
I my baby early one morning
I my baby early one morning
She was walking on down the street
You know it hurt me, hurt me so bad
It made my poor heart skip a beat
I got a real, real fine feeling
That my baby she don't love me no more
I got a real, real fine feeling
That my baby she don't love me no more
You know the sky's been crying
Can see you see the tears roll down my door
Gary Moore's song "The Sky Is Crying" is a blues rock classic that beautifully captures the raw emotions of heartbreak and longing. The lyrics are simple yet powerful, painting a picture of sadness and despair as the singer searches for his lost love. The opening lines "The sky is crying, can you see the tears roll down the street" evoke a sense of gloom and hopelessness, as if even the heavens are mourning the loss.
The imagery of tears falling from the sky is both poetic and symbolic, suggesting that the pain of separation is so deep that it affects not just the individuals involved but also the world around them. The singer's search for his baby adds to the emotional intensity of the song, as he wanders the streets in a desperate attempt to find her. The lines "I've been looking for my baby, and I've been wondering where can she be" convey a sense of helplessness and frustration that is familiar to anyone who has ever experienced a broken heart.
The middle verses of the song describe the moment of separation, with the singer recalling how he saw his baby "walking on down the street." The lines "You know it hurt me, hurt me so bad, it made my poor heart skip a beat" reveal the depth of the singer's pain, as he struggles to come to terms with the loss. The final verses suggest that the singer has accepted his fate, as he declares that he has a "real, real fine feeling" that his baby no longer loves him. The repetition of the phrase "the sky's been crying" reinforces the central metaphor of the song, as the tears of the singer and the tears of the sky become one.
Line by Line Meaning
The sky is crying,
It's raining outside and the singer is using the metaphor of crying sky to express his sadness and heartache.
Can you see the tears roll down the street.
The rain looks like tears to the singer and he's asking if the listener can see it too.
I've been looking for my baby
The singer's girlfriend is missing and he's been searching for her.
And I've been wondering where can she be
The artist is worried about his girlfriend's whereabouts and her safety.
I met my baby early one morning
The artist met his girlfriend early in the morning while she was walking down the street.
She was walking on down the street
The singer's girlfriend was walking away from him, possibly indicating the end of their relationship.
You know it hurt me, hurt me so bad
Seeing his girlfriend walking away from him hurt the singer emotionally and physically.
It made my poor heart skip a beat
The artist's pain was so intense that it caused his heart to skip a beat, a metaphorical way to express the severity of his heartache.
I got a real, real fine feeling
The artist has a nagging feeling that his girlfriend doesn't love him anymore.
That my baby she don't love me no more
The artist is worried that his girlfriend has fallen out of love with him and has left him.
You know the sky's been crying
The singer is still using the metaphor of crying sky to emphasise the gravity of his pain.
Can see you see the tears roll down my door
There is an outpouring of emotions from the artist and his pain is so intense that even his door seems to be crying with him.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Elmore James
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MrSamywammy
That man was an absolute monster of a player. In a totally different league. What a loss. The reason I and I'm sure countless other people started playing. Hoping that one day you may be able to play 2% as well as him. RIP Mr Moore. In my view one of if not the the greatest player to ever lay hands on an electric guitar.
godbyone andy godby
@adam a it’s a trick. The good guitar player trick u into devil thing. It’s not but tge movie cross roads was great
godbyone andy godby
@jeff dubuque totally thing. Shawn was into the speed. Thing. Which I like. But never really go into. Slow singing sustain
godbyone andy godby
So glad I saw him in dc. At the bayou He had that tone most rock guitar players Want. The hunt for right amp right guitar. Then. Pure clean loud sustain
Paul Buxton
Comlete player the man 🎼
dave beattie
@Matias Yelmini I could only wish to play but my arthritis plays up to much but if only could play just a few riffs from the master I would die a happy man he was pure class .sadly missed but much played rip god
bob lackey
That guy has/had one of the best vibratos, both multifinger and single finger I've seen. And his string bends are killer too! Then he can give you a fast run of notes and continue the hot emotion of the blues. Total package man!! I give it a 10
Emz 3103
I give your comment a 10! Nicky put!!
bob lackey
@Filippo Stella Well I can't argue about that. John Mayer has more influences in his playing than Joe.
Filippo Stella
@bob lackey for me actually jonh Mayer is better than Joe, cause his “hedrix style” to play his own songs.