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.
You
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At people who are lonely
I feel a sense of sadness deep inside
It makes me wonder how I got along
Before I found you
And what I`d do if you should turn around
And say goodbye
You`re what I`m living for
I couldn't have asked for more
Right from the moment that I found you
I knew that you
You were the one for me
The one who could make me see
This world could be a brighter place
Sometimes when I think about
The friends I left behind me
I feel a sense of sadness deep inside
It makes me wonder how I knew
That one day you would find me
And what I`d do if you should turn around
And say goodbye
'Cause baby you
You`re what I`m living for
I couldn't have asked for more
Right from the moment that I found you
I knew that you
You were my brightest star
And whether you`re close or far
You`re always here inside my heart
'Cause baby you
You`re what I`m living for
I couldn't have asked for more
Right from the moment that I found you
I knew that you
You were my brightest star
(You were my brightest star)
And whether you`re close or far
You`re always here inside my heart
Yes, baby you
You`re what I`m living for
I couldn't have asked for more
Right from the moment that I found you
I knew that you
You were the one for me
(You were the one for me)
The one who could make me see
This world could be a brighter
This world could be a brighter
With you this world`s a brighter place
The lyrics to Gary Moore's song "You" express the singer's deep appreciation and love for his significant other. He reflects on how lost and sad he used to feel before he found them and how they have brought joy and light into his life. The singer also feels a sense of sadness when he thinks about the friends he left behind, but he knows that his partner is his brightest star and has made the world a brighter place. The song is a love ballad with a simple melody that allows the focus to be on the lyrics and the emotions they convey.
The lyrics convey a clear message of gratitude and love for the singer's significant other. The song is a testament to the idea that true love can bring light and happiness into one's life. Despite the singer's past experiences of loneliness and sadness, his partner has made all the difference, and he couldn't imagine his life without them. The simplicity of the melody and lyrics only strengthen the emotional impact of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes when I look around
There are times when I observe my surroundings
At people who are lonely
I come across people who feel alone
I feel a sense of sadness deep inside
It makes me feel very sad and gloomy inside
It makes me wonder how I got along
It raises the question about how I managed to get through life
Before I found you
Prior to having you in my life
And what I`d do if you should turn around
It makes me contemplate on what I would do if you left me
And say goodbye
If you were to bid adieu to me
'Cause baby you
Because you, my dear
You`re what I`m living for
You are the sole purpose for my existence
I couldn't have asked for more
I could not have asked for anything better
Right from the moment that I found you
As soon as I discovered you
I knew that you
I was aware that you
You were the one for me
You were the perfect match for me
The one who could make me see
The one who helped me perceive
This world could be a brighter place
That the world has the potential to be a more optimistic place
Sometimes when I think about
There are times when I reflect on
The friends I left behind me
The companions I left in the past
It makes me wonder how I knew
It generates curiosity about how I was aware
That one day you would find me
That eventually, you would discover me
'Cause baby you
Because you, my dear
You were my brightest star
You are my most radiant light
And whether you`re close or far
Regardless of whether you are near or far away
You`re always here inside my heart
You will always hold a special place in my heart
Yes, baby you
Indeed, you, my love
You were the one for me
You were my perfect match
The one who could make me see
The one who helped me envision
This world could be a brighter
That the world has the potential to be a more optimistic place
With you this world`s a brighter place
By having you in my life, the world becomes a more optimistic place
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: AARON CHARLES RICE, JAMES L. MOORE, CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL FEDUN, BRANDON ALLEN HARGEST, BRITTANY LYNNE HARGEST, LESLIE MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andycano5756
One of his best solos!
@MrParisienWalkways
Thanks for all the amazing music Gary, miss you so much, love you always greatest guitarist ever, you`re always here inside my heart.
@kennymiller9388
Gary Moore One of a Kind
@andycano5756
I dig this period in his career, late 70's after Lizzy to early 80's. Superb
@andyeighttre
Willie is a great dude. I have been lucky enough to hear many of his G Force stories driving to and from hunting trips.
@MrParisienWalkways
Please say give him my regards, great vocalist, I wish G-force would have stayed together.
@Hokus66
Gary Moore forever, man he was brilliant ^^
@MrParisienWalkways
i feel a sense of sadness deep inside. remembered every day miss you Gary
@MrParisienWalkways
you`re right, As i said ALL of his solo`s are fantastic, i have heard them all, and i have them all, been a Gary Moore fan for nearly Forty years, seen him live many times and have photo`s that i have personally taken, he was the greatest electric guitarist of all time.
@samandjennysambrook
Bought this album on release, as I did all of them. Played it to death as I did them all! Iv never heard a guitarist who comes even close to Gary. ♥ 🎸 Iv been playing 47yrs and I'm OK but still only a pimple on garys arse as a player. I miss him everyday. 🌹 💕 🎸 X