last of the independents...

about 20 miles from my home place in ireland is a town called ballyshannon. meaning "mouth of the shannon" this town is famous for two things. first, it claims the title as the oldest town in ireland and secondly, on march 2 1949 it became the birth place of a legend, one rory gallagher.

rory lived in this area until his family relocated to cork when he was 9 years old. it was in cork that he first started listening to blues music on the radio. in the same year he got his first guitar, taught himself to play and started performing at local talent shows. at the age of 15 he bought is now famous 1961 sunburst fender stratocaster, reported to have been the first such guitar in ireland at the time. this guitar would become rory's most recognisable trademark over the next 30 years.

he played in the fontana showband and the impact before forming 'taste' in 1966. for four years taste toured europe and the states before rory formed his namesake solo band in 1970. it was with rory gallagher and his band that rory expanded and cultivated his gift for electrifying guitar work and rich blues music. in 1972 he won the melody maker musician of the year award, knocking eric clapton off the top spot.

off stage he was a shy, humble man, ever aware of his talents and true to his blues calling. on stage though, there lived a different person. he was a tornado of energy, passion and excitement. marathon live shows highlighted a career that saw him sell over 30 million albums and tour dozens of countries. the faces, deep purple, jimi hendrix, and a youthful U2 were just some of the bands that played on the same bills as rory gallagher.

unfortunately the lights that burn brightest tend sometimes to go out quickly and during the late 1980s and early 90s rory's life was marred by ill health. he continued to tour nevertheless and his last performance by a visibly unwell man was in the netherlands in february 1995. rory gallagher died on june 14th in london following complications from a liver transplant. he was 46.

you may be wondering why you have never heard of rory gallagher. surely someone of such musical stature would be a well known figure, even after his death. well in reality, rory's conviction to pure music has also made him the best kept secret in the business. he never released a single, refusing to pander to the commercial aspect of the industry. in 1970 he was asked to join the rolling stones as their permanent guitarist. rory said no, again citing his rhythm and blues calling as something he must remain true to.

rory gallagher continues to make top ten guitarist lists and his 2005 release of songs named 'big guns' was voted in at number 5 of the best classic rock collections of the year.

"An uncompromisingly serious musician" - The Times, June 16 1995

• "I was with Free when I first saw Rory, and I remember thinking: "God, what I wouldn't do to have that guy in this band."

Paul Rogers, Bad Company

• "A beautiful man and an amazing guitar player. We'll miss him very much".

The Edge, U2

• "Rory was a really big influence. One of the all-time great guitar players. Playing with him in LA was one of my biggest thrills ever".

Slash

• "Rory was a beautiful man. I've never met anybody who has spoken badly of him".

Mark Feltham, Rory's harmonica player during his final years of performing

• "Rory's death really upset me. He was such a nice guy and a great player".

Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin

• "One of the top ten players of all time, but more importantly one of the top ten good guys".

Bono, U2

• "Rory was such a purist. He wouldn't sell out. He wouldn't do singles, he didn't want to do videos. How many people in the music business today would have that kind of stand? It's so dangerous".

Gary Moore