The last time I saw him in Brum was a rainy winter's night. A sheepish announcer (remember the days when someone came on stage to introduce the band?) told us the tour bus was stuck in the snow. Cue boos. Followed by cheers when we were told that Rory Gallagher never lets an audience down, he was here, and he was going to play anyway.
Rory always had a few acoustic numbers in a live set so, in jeans and a trademark check shirt, we got 45 minutes of these. Some of them he probably hadn't prepared but you wouldn't have known. He didn't do much onstage patter. Unless you were from Derry he was hard to understand. We recognised some of the same things he said over and over again - introducing the next song he'd always say 'Hope you enjoy it' like a waiter bringing your starters.
The acoustic set complete he said he'd come back after an interval and do some electric numbers. More cheers. After the first tune he was joined on stage by the road manager who played drums and towards the end of the set by a roadie on bass.
Rory Gallagher was an elite and extraordinary guitarist. He sang, roughhousing it most of the time but always in tune and time. I thought he sang like I expected a pint of Guinness would sing if it could. But the lyrics were largely glib and a way to get into the guitar stuff.
At the end of a gig which ran to about two hours he apologised and told us we'd get our money back or our tickets would apply when he returned with the band. What a guy.
It was widely reported that Rory Gallagher had a drink problem. When I saw him some 15 years later at Nottingham's Rock City he had put on a lot of weight but still moved around the stage like a younger man.
I thought about all this the other day when I noticed the release of an album by an artist playing tribute. Not a tribute band. Just someone who loved his music. Joe Bonamassa plays Rory Gallagher's music live in Cork. It came up on one of those Facebook reels that tries to algorithm my interests (currently it is guessing AI older women in short skirts who live near me and great football goals, so it is not far out).
I listened to the short sample and enjoyed the quality of the vocal. I imagine the guitar falls short but I didn't listen long enough to find out and, more importantly, I am not a guitarist. I will listen to the whole album when it drops in June though.
As I was listening I found this information in my mind where it has been hanging around doing nothing for 40 years - Gerry McAvoy on bass, Rod de Ath on drums and Lou Martin on the keyboards. I imagined a Who wants to be a Millionaire final question listing these names and asking whose backing band they were. And I know. But I ask the audience anyway because I still have that lifeline and love the thought of demonstrating I am smarter than the audience.
The thing is that only someone who learned the band by repetition (probably having to read it up after the gig because you couldn't understand the Irish names pronounced by an Irishman after several beers and having to go to some trouble to do that pre-internet) would know those names. I don't think any of them have performed in their own name. They were competent as backing band to a man who was so good he could make a roadie and his tour manager, unrehearsed, sound like a decent backing band.
Rory Gallagher died of an infection due to liver problems. He was 47 years old. I still play his albums from time to time. Bullfrog Blues from live in Europe has a vocal that came from the song being his encore for several years, like Ten Years After and I'm Going Home at around the same time. That is to say the words were hinted at but a non-initiate would have no idea what they were. It didn't matter.
Will look forward to the tribute album vey much.
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