Blues king Gallagher's legend lives on through guitar
03.04.07 (6:29 am) [edit]
Never been a huge fan, but I love the axe. Decent enough article, and he was a great guitar player.
LONDON (AFP) - The memory of legendary Irish bluesman Rory Gallagher is being kept alive through his battle-scarred guitar, on display as a testament to an exceptional musician whose life is etched in every scratch. A man who shunned the showbiz circus, Gallagher was often overlooked by the media -- but hardcore fans and fellow musicians never wavered in their fascination for his playing. The Rolling Stones auditioned Gallagher in 1975 but he left to honor tour dates in Japan rather than wait around for the verdict. Music magazine polls regularly put him in the pantheon of guitar gods, alongside the likes of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. And the life and times of the blues hero are indelibly infused in his 1961 Fender Stratocaster, its sunburst finish largely eroded by three decades of sweat and energy as Gallagher rocked around the world. The battered instrument, insured for a million pounds (two million dollars, 1.5 million euros), is the highlight of Europe's biggest guitar exhibition, on show at the London emporium Harrods until March 3. Donal Gallagher, Rory's brother and manager who now handles his legacy, told AFP that despite its value, the instrument would never be sold. He said it was like a sibling and synonymous with the bluesman, who died in 1995 aged 47 from MRSA -- or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- complications following a liver transplant. "It's got DNA in it," he explained. "The paint started to bubble and flake and it was the high acid in his sweat. If you do gigs 365 days of the year and you sweat as much as Rory did, it was like paint stripper." Fender's custom shop make an exact copy of Gallagher's guitar in tribute, with the fragments of finish hand-painted on. It is one of their most expensive and successful models, while the original is recognised as one of the 10 Stratocasters "to die for." Believed to be the first Stratocaster in Ireland, the instrument was shipped over from the United States for a showband -- which had ordered a red one. It was played for three months while a red version was shipped in and the sunburst one ended up on sale second hand in Cork, southern Ireland, where the Gallaghers lived. "By 1963 Rory would have been 15 and he just had to have it," Donal Gallagher said. "It was 100 pounds; you might as well have said 100,000 pounds. That was mega-money in 1960s Ireland." The schoolboy bought it on hire purchase and paid off the debt weekly with the cash from his night-time showband gigs. But the cherished guitar was stolen from the tour van in 1966 while Gallagher was trying to break through in Dublin. "Rory was devastated. It was like a death in the family," his brother said. It sparked nationwide interest on the police show on Ireland's only television channel, and was eventually discovered in a rain-soaked ditch. "Somebody threw it over a garden wall because it was just too hot," Donal said. The incident only added to the guitar's preciousness to Gallagher, its worn condition -- and its burgeoning legendary status. The instrument is due to visit Berlin, New York and Dubai, though it normally locked in a vault. Donal's son Daniel, a guitarist in the band Cazals, belted out one of his uncle's hits on it at the Harrods exhibition launch -- the first time the instrument had been played in public since Gallagher's death. "It could do with some new strings," Daniel Gallagher, 25, told AFP. "He liked other guitars -- he had 120 or so -- but getting something that special at 15 and paying for it himself must have meant the world to him." Brian May of Queen, Slash of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, The Edge of U2, Johnny Marr of The Smiths all cite Gallagher as major infuences on their playing, while Clapton credits him for getting him back into the blues. Donal Gallagher hopes to get the guitar out again for his famous fans to make a tribute album, using his brother's original instruments, equipment and sound. Gallagher's prolific touring means there is plenty of material in the archives. His fan base has not diminished since his death, and a documentary and a DVD of his BBC performances are due for release this year. "Rory wasn't a flash media person, doing anything just for attention," his brother said. "Where the parents took him for granted because he toured all the time, the younger generation get it more than anything. "They seem fed up with being spoon-fed the commercial MTV stuff. It's a great pleasure that they've discovered Rory via download and they feel it's authentic."
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LONDON (AFP) - The memory of legendary Irish bluesman Rory Gallagher is being kept alive through his battle-scarred guitar, on display as a testament to an exceptional musician whose life is etched in every scratch. A man who shunned the showbiz circus, Gallagher was often overlooked by the media -- but hardcore fans and fellow musicians never wavered in their fascination for his playing. The Rolling Stones auditioned Gallagher in 1975 but he left to honor tour dates in Japan rather than wait around for the verdict. Music magazine polls regularly put him in the pantheon of guitar gods, alongside the likes of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. And the life and times of the blues hero are indelibly infused in his 1961 Fender Stratocaster, its sunburst finish largely eroded by three decades of sweat and energy as Gallagher rocked around the world. The battered instrument, insured for a million pounds (two million dollars, 1.5 million euros), is the highlight of Europe's biggest guitar exhibition, on show at the London emporium Harrods until March 3. Donal Gallagher, Rory's brother and manager who now handles his legacy, told AFP that despite its value, the instrument would never be sold. He said it was like a sibling and synonymous with the bluesman, who died in 1995 aged 47 from MRSA -- or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- complications following a liver transplant. "It's got DNA in it," he explained. "The paint started to bubble and flake and it was the high acid in his sweat. If you do gigs 365 days of the year and you sweat as much as Rory did, it was like paint stripper." Fender's custom shop make an exact copy of Gallagher's guitar in tribute, with the fragments of finish hand-painted on. It is one of their most expensive and successful models, while the original is recognised as one of the 10 Stratocasters "to die for." Believed to be the first Stratocaster in Ireland, the instrument was shipped over from the United States for a showband -- which had ordered a red one. It was played for three months while a red version was shipped in and the sunburst one ended up on sale second hand in Cork, southern Ireland, where the Gallaghers lived. "By 1963 Rory would have been 15 and he just had to have it," Donal Gallagher said. "It was 100 pounds; you might as well have said 100,000 pounds. That was mega-money in 1960s Ireland." The schoolboy bought it on hire purchase and paid off the debt weekly with the cash from his night-time showband gigs. But the cherished guitar was stolen from the tour van in 1966 while Gallagher was trying to break through in Dublin. "Rory was devastated. It was like a death in the family," his brother said. It sparked nationwide interest on the police show on Ireland's only television channel, and was eventually discovered in a rain-soaked ditch. "Somebody threw it over a garden wall because it was just too hot," Donal said. The incident only added to the guitar's preciousness to Gallagher, its worn condition -- and its burgeoning legendary status. The instrument is due to visit Berlin, New York and Dubai, though it normally locked in a vault. Donal's son Daniel, a guitarist in the band Cazals, belted out one of his uncle's hits on it at the Harrods exhibition launch -- the first time the instrument had been played in public since Gallagher's death. "It could do with some new strings," Daniel Gallagher, 25, told AFP. "He liked other guitars -- he had 120 or so -- but getting something that special at 15 and paying for it himself must have meant the world to him." Brian May of Queen, Slash of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, The Edge of U2, Johnny Marr of The Smiths all cite Gallagher as major infuences on their playing, while Clapton credits him for getting him back into the blues. Donal Gallagher hopes to get the guitar out again for his famous fans to make a tribute album, using his brother's original instruments, equipment and sound. Gallagher's prolific touring means there is plenty of material in the archives. His fan base has not diminished since his death, and a documentary and a DVD of his BBC performances are due for release this year. "Rory wasn't a flash media person, doing anything just for attention," his brother said. "Where the parents took him for granted because he toured all the time, the younger generation get it more than anything. "They seem fed up with being spoon-fed the commercial MTV stuff. It's a great pleasure that they've discovered Rory via download and they feel it's authentic."
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