Gary Moore

At 58 years old, Gary Moore has this physical status:

Robert William Moore (4 April 1952 – 6 February 2011) was a Northern Irish guitarist and singer-songwriter.

Moore had a "restless career path" in music, heavy metal, blues, jazz-fusion, and other styles over the past four and a half decades, according to Ultimate Classic Rock.

Moore, a Belfast boy, appeared in many local bands' line-ups during his youth, before being invited to join Irish band Skid Row before lead singer Phil Lynott's departure.

Moore later appeared with Lynott in Thin Lizzy and then joined Colosseum II, a British jazz-rock band.

He had a fruitful solo career with eleven UK Top 40 single releases, including top ten hits "Parisienne Walkways" and "Out in the Fields"), and his best-selling album Still Got the Blues in 1990, including B.B. Albert King, John Mayall, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Albert Collins, George Harrison, and Greg Lake.

Early life

Robert William Moore was born in Belfast on April 4, 1952, the son of Winnie, a housewife, and Robert Moore, a promoter who operated the Queen's Hall ballroom in Holywood, Robert Moore. He grew up in Belfast's Stormont Estate with four siblings. He credited his father with getting him into music. Moore's father invited him to perform "Sugartime" with a showband at an occasion he had attended as a child, which had first ignited his enthusiasm for music. When Moore was ten years old, his father bought him his first guitar, a second-hand Framus acoustic. Despite being left-handed, he learned to play the instrument right-handed. He formed The Beat Boys, a boy band that mainly performed Beatles songs, just over a decade ago. He and others followed Platform Three and The Method later in life. Rory Gallagher, a guitarist who appeared in the same venues as him, was befriended by him around this time. He left Belfast for Dublin in 1968, just as The Troubles in Northern Ireland began. His parents divorced a year ago.

Personal life

Moore was involved in a bar brawl, leaving him with facial scars in the mid-1970s. Moore and his girlfriend were in Dingwalls when two guys "started yelling about Gary's girlfriend [what they'd like to do to her], according to Eric Bell. One of the guys smashed a bottle on the bar and slashed Moore's face with it after Moore warned them about it. This had a major influence on him. "It did change him," Bell said. In his playing, a lot of pent-up rage and empathy will come out. It came out in other ways as well. Coming back from something like that must be a difficult thing. He'd hide his scars in photographs and videos by looking down or being framed from a distance during the 1980s.

From 1985 to 1993, Moore married Kerry, his first wife Kerry. They had two sons, Jack (who would later go on to become a guitarist) and Gus before divorcing. During a friendship with Jo Rendle, Moore's daughter, Lily (who also started a career in music), had a daughter, Lily (who also started a career in music). Saoirse, Moore's daughter from another union, was also a child. Moore was in a sex relationship at the time of his death.

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Career

Moore joined Skid Row, an Irish blues rock band, after moving to Dublin. The group was fronted by singer Phil Lynott at the time. He and Moore became close friends, and they shared a bed in Ballsbridge. Lynott was forced to leave Skid Row by the band's bassist Brush Shiels, who had taken over lead vocal duties after a medical leave of absence. Skid Row began recording with CBS in 1970 and debuted their debut album Skid, which debuted at number 30 on the UK Albums Chart. Moore left the band after the album 34 Hours on 1971, as well as tours supporting The Allman Brothers Band and Mountain. Moore had become dissatisfied with Skid Row's "limitations," deciding to begin a solo career. Moore said, "Skid Row was a joking game, but I don't have a positive memory of it because at the time I was very confused about what I was doing." Sebastian Bach, the former frontman of the American heavy metal band Skid Row, said Moore sold them the name in 1987 for $3,000. In 2012, Brush Shiels disputed the allegations, arguing that he now owns the rights. In 2019, Rachel Bolan of the American Skid Row debunked the tale, saying, "There was never any money exchange." Snake and I registered the name, and there was no problem."

Phil Lynott formed Thin Lizzy, a hard rock band after leaving Skid Row. Moore was hired to help with the band's continuing tour in early 1974 after guitarist Eric Bell's departure. Moore wrote "Still in Love with You" with them during his time as a member of the group, as well as "Still in Love with You," which he co-wrote. The song was later included on Thin Lizzy's fourth album Nightlife. Moore left Thin Lizzy in April 1974. Moore loved his time in the band, but he didn't feel it was right for him, saying, "I was doing myself in, drinking, and high on the whole thing."

After guitarist Brian Robertson was injured in a bar fight, Moore rejoined Thin Lizzy for a tour of the United States in 1977. After finishing the tour, Lynott asked Moore to join the band on a permanent basis, but he turned down. Brian Robertson eventually returned to the company after leaving for good in 1978. Moore took his place once more, this time for a long time as the album Black Rose: A Rock Legend, which was released in 1979, was a hit. The event was a success, with the United Kingdom being named gold. However, Moore unexpectedly dropped Thin Lizzy in the middle of another tour in July. He had become dissatisfied with the band's growing drug use and the effects it had on their appearance. Moore later stated that he had no regrets about leaving the band but that perhaps it was wrong the way I did it." I suppose I should've done it better. "I just had to leave," says the author. Thin Lizzy will eventually disband in 1983 with Moore appearing on the band's farewell tour. On the live album Life, several of the performances were shown.

Moore appeared at the Self Aid concert the following May after Lynott's death in January 1986. When a bronze statue of Lynott was unveiled in Dublin in August 2005, he joined the stage with former Thin Lizzy members. One Night in Dublin was released as A Tribute to Phil Lynott.

Moore released the album Grinding Stone, which was credited to The Gary Moore Band, in 1973. The album, which was a nefarious blend of blues, rock, and jazz, proved to be a commercial flop, with Moore still unsure of his musical direction. Moore's first proper solo album Back on the Streets was released in 1978, although he was still a member of Thin Lizzy. It spawned the hit single "Parisienne Walkways," which also featured Phil Lynott on lead vocals and bass. Moore's hit number eight on the UK Singles Chart and is known as Moore's signature song. Moore moved to Los Angeles, where he signed a new recording deal with Jet Records after leaving Thin Lizzy in 1979. He released Dirty Fingers, a record that was shelved in favour of the more "modern" G-Force album, which came out in 1980. In 1983, Dirty Fingers was first released in Japan, followed by an international release the following year.

Moore's second solo album Correos of Power appeared in 1982 after moving to London and signing a new recording deal with Virgin. Although not a big success, it was the first album to have Moore on lead vocals throughout, as well as his first solo debut on Billboard 200. Correts of Power featured "more of a rock feel" on their website, as well as Journey and REO Speedwagon. Former Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice, Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray, and keyboardist Tommy Eyre, who had previously performed with Moore in Greg Lake's backing band, were also on the album. During the Correspondents of Power, singer John Sloman was also hired to share lead vocal duties with Moore, while Eyre was replaced by Don Airey. Moore's album Victims of the Future, 1983, marked yet another musical shift, this time toward hard rock and heavy metal. Also on the album, keyboardist Neil Carter was included, and Moore will continue to push Moore in this new musical direction. They were joined by former Rainbow bassist Craig Gruber and drummer Bobby Chouinard, who were later replaced by Ozzy Osbourne bassist Bob Daisley and former Roxy Music drummer Paul Thompson, respectively, for the supporting tour.

Moore's fifth solo album Run for Cover, which featured guest vocals from Phil Lynott and Glenn Hughes, was released in 1985. Moore and Lynott performed the hit single "Out in the Fields," which debuted in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, and was ranked in the top five in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Run for Cover won gold in Sweden and silver in the United Kingdom as a result of its success, as well as bronze in the United Kingdom. Paul Thompson was replaced by drummer Gary Ferguson on the album's support tour. Glenn Hughes had intended to play bass but was forced to be replaced by Bob Daisley due to his drug use. Moore dedicated his sixth solo album, 1987's Wild Frontier, to him after Phil Lynott's death. The album, which was released in Sweden, gold in Finland and Norway, as well as silver in the United Kingdom, was a blend of Celtic folk music, blues, and rock. The album also produced the hit single "Over the Hills and Far Away," which peaked in nine countries. Eric Singer, a former Black Sabbath drummer, appeared on Moore's backing band on the accompanying tour. After the War (1989), which featured drummer Cozy Powell, was followed by the Wild Frontier. However, Chris Slade had him substituted for the supporting tour, but he had been redirected by him. Though Moore had earned gold in Germany and Sweden, as well as gold in the United Kingdom, Moore had grown bored of his own music. After listening to some of his own albums, Moore told Eric Bell that they were "the most load of fucking shite" he's ever heard. Moore had lost his "intellective self" in his own words.

Moore released Still Got the Blues in 1990, bringing him right back to his blues roots and collaborating with Albert King, Albert Collins, and George Harrison. Moore would often play the blues by himself in the dressing room until Bob Daisley jokingly suggested that he make a complete blues album. Moore's wardrobe update also highlighted this change in musical style. Rather than being "all dolled up like some guy in Def Leppard," he now wore a smart blue suit for films and live performances. Moore wanted new listeners and told his old audience that "this was something new." Still Got the Blues was Moore's most commercial album, selling over three million copies around the world. The album's title track became the first single of Moore's solo career to debut on the Billboard Hot 100, where it debuted at number 97 in February 1991. Moore assembled a new backing band called The Midnight Blues Band, which also includes Andy Pyle, Graham Walker, Don Airey, and Don Airey.

Got the Blues was based on After Hours, which went platinum in Sweden and gold in the United Kingdom, and After Hours in 1992. The album also became Moore's most top-charging album in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number four. Moore's first album, Blues for Greeny, was released in 1995, a salute to his colleague and mentor, Peter Green. Moore returned to his blues roots in 2001 after experimenting with electronic music on Dark Days in Paradise (1997) and A Different Beat (1999). This was a follow-up to Power of the Blues (2005), Old New Ballads Blues (2006), Close as You Go (2007), and finally Bad for You Baby (2008). Moore was currently working on a new Celtic rock album that had been unfinished prior to his death. Several of the songs from the live album Live at Montreux 2010 will appear on the live album Live at Montreux. Moore's new unreleased recordings were included on the album How Blue Can You Get in 2021.

Moore formed Colosseum II, a progressive jazz fusion band formed in 1975 after the demise of bandleader Jon Hiseman's Colosseum. Moore appeared on three albums with the group before deciding to join Thin Lizzy in 1978. Moore formed the band G-Force with Glenn Hughes and Mark Nauseef while living in Los Angeles in 1979. Hughes was however soon dismissed by Willie Dee and Tony Newton due to his alcohol use. Moore was also being courted to join Ozzy Osbourne's band at the same time. He turned down, but G-Force assisted Osbourne in auditioning other singers for his band. In 1980, G-Force unveiled their self-titled debut album, as well as a tour for Whitesnake. The band did not break up until the end of the year, but not before the year's end. Moore was later recruited to play guitar in Greg Lake's solo band. They released two studio albums together, 1981's Greg Lake and 1983's Manoeuvres, as well as the live album King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Greg Lake in Concert, which was released in 1995. Moore was considered for the guitarist position in Whitesnake in 1982, but vocalist David Coverdale declined to recruit Moore because the band was still in the process of breaking links with their leadership. Moore collaborated on the UK charity album "Let It Be," which was released under the name Ferry Aid in 1987.

Moore was a member of the short-lived power trio BBM ("Baker Bruce Moore"), which also included Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, both of Cream. The trio disbanded after just one album and a European tour. Personal differences between members, as well as "ear injuries" Moore suffered during the tour halted the project. Moore continued to mourn the band's break up: "There were a few things in the band that would have made it impossible long term." I believe Jack [Bruce] was used to having his own band, but I was used to having my own band and so it was difficult." Moore and former Skunk Ananansie bassist Cass Lewis and Primal Scream drummer Darrin Mooney in Scars, 2002, one album. Moore appeared on the One World Project charity single "Grief Never Grows Old," which was released in 2005.

Moore collaborated with many of other musicians, including George Harrison, Dr. Strange, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Rod Argent, Gary Boyle, B.B. The Traveling Wilburys and The Beach Boys are among King Wilbury's travel companions.

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