| On April 4 1952 Gary Moore
is born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Late 1960s After moving
to Dublin, Gary Moore joins local band Skid Row. Early line-ups of the
band include the following musicians: Brendan "Brush" Shiels on bass, Noel
"Nollaig" Bridgemore on drums, Bernhard Cheevers on guitar, and Phil Lynott
on vocals (he hadn't learned to play bass yet!). Later Bernhard Cheevers
and Phil Lynott leave Skid Row, the latter to form Thin Lizzy. Gary Moore
does some work with Granny's Intentions. Skid Row release their first single,
New Places Old Faces on the Song label. Skid Row (now a trio) opens for
Fleetwood Mac in Dublin. Peter Green (then guitarist of 'Mac) is quite
impressed with Gary Moore's playing; so much so that he invites him to
join a jam session after the show in his hotel room. The legend has it
that Peter Green asked 'Mac's manager to help Skid Row get a record deal
with CBS. Indeed, soon after moving to London, Skid Row record their first
album, Skid (released in 1970).
1970 Skid Row's first single
on CBS, Sandie's Gone, is released in March. Their first album, Skid, is
also released that year. Then the second CBS single, Saturday Morning Man
is released and followed by a tour through the US and Europe. Irish band
Dr. Strangely Strange (Ivan Pawle, Tim Goulding, Tim Booth) release their
Heavy Petting album; Gary Moore has participated to the album. Towards
the end of the year (or maybe early in 1971) Skid Row record their second
album in 34 hours; hence the album title 34 Hours...
1971 Skid Row's second album,
34 Hours, is released and in July the band embark on a US tour, followed
by a European tour. That year a popularity poll in Irish magazine New Spotlight
rates Skid Row as the no.1 non-resident Irish band.
1972 Skid Row record their
third album, but while planning for their third US tour, Gary Moore leaves
the band and decides to try his hand at a solo career. That album will
not be released until Castle Communications gets a hold of it in 1990!
Peter (or is it Paul?) Chapman replaces Gary Moore in Skid Row and the
tracks for the third album are re-recorded; but that version will not be
released either. Later Ed Dean, Eric Bell (!), and Jimmy Slevin successively
assume the guitars in Skid Row. Shields and Bridgemore eventually return
to Ireland and tour there under the names Skid Row and/or Brush.
1973 Gary Moore resurfaces
with his first solo album, Grinding Stone. The Gary Moore Band is GM (guitars
and vocals), Pearse Kelly (drums) and John Curtis (bass). The album receives
little praise at the time, but it's interesting to listen to the last track,
Boogie my Way Back Home, now that we know of Gary Moore's blues trip in
the 1990s.
1974 In January Gary Moore
joins Thin Lizzy upon Phil Lynott's invitation, but he leaves during the
following spring. That first (but not last) short stay with Thin Lizzy
produces Still in Love with You, the only track with Gary Moore which makes
it on the band's album of the year, Nightlife (released in October).
1975 Gary Moore participates
to the recording of Eddie Howell's Gramophone Record. And thus begins Gary's
session work, intruding his solo career on a regular basis until today
even. Later that year he is offered a job (by Jon Hiseman) in fusion outfit
Colosseum II (which he accepts). Colosseum II is: Gary Moore (guitars/vocals),
Don Airey (keyboards), Jon Hiseman (drums), John Mole (bass).
1976 Colosseum II's first
LP, Strange New Flesh, is released. After a European tour the boys meet
at Morgan Studio 1 shortly before Christmas to record their second album
(in seven days!). That year, the Thin Lizzy compilation LP Remembering
Part 1 uncovers two songs from Gary's short stay with the band in 1974:
Sitamoia and Little Darling.
1977 Colosseum II's second
album, Electric Savage is completed within the first few months of the
year and is released, followed later in the year by War Dance. On the Thin
Lizzy front, a compilation LP resembling Remembering Part 1 is released
in the US; It's called Rocker 1971-1974 but contains the same two tracks
with Gary Moore.
1978 This is the year Gary
Moore's career really takes off! Three appearances on other people's LPs
and one solo LP in one year! I'm not quite sure in what order they were
released, but here are his contributions for the year: Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Variations (Yes, Mr. Waters, that very same Andrew Lloyd Webber!), Rod
Argent's Moving Home, and Gary Boyle's Electric Glide. But the big one
is the solo album, Back on the Streets; an album which is still re-released
periodically on different labels. This album is noticed (unlike his 1973
effort) for at least two reasons: (1) Phil Lynott is on it and (2) the
soon-to-be single Parisienne Walkways is also on it!
1979 Back on the Streets
produces the sublime single Parisienne Walkways, Gary Moore's first chart
success (reaching no.8 in May). And the cycle starts again... Gary Moore
then joins Thin Lizzy (again!) and records Black Rose with them. The release
of the LP is followed by a European tour, then a US tour. For whatever
reason Gary Moore leaves Thin Lizzy right in the middle of their American
tour! He then goes to Los Angeles to form a new band called G Force. Sometime
during 1979 he also manages to find the time to record a little guitar
for Cozy Powell's Over the Top.
1980 The newly formed trio
G Force release their first (and only) album, G Force, followed by two
singles, White Knuckles / Rockin' and Rollin' and Hot Gossip.
1981 By the summer of 1981
G Force is no longer and Gary Moore is back doing session work for Greg
Lake's solo LP, Greg Lake, released later that year. According to the legend,
Greg Lake had called on Gary Moore to do a guitar solo which no one else
could do; Scheduled to start recording at noon, Gary showed up 15 minutes
early and finished by the time he was supposed to start! Greg asked him
to stay for a while and Gary ended up playing on half the record. (Again,
that's only according to the legend!) Gary Moore will even follow Greg
Lake on tour in England and in the US. Also released that year was Nuclear
Attack, Gary Moore first 12" single (actually released under the name Gary
Moore & Friends).
1982 In February Gary Moore
starts working on Greg Lake's Manoeuvres LP, then he begins working on
his own LP to be released later that year. During the Summer, Gary Moore
plays at the Marquee in London (August 26th), where the live album Live
at the Marquee was recorded; then at Reading (August 28th), experiencing
some sound problems. Later in the year he plays at Surrey University. In
September/October Gary Moore is back in the studio recording Cozy Powell's
Octopuss LP and his own Corridors of Power. Only then does he go back to
finish up Greg Lake's Manoeuvres LP. By year's end Corridors of Power is
within the 50 best-selling rock LPs of the year and it reaches the Top
10 on the UK hard-rock charts. The singles from the album are quite successful
in the charts as well.
1983 In January Gary Moore
is the midst of the Corridors of Power tour. At the end of the month he
is in Japan where a couple of shows are recorded. After mixing in March
a live album is released in Japan only (Rockin' Every Night). The rest
of the world will have to wait until 1986! In October Gary is back in the
studio recording his next LP, Victims of the Future, to be released in
January of the following year. The other releases of the year on which
Gary Moore plays are Cozy Powell's Octopuss, Greg Lake's Manoeuvres (recorded
the preceding year), and Thin Lizzy's Life - Live.
1984 After the release of
Victims of the Future Gary Moore embarks on a world tour starting in early
February in England, going through the rest of Europe and Japan and ending
up in the States in late July. The rest of the summer is spent going through
everything recorded during the tour, mixing, and putting together a live
album, We Want Moore !. Gary Moore also plays at the Monsters of Rock throughout
Europe alongside Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, and AC/DC. By September/October
the live album is ready for release and accompanied by a short promotional
tour in the UK. 1984 seems to be one of the most eventful years in Gary
Moore's career. First, there is the release of Empty Rooms, the first version
(but far from the last...) of a very successful single; then this mammoth
world tour; but the biggest event occurs in December when Gary Moore returns
to his native Ireland, performing there for the first time in 10 years.
To celebrate the occasion, the video Emerald Aisles is shot and guess who
joins on stage in Dublin... Phil Lynott. Gary and Phil have just burried
the hatchet, as 1985 will demonstrate.
1985 Phil Lynott and Gary
Moore are reunited once again! But this time, it's just the two of them
since Thin Lizzy had already been disbanded at the time. This last collaboration
will produce Out in the Fields, an EP also containing the songs "Military
Man" and "Still in Love with You" (an excellent remake of Thin Lizzy's
1974 version, on which Gary played as well). The new single climbs the
charts and the legendary pair ends up on the cover of Kerrang! This will
unfortunately prove to be their last effort together. "Out in the Fields"
and "Military Man" are featured on Gary's release for the year, Run for
Cover.
1986 Phil Lynott dies early
in January, leaving fans stunned. The only Gary Moore release worth noting
that year is in fact a re-release; Rockin' Every Night is finally released
outside Japan. Gary seems to be taking a break that year, but the following
year's album will be worth the wait.
1987 The new album, Wild
Frontier, finds Gary Moore returning to his Irish roots. Still considered
by many his best non-blues album, Wild Frontier sells well and the critics
seem to like it. The album features a cover of "Friday on my Mind"; the
instrumental "The Loner", already featured an a Cozy Powell solo album,
gets a facelift and sounds better than ever; the album closes with "Johnny
Boy"... Later in the year (April), the Stockholm show is filmed, then released
on video. 1988 Has anyone seen Gary Moore in 1988? Where was he? What was
he doing?
1989 After the War is the
year's release. Ozzy guest stars on "Led Clones", "Livin' on Dreams" tells
of Gary's early days as a musician, the excellent "Blood of Emeralds" finds
Gary still thinking of Phil Lynott. One of the singles for the album will
feature a remake of Thin Lizzy's "Emerald" yet again reminding us of Phil.
Also featured on the album: a cover of Roy Buchanan's "The Messiah Will
Come Again" instrumental. Sounds like a great album, doesn't it? Well,
Gary's growing tired of the hard rock scene and while on tour in Switzerland
he tells his manager that he'd like to try something else, like say blues
or something!!!
 
1990 The year is marked
by a definite turn in Gary Moore's career with the release of his first
blues album, Still Got the Blues. The album features covers of standard
blues songs as well as Gary Moore originals; guest stars include Albert
Collins and George Harrison (on one of his own compositions). The success
of the new album was unexpected; it turned out to be the best selling Gary
Moore album ever! The single Still Got the Blues even breaks through in
the US. That same year George Harrison enrolls Gary Moore for a Traveling
Wilburys song, She's my Baby. Was that not the first time you could hear
Gary Moore on two different songs on US radios?... Gary Moore gets a chance
to play on stage with the "two Alberts" (King and Collins) during his tour;
the experience, captured on film (An Evening of the Blues with Gary Moore
and the Midnight Blues Band), seems to have been very educative for Gary
Moore.
1992 After the unexpected
international success of Still Got the Blues in 1990, Gary Moore tries
his hand at the blues again with After Hours. This is no longer a little
fun aside, but a real career move. On the new album Albert Collins plays
again and another King (B.B.!) joins. US fans are treated to a few dates...
two dates, that is: one in New York, one in Los Angeles. In return Gary
Moore is treated to a standing ovation (at least in LA; that's where I
was, with inadequate recording equipment...). Noteworthy session work of
the year: the last track on Jimmy Nail's Growing Up in Public.
1993 The live blues album
(Live Blues) is released. Any recorded live performance of Gary's is worth
having, but this one is special: it features a version a Parisienne Walkways!
(Rebaptised Parisienne Walkways '93 for the occasion) The track was recorded
in London; for some reason, fans in Paris in Los Angeles didn't get that
treat. (I should know...) More session work in 1993 with one track off
of Paul Rodgers' tribute to Muddy Waters.
1994 Remember BBA? Well,
in 1994 it's BBM! Baker, Bruce, Moore!!! Wow! The album, Around the Next
Dream, gets a mitigated reception from the critics; they are divided between
the Wow-ers and the More-Cream-ers. But forget Cream for an instant and
you've got a great album! Gary definitely leaves his mark. Though the album
is more rock-oriented than the two previous Gary Moore releases, the blues
is not forgotten. BBM was unfortunately short-lived and so only a few European
fans got to see them on stage. Later in the year Ballads & Blues 1982-1994
is released; it a collection of ballads and blues songs (of course!) featuring
three previously-unreleased tracks. That's the way record companies get
the fans to buy these things, and it works! Seriously, the three new tracks
are worth tracking the album out. Session work of the year: one track from
Snowy White's Highway to the Sun.
1995 As if 1993 and 1994
hadn't brought enough treats to the fans, Gary Moore releases Blues for
Greeny in 1995. All tracks are old Peter Green compositions, all played
on the famous Les Paul once owned by him. The album shows that Gary Moore
has learned a lot about how to control his guitar-playing; just when you
thought he had blown you away for the last time, he still manages to surprise
everyone!... During the short tour following the release of the album Peter
Green joins Gary Moore on stage (though without a guitar...); the video
of that show is released in 1996.
1997 After months of wondering
what the next album would sound like fans see the release of Dark Days
in Paradise. The rumors were correct: it is something new for Gary. The
new album is a mix of many different styles, but manages to found its unity
in Gary's undeniable guitar mark. Some see it as an attempt to get closer
to the "mainstream" of 1990s music, other as yet more evidence that Gary
Moore can play just about anything (and very well), evolve, yet retain
his very personal style. Biography taken from The
Gary Moore WWW Web PageGo there to see much more
If anyone has any Gary
Moore videos to trade please contact me.
I have these if anyone
is interested.
-
Gary Moore - Emerald Isles
Live in Dublin 1985 90min A
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Gary Moore and The Midnight
Blues Band w/ Albert Collins & Albert King 90min A-
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Gary Moore - Live Blues, London
1992 100min A
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Gary Moore - Ohne Fliter Germany
1997 60min A-
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Gary Moore - Wild Fontier -
Live Stockholm 1987 75min B
Gary Moore - Live at Goldfingers
1984
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