Rory Gallagher : Big Guns: The Very Best Of Rory Gallagher

 William Rory Gallagher

 (March 2nd 1948 – June 14th 1995) 

was an

 Irish musician, 

singer, and songwriter.

Regarded as

 "Ireland's first rock star",

 he is known for his 

virtuosic style of

 guitar playing 

and 

live performances. 

He has sometimes

 been referred to as

 "the greatest guitarist 

you've never heard of". 

Gallagher gained

 international recognition

 in the late 1960s 

as the frontman

 and lead guitarist 

of the blues rock

 power trio

 Taste. 

Following the band's

 break-up in 1970,

 he launched a

 solo career 

and was voted 

Guitarist of the Year 

by Melody Maker 

magazine

 in 1972.

Gallagher played over 

2,000 concerts 

worldwide throughout 

his career, 

including many in 

Northern Ireland 

during the Troubles. 

He had global 

record sales

 exceeding

 30 million.

During the 1980s, 

Gallagher continued to tour 

and record new music, 

but his

 popularity declined

 due to shifting trends

 in the music industry.

 His health also 

began to deteriorate,

 resulting in a 

liver transplant

 in March 1995 

at King's College Hospital

 in London. 

Following the operation,

 he contracted a

 staphylococcal infection 

(MRSA) 

and died

 three months later 

at the age of 47.

Gallagher has been

 commemorated posthumously 

with statues in 

Ballyshannon and Belfast, 

and public spaces

 renamed in his memory

 in Dublin, 

Cork, 

and Paris. 

He has been commemorated

 on an An Post set

 of postage stamps 

and a 

Central Bank

 of Ireland 

commemorative coin. 

Since 2002,

 the Rory Gallagher

 International

 Tribute Festival 

has been held

 annually in

 Ballyshannon.

A number of musicians

 in the world of 

rock and blues

 cite Gallagher

 as an influence,

 both for his 

musicianship and character,

 including

 Brian May

 (Queen), 

Johnny Marr

 (the Smiths), 

Slash 

(Guns N' Roses), 

the Edge 

(U2), 

Glenn Tipton

 (Judas Priest), 

Janick Gers 

(Iron Maiden), 

Vivian Campbell 

(Def Leppard),

 Joan Armatrading, 

Gary Moore, 

and

 Joe Bonamassa

TRACKLIST

CD 1

Big Guns

What's Going On

(with Taste)

Tattoo'd Lady

Bad Penny

Shadow Play

Kickback City

Bourbon

Sinnerboy

 (Live)

Used To Be

 (Live)

Goin' To My Hometown

 (Live)

Bullfrog Blues

 (Live)

Messin' With The Kid

 (Live)

CD 2

The Loop

Born On The Wrong Side Of Time 

(With Taste)

Laundromat

A Million Miles Away

Calling Card

Out On The Western Plain

Lonesome Highway

Just The Smile

I'm Not Awake Yet

Daughter Of The Everglades

I'll Admit You're Gone

The King Of Zydeco

They Don't Make Them

 Like You Anymore

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