58 • UNCUT • JULY 2019

YER

BLUES

RoryGallagher

withhis1930s

National

resonator

guitarin 1977

Duringthelate’60sandearly’70s,RORY GA L L AGH E R

seemedunstoppable.HeauditionedforThe Rolling Stones,

brokeJimiHendrix’sbox-officerecordat the Marquee and

receivedthehighestpraisefromJohnLennon. As a new

boxsetdevotedtotheunassuming,tenacious guitarist is

released,GraemeThomsondiscoversthat Gallagher’s

febriletalentcamewitha highprice:“For good or ill,

Roryranhisownrace,”admitshisbrother Donal

PhotobyJOHNPREW

RORY GALLAGHER

I

n January 1975, Rory Gallagher received an unexpected

phone call. It was Mick Jagger, inviting him to jam with

The Rolling Stones in Rotterdam. “Jagger had been

very positive about Rory in interviews and particularly

liked that Rory had a good sense of country music,”

recalls Donal Gallagher, Rory’s younger brother and

longstanding manager. On arrival, Gallagher was met

by Jagger at the airport and greeted by the band’s executive

manager, Marshall Chess, with the words: “Welcome to The

Rolling Stones! You’re the man for the job.”

Gallagher jammed with the band for three days, playing

tracks from the forthcoming Black And Blue album. “On the

final night he was asked up to Keith’s suite to have a chat

about things,” says Donal. “Keith was comatose. Rory waited

all night for him to wake up – but he never did.” With matters

unresolved, Gallagher headed for the airport, already cutting

it fine for his own Japanese tour.