Back On The Streets: The Gary Moore Story

The biography focuses on Gary Moore's public life and musical journey, from his early amateur gigs in Belfast to his solo career. It explores his creative process, album releases, live performances, and collaborations with Skid Row, Colosseum II, and Thin Lizzy. The book also addresses charges of imitation and appropriation by contextualizing Moore's blues albums within the history of the genre. It is written in accessible fashion and based on primary source magazine and newspaper articles.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 23 February 2024
Publisher: Wymer Publishing

Over a decade after his untimely death, Gary Moore remains something of an enigma. A private, sometimes troubled man, he nevertheless chose a profession that exposed him to public scrutiny. He coped with that contradiction by channeling his energies into his songwriting and guitar playing, expressing himself almost entirely through his music. This biography focuses on Moore's public life. It traces his five-decade-long musical journey from his early amateur gigs in Belfast, joining his first professional band in Dublin, and meeting Phil Lynott, touring with Thin Lizzy, and helping the band record one of their most accomplished albums, 1979's Black Rose: A Rock Legend, experimenting with jazz-rock fusion in Colosseum II, and then pursuing a solo career that saw him transform from a heavy rock 'guitar hero to a modern-day blues legend. This book explores Moore's musical heritage. It provides analysis of his creative process and provides context for his album releases and live tours. It discusses album and single releases, as well as live performances. There are chapters on his collaborations with Skid Row, Colosseum II, and Thin Lizzy, and on his solo career. A chapter on Moore's blues albums addresses charges of imitation and appropriation by contextualizing that music within the history of the genre. Rather than being an imitator, Moore was actually a trailblazer, becoming the first hard rock and heavy metal guitarist to successfully bridge the gap between those genres and the blues. Written in accessible fashion and based mainly on primary source magazine and newspaper articles, Back On The Streets: The Gary Moore Story is a highly detailed and thoroughly researched tribute to the man who gave us 'Parisienne Walkways', 'Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend, and 'Still Got the Blue.

Weight: 408g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781915246462