AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gary Moore

Artist:Gary Moore

Song:Still Got the Blues

Album:The Platinum Collection

Guitarist Gary Moore played different styles of music. But he is probably best remembered for his 90s blues albums. The 1990 single Still Got the Blues is probably his signature song. He was born Apr. 4, 1952 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His father was a promoter who operated a local ballroom. His father got him into music and bought him a guitar at ten years old. Moore played in bands as a teen. His main influence was Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green. Moore moved to Dublin in 1968 and joined the blues rock band Skid Row. Phil Lynott was lead singer. The two became roommates. After Lynott left the band, Skid Row recorded two albums. Moore wasn't happy and left. After Lynott formed Thin Lizzy, Moore was brought in to replace Eric Bell in 1974. He left after a couple of months and returned in 1977 for a US tour. He returned in 1979 but Moore didn't like the drug abuse in the band and left again. After Thin Lizzy split up in 1983, Moore appeared on the farewell tour. Meanwhile Moore had success on the British charts with the 1978 single Parisienne Walkways featuring Phil Lynott. After living in Los Angeles for a while, Moore moved to London and signed with Virgin Records. He was on Virgin from 1982-97. Moore's 80s albums were hard rock similar to Thin Lizzy. After Lynott's 1986 death, Moore dedicated the 1987 album Wild Frontier to him. Moore's albums were selling in Europe. But after the 1989 album After the War, Moore decided he didn't like his own music. For the 1990 album Still Got the Blues, Moore returned to his blues roots. The album was certified Platinum in England and Gold in the US. So it was his biggest seller in the US. The single Still Got the Blues charted. Moore wrote that and most of the songs. The band was his touring band of Don Airey on keyboards, Andy Pyle on bass and Graham Walker on drums. Rolling Stones pianist Nicky Hopkins made a guest appearance. Other guests on the album include Albert King, Albert Collins and George Harrison. So Moore's transformation to a blues artist was very successful. This 3CD comp at a reasonable price covers Moore's entire career. After he left Virgin, Moore recorded for Sanctuary and Eagle Rock. Moore continued to record and tour until he died from a heart attack on Feb. 11, 2008 at age 58. He was on holidays in Spain at the time. Here's the video for Still Got the Blues by Gary Moore.