Rory Gallagher

Blues guitarist Rory Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, Ireland, in 1959 (his brother Donal Gallagher is also a blues musician). He began his career in the 1960s in Ireland, playing in a variety of show bands. In 1965 he formed his own band, Taste, a blues-based rock trio. They had some success and released a few albums, but broke up in 1971. Gallagher then went solo, releasing a self-titled album that same year. The album was a critical and financial success, and led to Gallagher's being asked to contribute to blues legend Muddy Waters' album "The London Muddy Waters Sessions" in 1972, which won him more fans both in the UK and the US. Although he continued to appear and record throughout the 1970s, by the 1980s his popularity in the US had waned. He made a strong comeback in 1990 with the album "Fresh Evidence". He developed liver problems and in 1995 entered a hospital in London, England, for a liver transplant. Complications developed, and he died in London on June 14 of that year.