Moore, Gary (1952–2011), rock musician, was born Robert William Gary Moore on 4 April 1952 near the Stormont estate off the Upper Newtownards Road in east Belfast, one of five children of Bobby Moore, a ballroom manager, and his wife Winnie. His father ran the Queen's Hall ballroom in Holywood, Co. Down, where the young Gary regularly saw showbands performing. After singing on stage with a showband at the age of six, he was determined to become a performer. Two years later he was playing acoustic guitar, and at 13 was covering Beatles' songs with his first band, The Beat Boys. Belfast concerts by Jimi Hendrix, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, and The Who converted him to expressive, guitar-based rock, and in 1967 he formed a band called Platform Three, which played in small local venues. They occasionally opened for Rory Gallagher (qv), who was a great inspiration and encouragement.
In 1968 Moore moved to Dublin, intent on becoming a professional musician. Later that year he joined Skid Row, led by Brendan ('Brush') Shiels on bass, with Philip Lynott (qv) on vocals. Lynott was dropped some months later, and the band became a trio with Noel Bridgeman on drums. Moore co-wrote some Skid Row songs and occasionally took a turn on vocals but was primarily renowned for his virtuoso guitar playing. Hailed as the teenage prodigy of Irish rock, he became a sought-after guitarist by progressive bands and played on the albums Heavy petting (1970) by Dr Strangely Strange and Honest Injun (1970) by Granny's Intentions. Skid Row gained a reputation as one of Dublin's most innovative bands and supported visiting acts, such as Fleetwood Mac in January 1970. Moore was greatly influenced by the Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green, who in turn was impressed by Moore's musicianship and acted as a mentor. Skid Row secured a record deal with CBS in 1970 and a cult following with the albums Skid (1970) and 34 hours (1971). They toured Europe and the US, but failed to make any money. Moore left the band in December 1971, just before another planned US tour, and moved to London, releasing his first solo album, Grinding stone (1973), with The Gary Moore Band.
In 1974 he joined Thin Lizzy, fronted by Lynott, for the first of three stints, contributing a memorable guitar solo to 'Still in love with you' on the album Nightlife (1974). Within a year he left to join the jazz-fusion group Colosseum II, preferring their more serious and professional attitude to the chaotic hedonism of Lizzy's tours. Moore worked hard to improve his technique and musical knowledge and expected others to do the same. He recorded three albums with Colosseum II and collaborated on Andrew Lloyd Weber's Variations album in 1978. This allowed him develop his musical versatility: he could play a variety of styles – rock, jazz, blues, folk, country, and bluegrass – on a variety of instruments, including fiddle, mandolin and keyboards. Believing he lacked the theoretical knowledge required to progress with the band, he quit in August 1978 to rejoin Thin Lizzy (having already played a US tour with them as a replacement guitarist in 1977). With Lynott, he co-wrote 'Parisienne walkways' (included on Moore's solo album Back on the streets (1978)), which featured his evocative guitar playing and Lynott's singing and reached no. 8 in the UK singles chart in May 1979. Moore's guitar stood out on Lizzy's album Black rose (1979), particularly his rock interpretations of traditional Irish tunes on 'Róisín Dubh'. With Lynott he co-wrote 'Sarah', also included on Black rose. The album was a commercial success, reaching no. 2 in the UK album chart, but Moore became uncomfortable with the band's drug-taking and left during an American tour in July 1979. Having dabbled with illegal drugs in his late teens, Moore largely eschewed them from his twenties onwards (although he continued to consume alcohol heavily). For a time he settled in Los Angeles and formed the band G-force, which made one album, which flopped. During 1981–2 he recorded two unremarkable albums with Greg Lake.
Recriminations were exchanged by Moore and Thin Lizzy after his departure in mid- tour, and they were estranged until he was invited to guest with the band in Hammersmith during their farewell tour in 1983, captured on the album Life (1983). Afterwards he made a string of solo albums, including Run for cover (1985), which included the top five hit single 'Out in the fields', his last collaboration with Lynott and biggest UK single hit as a solo artist. The two had a competitive and sometimes edgy friendship, but there was considerable affection between them and creatively they often brought out the best in each other. Moore was devastated to learn of Lynott's death from a drug overdose in January 1986. At the Self Aid benefit concert in Dublin on 17 May 1986 he was guitarist and lead vocalist in a Thin Lizzy line-up that paid tribute to Lynott, and he subsequently played in many other commemorative concerts.
Moore's next album, Wild frontier (1987), was a homage to traditional Irish music. At his record company's insistence, he returned to hard rock with After the war (1989) (written mostly during a three-month stay in Dublin), but its sales were disappointing. While touring this material Moore realised he had no desire to sell himself as a commercial hard rock or heavy metal artist. He dismissed most heavy metal as clichéd cartoon rock, the music lost in a circus act of overblown pyrotechnics. His true love was the blues and in 1989–90 he worked with veteran bluesmen Albert Collins and Albert King (and ex-Beatle George Harrison) to record Still got the blues (1990). It became his most artistically and commercially successful solo album, unexpectedly selling over 3 million copies in a few months and earning his first US gold disc and US hit single (with the title track). He greatly benefited from Albert King's advice to play in a more restrained and sparing way and leave some space between notes. His friendship with Harrison led to an invitation to join Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan and play lead guitar on 'She's my baby', the opening track of the Traveling Wilburys vol. 3 (1990) album. Returning to the blues, he recorded After hours (1992), again featuring contributions from Collins and the legendary B. B. King.
In 1994 Moore joined former Cream musicians Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce to take Eric Clapton's place in the Cream line-up, and, as BBM, released the album Around the next dream. He then recorded Blues for Greeny (1995), a tribute to Peter Green. Moore liked to try new sounds, but neither the softer pop of Dark days in paradise (1997) nor the modern dance rhythms of Different beat (1999) were particularly successful. With Back to the blues (2001) he returned to familiar ground, and followed up with albums such as Power of the blues (2004) and Bad for you baby (2008), which mixed original compositions and blues standards. In total, he released twenty studio albums and six live collections.
Moore was an able singer and lyricist, but it was his superb guitar playing that set him apart. His combination of virtuosity and soulfulness could mesmerise audiences, and he was much admired by guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Brian May and Bryan Adams. An obsessive about the technical aspects of guitar playing, he was happy to discuss the minutiae of amplification and the pros and cons of various makes in great detail. His musical perfectionism and apparent grumpiness of manner earned him a reputation in some quarters of being difficult, but he was generally relaxed and humorous in social settings and got on well with most fellow musicians. He regarded making music as an end in itself rather than a means to stardom and had little interest in image or self-promotion, laughing off suggestions from his record company that he dye his hair blond or have plastic surgery to improve his appearance. Although idolised in Japan, he found the adulation of some Japanese fans excessive and annoying, and disliked touring there. From 1996 he lived quietly in Brighton, occasionally playing charity concerts in local pubs. His Irish following was loyal but relatively small and he never attained the folk hero status of Gallagher or Lynott. He was philosophical about this, enjoying the fact that he was rarely recognised on visits to Ireland.
Moore died of a heart attack in his sleep on 6 February 2011 in Estepona, Spain, while on holiday with his girlfriend Petra Nioduschewski, and was buried at St Margaret's churchyard, Rottingdean, East Sussex. Many tributes were paid to him by fellow musicians: Bob Geldof described him as 'one of the great Irish bluesmen. His playing was exceptional and beautiful. We won't see his like again' (Guardian, 7 February 2011).
Moore had two sons, Jack and Gus, from his marriage (1985–93) to health therapist Kerry Booth; a daughter, Lily, from his ten-year relationship with artist Jo Rendle; and an older daughter, Saoirse, from an earlier relationship.