Guitar Tone and Technique
I was asked recently who I thought had the best guitar sound. I immediately thought of players like Jeff Beck and Brian May. There was no doubt that they have a unique characteristic that instantly identifies them. Keeping things in the blues and jazz genre, there was one other name that immediately comes to mind, Gary Moore.
Moore is an awesome talent with an incredible guitar tone and damn good vocal chords as well. His career dates back to the 1960’s and has been involved in the lineups of several notable rock, jazz and fusion bands, most notably, Colosseum II and Skid Row. He is most known in the rock world for his work with Thin Lizzy and the hit “The Boys are Back in Town.”
Born in Belfast Ireland on April 4th, 1952, he was playing music at the age of 8, and learned to play right handed despite being a lefty. He was influenced like so many by the likes of Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and then later by musicians like Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall, which opened him up to the art of the blues.
Moore became the protégé of blues pioneer Peter Green, who he admired since the days of the Bluesbreakers, and even obtained some of his guitars when Green quit the music scene. Many of Moore’s albums features Green’s famous sounding 1959 Gibson Les Paul, and attributed to his identifiable sound and voicing. It was Peter Green that helped mold the career of the young Moore, and his deep appreciation of Green can be heard on his album, “Blues for Greeny.” Moore has sustained a career that continues to receive the respect of all the major players, including the likes of bluesman BB King, who he has graced the stage with.
Moore’s career has now spanned five decades, and he has preferred to better his technique and expose his true self rather than enjoy commercial success. His most successful and critically acclaimed album came in 1990 with the album Still Got the Blues. This is a must buy for any electric blues fan who likes their blues with an extra punch.
His next album After Hours saw cameo appearances from the likes of such blues guitar greats as Albert King, BB King, and Albert Collins; holding his own amongst such prestigious company is a testament to his enormous talent and respectability. He even had a brief stint in 1994 with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in the short lived BMM.
With his latest release Close as You Get this past summer; Moore creates a mix of his personal styles that he has developed throughout his illustrious career. For me Moore will stand out as one of those musicians that have the greatest guitar tone and technique. He is a truly amazing artist that makes people wince with awe with every note.
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