Gary Moore

b. 4 April 1952, Belfast, Northern Ireland. This talented, blues-influenced singer and guitarist formed his first major band, Skid Row, when he was 16 years old—initially with Phil Lynott, who left after a few months to form Thin Lizzy. Skid Row continued as a three-piece, with Brendan Shields (bass) and Noel Bridgeman (drums). They relocated from Belfast to London in 1970 and signed a deal with CBS. After just two albums, they disbanded, leaving Moore to form the Gary Moore Band. Their debut, GRINDING STONE, appeared in 1973, but their progress was halted the following year while Moore assisted Thin Lizzy after guitarist Eric Bell had left the band. This liaison lasted just four months before Moore was replaced by Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson.
Moore subsequently moved into session work before joining Colosseum II in 1976. He made three albums with them, and also rejoined Thin Lizzy for a 10-week American tour in 1977 after guitarist Brian Robertson suffered a severed artery in his hand. Moore finally became a full-time member of Thin Lizzy, but he subsequently left midway through a US tour and formed a new band called G-Force, though this outfit soon foundered. Moore then resumed his solo career, cutting a series of commercially ignored albums until he scored hit singles in 1985 with Empty Rooms and another collaboration with Phil Lynott, Out In The Fields. Moore's 1989 album AFTER THE WAR had a strong celtic influence, and also featured guest artists such as Ozzy Osbourne and Andrew Eldritch (Sisters Of Mercy). But his breakthrough to mainstream commercial acceptance came in 1990 with the superb, confident guitarwork and vocals of STILL GOT THE BLUES. Mixing blues standards and originals, Moore was acclaimed as one of the UK's foremost blues artist, a stature which the subsequent release of AFTER HOURS—featuring cameo appearances from B. B. King and Albert Collins—has confirmed. BLUES ALIVE is an exciting live album containing much of his last two albums in addition to visits to his past with tracks such as Parisienne Walkways.