Rory on playing with Muddy Waters | Don’s Tunes

 

One of the most satisfying points in Rory Gallagher's career came when Muddy Waters was making his "London Sessions" recordings and invited Rory to join him on the album.

"Some of the old bluesmen are a bit suspicious of young white guitarists who are brought in on recording sessions. But Muddy was the warmest person you could meet: he used to hold up the sessions until I'd get back from wherever I'd be playing and then we'd jam into the small hours.

"I used to learn just from watching Muddy tuning up. It's a dying art what the old bluesmen are doing because by the time it's been filtered through rock it's never quite the same." 

On the road Rory likes to avoid a set pattern, but he avoids the usual amusements of the rock fraternity, especially the drugs. "I won't want to pontificate about it, but I just don't take drugs. In fact in many ways, I don't feel myself part of the rock world at all."

And there are always the unexpected happenings that break the monotony of touring and give everybody a laugh, he says.

"For example, I remember the night we played Madison Square Garden in New York with the Faces in 1972 and halfway through the first number my amplifier went up in flames. The crowd went crazy assuming it was all part of the act, and when I smelled smoke and looked around, there were all theses stagehands spraying my equipment with fire extinguishers!" 

DON’S TUNES

This article comes from the Dec.29,1978 issue of The Irish Press

Photo courtesy of Colm Henry

Terribly sad to think this was back in the days when alcohol wasn’t considered a drug of choice and poor Rory died of alcoholism in his late forties . . . . . . (N.B. working with addicts as I did I would always rather have worked with drug addicts (mostly heroin and the narcotics) so called than alcoholics, the last deaths I experienced amongst homeless clients was those who combined heroin and alcohol . . . . its fast . . . .and deadly

I think I am glad I stopped working when I did for the new invented drugs like Mcat and MDMA and Ketamine proved complex and applied to clients with multiple and complex needs, whilst the withdrawal from alcohol was one of the only withdrawals that could kill you, when medically supervised and combined with treatment and therapy, the alcoholic who remained sober was a joy to behold and AA whilst I had the reputation of being anti- >I wasn’t BTW< it being in the business of saving millions literally millions of lives through its fellowship . . . . . .those who sought recovery where some of the strongest folk I know, I’ll shut up now but Rory one of many millions last to the demon drink!