Universal Music veröffentlicht am 31. Mai von dem legendären Gitarrenvirtuosen RORY CALLAGHER das neue Album „Blues“ in verschiedenen Formaten. Diese Songkollektion bietet seltene und unveröffentlichte Aufnahmen von RORY CALLAGHERs Bluessongs-Favoriten.

Zu den einzelnen Editionen zählen eine 1CD oder 2LP-Version mit 16 Titeln, eine limitierte blaue Doppel-Vinyl (ebenfalls 16 Songs) und eine umfangreiche 3CD-Version mit 36 Tracks, die RORY CALLAGHERs außergewöhnliches, individuelles Gitarrenspiel von elektrischem, akustischem und live-gespieltem Blues dokumentieren. Die Deluxe-Version enthält nahezu 90% unveröffentlichtes Material und Auftritte mit Musiklegenden wie Muddy Waters, Albert King, Jack Bruce, Lonnie Donegan oder zum Beispiel Chris Barber. Außerdem bietet die Deluxe-Version ein umfangreiches Booklet mit bisher unveröffentlichten Fotos von RORY CALLAGHER und einem neuen Essay des preisgekrönten Blues-/Rock-Autors Jas Obrecht. 

RORY CALLAGHERs musikalische Laufbahn begann bereits 1963 als Mitglied der Fontana Show Band, ehe er drei Jahre später gemeinsam mit Eric Kitteringham (Bass) und Norman D’Amery (Drums) in der irischen Stadt Cork die Band Taste gründete. Mit Auftritten in Irland und in deutschen Clubs erspielten sie sich schnell einen Ruf als eine fantastische Liveband. Sie unterschrieben einen Vertrag bei Polydor und veröffentlichten zwei Studioalben: “Taste” im April 1969 und “On The Boards” im Januar 1970. Mit einer Abschiedsshow in Belfast am Silvesterabend 1970 löste sich die Formation auf. Danach arbeitete RORY CALLAGHER mit einer neuen Band unter eigenem Namen weiter und veröffentlichte zwischen 1971 und 1982 fast im Jahresrhythmus ein neues Album. Später folgten noch zwei weitere Longplayer. RORY CALLAGHER komponierte hauptsächlich Blues-Rock-Songs sowie verschiedene Spielarten des Blues und nutzte nur selten Interpretationen von Bluesklassikern. Bis heute wurden von dem Künstler weltweit mehr als 30 Millionen Alben verkauft. 

Das Rolling Stone Magazin wählte RORY CALLAGHER in seine Liste der Top 100 Gitarristen aller Zeiten. Aber auch viele populäre Musiker würdigten das Ausnahmetalent und den Einfluss von RORY CALLAGHER (siehe dazu die nachfolgenden Statements) auf ihre Karriere und das Musikgeschäft. Die neue Veröffentlichung dokumentiert RORY CALLAGHERs Blues-Leidenschaft während seiner Solokarriere von 1971 bis 1994. Der Künstler starb bereits 1995 an den Folgen einer Lebertransplantation. 

Statements: 

“As soon as I heard Cradle Rock, I was hooked. I thought, ‘This is what I want to be when I grow up.’” - Joe Bonamassa

“The man who got me back into the blues.” - Eric Clapton

“I really liked Rory, he was fine guitarist and singer and lovely man.” - Jimmy Page

“The man who changed my musical life was RORY CALLAGHER, I picked up a guitar because of him.”
- Johnny Marr

“Rory didn't sound like anybody else…He had a very individual, independent kind of tone and approach and everything. He's always been a big hero to me.” - Slash

“He was just a magician, he’s one of the very few people of that time who could make his guitar do anything it seemed. It just seemed to be magic. I remember looking at that battered Stratocaster and thinking “how does that come out of there?” - Brian May

“Rory was probably the most natural player I’ve ever seen. In all the gigs we did together I don’t think I ever heard him play the same thing twice... He was the ultimate performer.”
- Ritchie Blackmore

"’A Million Miles Away’ was the first song I learned on guitar. The story goes that when Jimi Hendrix was asked how it felt to be the greatest guitarist in the world, he answered, "I don't know. Go ask RORY CALLAGHER.” - Ed Sheeran

“When I was with Humble Pie and
we were all just beginning to feel like we were getting it together, Rory was the one
to measure yourself against. To be able
to play like that with such intensity was awesome and really the only other guitarist that had that ability was Hendrix.
I could never get a sound like that from
my Strat no matter how hard I tried.
He was a real credit to music and pushed it to another level altogether.” - Peter Frampton

"It is truly remarkable how many guitarists over the years have cited RORY CALLAGHER as an influence. I was introduced to his playing during the Taste years but it was during one of Rush's early tours opening for Rory in the fall of 1974 that left the greatest impression. He oozed passion in his playing and I envied his ability to transcend the moment. I learned a lot from him as a guitarist, but it was his character that touched me most.” - Alex Lifeson (RUSH)

"RORY CALLAGHER he was a great player. I've seen him perform several times he just used to use a little Fender amp and that beat-up old Strat, but boy, he could make that guitar talk. He was another guitar player who never got the credit he deserved, it's incredible.” - Ace Frehley (KISS)

“There’s very few true blues people. Rory stood out because he did it all the way through his life, that’s what he did. Who else is there? I can’t think of anyone that stands out as a real true honest follower of the blues and singer of the blues as Rory was.” - Bill Wyman

“There’s blues players, you know some guys who play some blues licks but was like improvising with that scale. He was improvising on the quarter tones, improvising on the feedback, improvising on the vibrato. If you close your eyes and take out the rhythm section and hear him playing it’s right up there with avant grade jazz music. I see a strong similarity between the approach to improvising over the blues between Rory and Jimi Hendrix. They were both virtuosos who were able to manipulate even the minutest aspect of the blues and do things that had never been played before.” - Larry Coryell

“It’s not too much to say that what like Hendrix did for the electric blues, Rory did in an Irish context. You know Hendrix was the great originator, he sought of did field hollers for the pace age you know. But Rory absolutely injected some Irish thing into it.” - Bob Geldof

(Quelle: Promoteam Schmitt & Rauch)