William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, songwriter, and producer. He formed the blues rock trio Taste in 1966, which experienced some moderate success in the UK. He also found success with a solo career releasing music throughout the 1970s and 1980s and selling more than 30 million records worldwide. Gallagher is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing, which strongly influenced other guitarists such as Brian May and Eric Clapton. But, due to his lack of commercial success, he is often referred as "the greatest guitarist you've never heard of". Gallagher was voted as guitarist of the year by Melody Maker magazine in 1972, and listed as the 57th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, and raised in Cork, Munster. His popularity had declined throughout the 1980s due to changes within the music industry and poor health. Gallagher received a liver transplant in 1995, but died of complications later that same year in London at the age of 47. Early life Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal in 1948. His father Daniel was employed by the Irish Electricity Supply Board, who were constructing Cathaleen's Fall hydroelectric power station on the Erne River above the town. The family moved to Derry City, where his younger brother Dónal was born in 1949. Dónal would act as Rory's manager through most of his career. His mother, Monica, and the two boys later moved to Cork, where the brothers were raised. Rory attended North Monastery School. Daniel Gallagher had played the accordion and sang with the Tír Chonaill Céilí Band while in Donegal; their mother Monica was a singer and acted with the Abbey Players in Ballyshannon. The Theatre in Ballyshannon where Monica once acted is now called the Rory Gallagher Theatre. Both sons were musically inclined and encouraged by their parents to pursue music. At age nine, Gallagher received his first guitar from them. He built on his burgeoning ability on ukulele in teaching himself to play the guitar and perform at minor functions. After winning a cash prize in a talent contest when he was twelve, he bought his next guitar. Gallagher began performing in his adolescence with both his acoustic guitar, and an electric guitar. However, it was a 1961 Fender Stratocaster, which he purchased three years later for