One of the things that I like to do when I “discover” a new artist that I like is to trace their roots. You can learn a lot about a guitar player based on who they cite as influences. Joe Bonamassa has often cited Rory Gallagher as a major influence, and Bonamassa has even covered Gallagher on his albums.

Gallagher is a fairly well-known, but (in my opinion) under appreciated blues guitarist. He’s almost better known for his beat up “sunburst” Strat than he is for his guitar playing, but he is a great guitar player. While exploring some of Gallagher’s live footage on YouTube, I came across this video of Gallagher playing “Off the Handle”.