The Gary Moore Band-Grinding Stone (1973)

Gary Moore is one of the greatest guitarists in history. Influenced primarily by the blues, he ventured into heavier genres like hard rock and heavy metal, and even dabbled in progressive jazz rock. Gary Moore's career began in the late 1960s when, at just 17 years old, he joined the band Skid Row (not to be confused with the American band of the same name from the 1980s). With Skid Row, Moore recorded three albums and became very popular, opening for established bands like Mountain and The Allman Brothers Band across the United States. In 1973, Moore decided to form his own band, The Gary Moore Band, with whom he recorded his first album, "Grinding Stone", where the Irish guitarist already showed glimpses of what was to come in the following years. "Grinding Stone" is a magnificent album of hard rock and psychedelic blues, featuring outstanding compositions such as the opening track "Grinding Stone", a psychedelic instrumental where Moore showcases his talent on the six-string guitar, and brilliant cuts like the epic, progressive-tinged "Spirit" and the boogie blues "Boogie My Way Back Home". From this point on, Gary Moore continued to release albums with various groups, including the progressive jazz-rock band Colosseum and the hard rock band Thin Lizzy, as well as solo albums. His solo work alternated between hard rock and metal albums and traditional blues, and on more than one occasion, he even explored the rhythms and melodies of traditional Irish music, from his homeland. In 2011, Gary Moore was found dead in a hotel room in Málaga, the victim of a heart attack in his sleep. He was 58 years old and had been a fixture in the music scene for over forty years.