2022/03/10 by Lauren Alex O’Hagan · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Fashion and Cultural Textiles #Music History and Culture #Cultural Industries and Urban Development #Blues #Clothing #Compromise #Irish #Popular music #Art #Aesthetics #Art history #Visual arts #Sociology #Law #Political science #Social science #Philosophy #Linguistics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/19401159.2022.2048988
openalex publication_date 2022/03/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
This paper traces how the international music press used the clothing and appearance of the Irish blues/rock musician Rory Gallagher to mythologize him as the “People’s Guitarist.” I explore how this image was constructed and developed over time, as well as Gallagher’s own response to this mythologization and how it has consolidated since his death in 1995. I argue that Gallagher’s unwillingness to compromise his integrity and shift his music or clothing to fit changing trends made him an anomaly in an image-conscious music industry. Thus, his appearance became an easy target for the music press who focused overwhelmingly on his clothing in interviews and articles. This focus unfairly drew attention away from his music and downplayed the important contribution he made to the world of blues and rock.