By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Blues guitarist Gary Moore is finally coming to Seoul for his first concert here on April 30.
The 57-year-old British musician-songwriter, who is best known for ``Still Got the Blues'' and ``Parisienne Walkways,'' will be performing April 30 at the Olympic Indoor Fencing Stadium, Olympic Park, southern Seoul.
Since he started his career in the 1960s, Moore has performed with the likes of B.B. King, Colosseum II, Thin Lizzy and blues band Skid Row. He has had a prolific career, releasing 26 albums from his debut album ``Grinding Stone'' in 1973 to ``Bad for You Baby'' in 2008.
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1952, Moore got into rock-and-roll first by listening to Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Seeing Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers perform in his hometown in the 60s led Moore to the blues-rock sound that he would become known for.
Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green was also a big influence in Moore's early days, acting as a mentor for the young guitarist. Later in his career, Moore paid tribute to his mentor in the album ``Blues For Greeny'' (1995).
Moore joined the blues band Skid Row, which released three albums, but left to focus on a solo career.
He released his first solo album, ``Grinding Stone,'' in 1973. It was a few years later when he scored a hit with the single ``Parisienne Walkways,'' which featured vocals from Phil Lynott. It peaked at number 8 on the U.K. singles charts in 1979. It is perhaps the song most identified with Moore. A re-recording of the song also reached number 32 on the U.K. charts in 1993.
Throughout his career, Moore continued to experiment with different sounds and genres from jazz to rock to modern dance. But he still proved to be the best at blues music, returning to the genre with the well-received album ``Still Got the Blues'' (1990), featuring collaborations with Albert King, Albert Collins and George Harrison.
Moore again became more experimental with his music on ``Dark Days In Paradise'' (1997) and ``A Different Beat'' (1999). He also formed a power trio called Scars with former Skunk Anansie bassist Cass Lewis and Primal Scream drummer Darrin Mooney. Scars released an album and went on tour in the U.K. in 2003.
Moore once again returned to the blues genre with his last few albums ``Power of the Blues'' (2004), ``Old New Ballads Blues'' (2006), ``Close As You Get'' (2007) and ``Bad For You Baby'' (2008).
Moore will be performing in Russia and Japan in early April, before heading to Seoul for the concert here on April 30. The concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are 132,000 won, 110,000 won and 88,000 won. Visit ticket.interpark.com or call 1544-1555.