Benny Gallagher
| Benny Gallagher | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bernard Joseph Gallagher |
| Born | 10 June 1945 |
| Origin | Largs, Scotland |
| Genres | Pop, folk rock, country rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, piano accordion, mandolin, ocarina, harmonica |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | A&M, Mercury, OnSong |
| Associated acts | Gallagher & Lyle, McGuinness Flint, Ronnie Lane, The Manfreds |
Bernard Joseph "Benny" Gallagher (born 10 June 1945, Largs, Ayrshire) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, most famous as half of the popular duo Gallagher and Lyle.
The son of Irish parents, Gallagher worked initially as a marine electrician in the shipyards of Glasgow. During this time, he also played bass guitar in local semi-professional beat group The Bluefrets, which featured Graham Lyle on lead guitar.
Gallagher's first published song was "Mr Heartbreak's Here Instead", which he co-wrote with Andrew Galt. This was recorded as a single for EMI-Columbia in 1964 by Dean Ford and the Gaylords, the bulk of which later became chart-topping outfit Marmalade.
Galt then made two singles for Pye, "Comes The Dawn" and "With My Baby", under the name James Galt; both were co-written and featured backing vocals by Gallagher and Graham Lyle.
In 1966, Gallagher and Lyle – who by now had forged a songwriting partnership – moved to London in search of a publishing deal. Both continued to hold down day jobs, Gallagher as an electrician and Lyle as a shipping clerk, while waiting for their big break. After an abortive contract with Polydor, which yielded one unsuccessful single, the pair joined Apple Corps as staff songwriters and wrote several songs for Mary Hopkin.
Gallagher and Lyle first hit the chart as performers in late 1970 as the leading lights of McGuinness Flint, a blues-rock band formed by ex-Manfred Mann guitarist Tom McGuinness. This band made two well-received albums and scored two Top 5 singles in Britain with "When I'm Dead and Gone" and "Malt and Barley Blues", before Gallagher and Lyle left to work as a duo. Gallagher was credited as Bernard Gallagher on sheet music copies of early songs such as these, but later shortened his forename to avoid confusion with golfer Bernard Gallacher.
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