Still Got the Blues

Gary Moore, 1990. Solo by Gary Moore.

Moore's crossover hit: a slow blues ballad with long singing notes.

Moore played the lead on a 1959 Les Paul Standard, and the solo marries long, singing sustain and wide vibrato with sudden flurries of fast rock phrasing, a bridge between his hard rock years and the blues. The ballad setting gives him space to let notes ring for a long time, and he plays as if each one might be his last. It became a crossover hit and introduced many rock listeners to blues guitar. Moore's control of dynamics is the key, moving from a whisper to a cry within a single phrase. Listen for the long held notes, where the vibrato slowly widens as the sustain continues; that swelling is the emotional heart of the song.

Still Got the Blues by Gary Moore is ranked #50 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Gary Moore and the song was released in 1990. It appears on 11 lists, placing as high as #2 (Guitar World (Joe Bonamassa)).

The story of Still Got the Blues

By the late 1980s Gary Moore had spent a decade as a hard rock and metal guitarist, after Thin Lizzy and his own heavy solo albums. He noticed that when he warmed up in dressing rooms before shows, it was blues he found himself playing. That habit led to a full change of direction: an album of blues standards and originals, anchored by a new slow ballad he wrote himself.

Moore recorded the album mainly at Sarm West in London, with more work at Metropolis and strings at Abbey Road, co-producing with engineer Ian Taylor. Taylor said they deliberately booked little studio time and chased a live band feel rather than polishing everything. The line-up on the title track included Don Airey on keyboards, Andy Pyle on bass, Graham Walker on drums and strings led by Gavyn Wright.

'Still Got the Blues (For You)' was reportedly cut in a single complete take on the first day of sessions. Moore said he went in determined, already hearing the guitar sound in his head, set the headphone balance, and simply went for it. The album around it featured guests such as Albert King and Albert Collins. Collins cut his track, 'Too Tired', in just three takes, and King famously had the band tune to him rather than to concert pitch.

The single came out in the UK on 30 April 1990, reaching No. 31 there and topping the Eurochart Hot 100, with top-three peaks in Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden. In early 1991 it reached No. 97 in the US, the only Hot 100 entry of Moore's solo career. The album sold around three million copies and relaunched him as a blues artist.

The solo

Moore played every guitar part, and the lead was performed on a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard he had bought around 1988-89. Songfacts relates that he initially set the guitar aside for rock work and brought it to the studio to test the room, only to find it perfect for the blues material. Moore's Wikipedia biography notes that a Soldano SLO-100 amplifier was used on the album. The solo marries long, singing sustain and wide vibrato to sudden flurries of fast rock phrasing, a bridge between his metal years and blues. Louder describes him playing as if each note might be his last. In 2008 a Munich court ruled that part of the solo infringed a 1974 instrumental, 'Nordrach', by the German band Jud's Gallery; the court found no deliberate theft and Moore denied knowing the piece.

Legacy

The song became Moore's signature, turning a rock guitarist known mainly in Europe into an international blues star and helping revive British blues guitar in the 1990s. Its parent album became the best seller of his career. After Moore's death in 2011, Eric Clapton recorded the song as a tribute on his 2013 album Old Sock. The solo's slow-burn phrasing remains a standard reference for players learning emotive rock-blues lead playing.

Top 10 facts about Still Got the Blues

It is the only single from Gary Moore's solo career to enter the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 97.
Wikipedia
The single reached No. 1 on the Eurochart Hot 100.
Wikipedia
In December 2008 a Munich court ruled the solo copied part of 'Nordrach', a 1974 track by Jud's Gallery.
Wikipedia
The title track was recorded in one complete take.
Louder
Moore said he started playing blues while warming up in his dressing room before rock gigs, which inspired the change of style.
Songfacts
Strings on the album were recorded at Abbey Road, while the main sessions took place at Sarm West in London.
Louder
Moore's co-producer Ian Taylor said they booked little studio time to preserve a live band feel.
Louder
The Still Got the Blues album sold more than three million copies worldwide, Moore's biggest success.
Wikipedia
A Soldano SLO-100 amplifier used on the album was bought by Joe Bonamassa in 2025.
Wikipedia
The live Blues Alive album, released in May 1993, includes a 6:44 version of the song.
Wikipedia

Live versions

Blues Alive (1993) Recorded on the 1992 tour; Moore's most successful live album, with a 6:44 performance of the song.

Notable covers

Eric Clapton (2013) Tribute recording on the album Old Sock, following Moore's death in 2011.

In our lists

Sources

Who played the guitar solo on Still Got the Blues?

Gary Moore played the solo on Gary Moore's Still Got the Blues (1990).

What guitar was used on the Still Got the Blues solo?

A gibson les paul through a Marshall amp, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Still Got the Blues rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#50 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 11 of them.

Who wrote Still Got the Blues?

Gary Moore wrote the song and co-produced the recording with Ian Taylor.

What guitar did Gary Moore use on Still Got the Blues?

A 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard that he had acquired shortly before the sessions.

Was Still Got the Blues plagiarised?

A German court ruled in 2008 that part of the solo infringed the 1974 instrumental 'Nordrach' by Jud's Gallery, though it found no evidence of deliberate copying.

What album is Still Got the Blues on?

It is the title track of Moore's 1990 album Still Got the Blues.

How did Still Got the Blues chart?

It reached No. 31 in the UK, topped the Eurochart Hot 100 and peaked at No. 97 in the US.