Growing up in England, Jack Moore had a guitar teacher that many players — including pros — would have died for: his father, the Irish electric guitar virtuoso and onetime Thin Lizzy member Gary Moore.
As Jack tells Guitar Playerthe arrangement had both its ups and its downs, particularly when the elder Moore instilled discipline in his son.
“He used to send me to my room to practice my vibrato,” Moore says. “He identified that as a weakness in me at first. So he was like, ‘Get to your room, practice.’ So I went and I listened to a lot of Hendrix. There’s not many better teachers than that. I kind of honed it, playing for hours, trying to get his approval.”
When he did, it came in small but meaningful ways.
“I remember one occasion,” Jack says, “I was just playing in the living room, he walked past and he shot me this look of ‘Do that again.’ So I bent the string up and he gave me this nod of approval. Then he just walked off.”
Moore passed away in 2011 at the age of 58. Jack, now 37, is an experienced musician and vocalist in his own right. He’s one third of Smith, Lyle & Moore, the trio he formed with Los Angeles-based producer/musician Andrew Smith and Atlanta-based songwriter/musician Tyler Lyle. The group’s debut single, “Fate,” featured background vocals from another famous offspring: Dhani Harrison, the son of former Beatle George.
When Guitar Player caught up with Jack, he was in Poland, recording and jamming with his musical partner and multi-instrumentalist, Quentin Kovalsky, with whom he plans to release an album later this year. As it happens, Jack doesn’t live in the U.K. anymore, having moved to Barcelona.
As for his style, Jack and Kovalsky are working outside the electric blues realm favored by his father. “It’s like a mix of classic rock, with modern pop sensibilities,” Jack explains. “So it’s a nice contrast that is catchy and fun with a rock twist.”
On the duo’s current single, “Autumn,” one can hear echoes of his father’s voice, but with a certain easiness of style, as well as some fine guitar licks.
But while the music differs from his dad’s, Jack plays a Gibson Les Paul from the Gary Moore signature line, which his father gave him for his 18th birthday. There’s also his Firebird guitar that once belonged to his father and graced many a stage.
Jack laughs. “I remember when he bought it. I’d coveted that guitar from this shop, GAK, in Brighton, England. He told me I’m never getting my hands on that. So, yeah, that’s quite a personal one for me.”
Jack has also been flirting with a Fender Telecaster as of late. “I’ve started using Teles quite a bit and have got a Signature Tele on the way to me from this little Polish company called Miuu,” he reveals.
Although Jack would describe Hendrix as his “number one” influence, he also name-checks B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Tom Morello and John Frusciante, testament to the diversity of Jack’s palette of guitar styles. Another stand-out is Joe Bonamassa, whom Jack shared the stage with in 2011 at the Sunflower Jam event at the majestic Royal Albert Hall in London.
“Joe is a real gentleman and has been nothing but kind to me,” he says, beaming. “He’s one of the finest examples of hard work and tenacity paying off in music. Joe is a phenomenal player and I’d love to work with him in some capacity in the future.”
Jack is no stranger to the biggest names in music, seeing them first hand alongside his father when he was growing up. George Harrison for example, respected Gary Moore deeply and was instrumental in getting him to participate in the Travelling Wilburys second album, Vol. 3alongside Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan.
“Even as a very young kid, I remember George very fondly — a lovely human and truly special person,” Jack says. ”My Dad had his own Wilbury name. He was Ken. I remember there were plectrums around the house with ‘Ken Wilbury’ on them,” he says, smiling.
Bizarrely, Jack also has some amazing memories of Tom Petty giving him piggy-back rides around Petty’s ranch when Moore was a child. Jack recalls the huge impact of his songs. “My very first memory of listening to music with Dad was Tom Petty records,” he says. “I am a big fan of their work, and Dad loved them too.”
Jack’s earliest memories of his father are from the early 1990s, around the time of Moore’s Still Got the Blues and Early Hours. Although his dad could be a stern teacher, he gave Jack the room to grow into his own style. While he did get to tour with his father in 2008, there is one aspect of their relationship he never got to realize. “I only wish I could have written with him,” Jack says. “I think we would have gelled really well.”
A project to create a memorial statue of Moore in Belfast is gaining momentum and has the full backing of Jack and his wider family circle. “I really hope it does happen,” he says. “It’s looking promising. We’ll all be so glad and proud when we see it being unveiled.”
But Jack and his career may be the best memorial to his dad’s talent and memory.
“He instilled a lot of the hard work in music for me, and to never take anything for granted,” Jack says. “He also gave me the passion to do my own thing, go create and have my own unique kind of style and identity. He was a great dad in so many ways.”
The Gary Moore Statue for Belfast campaign aims to raise EUR80,000 to erect a statue of the former Thin Lizzy member in his native Belfast. The campaign has the support of members of Moore’s family, the Belfast City Council and local councillors. To donate, visit idonate.
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