Benny Gallagher Official Artist Page

For sheer quality and distinction you need look no further than the career of Benny Gallagher. One half of
hit makers and blue chip songwriters Gallagher & Lyle; he began his career as a staff writer with the Beatles Music Publishing Co. Apple writing songs for Apple Records biggest artist Mary Hopkin.

Benny has always considered his "formative" days at Apple, and, especially, the constant encouragement of Paul McCartney, as one of the most important factors in his development as a songwriter.

In 1970 it was his and Graham Lyle's astute composing abilities that propelled the band McGuinness Flint to the top of the charts with their hit songs "When I'm Dead and Gone" and "Malt and Barley Blues"

After a brief, but, very enjoyable and extremely rewarding "dalliance" as members of Ronnie Lane and The Slim Chance Band playing on the hit singles" How Come", "The Poacher" and the ensuing Album 'Any More for Anymore" the duo enjoyed a string of of their own successes – the richly romantic " Heart on my Sleeve " and " I Wanna Stay With You". Their Breakaway album was a huge success – with even more accolades to follow when it's title track was recorded by Art Garfunkel for his biggest selling solo Album.

On record he has worked with: Paul McCartney - Eric Clapton - Pete Townsend - Ronnie Lane - Ronnie Wood - Gary Brooker - Georgie Fame - Mary Hopkin - Elkie Brooks - Ralph McTell - Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention, as well as Blues legends Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (who wrote " That's Alright Mama " for Elvis Presley), and Champion Jack Dupree.

Over the last few years, in between song-writing visits to Nashville, composing soundtracks for film and television he has toured Australia, the Middle and Far East, Europe, and the U.K. as bassist / vocalist with The Manfreds, performed at The Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival with Don Schlitz, Nanci Griffiths, and Pat Alger, played an “In the Round Concert” with Beth Nielsen-Chapman, Ricky Ross and Charlie Dore to celebrate the opening of the new BBC Scotland Headquarters in Glasgow, performed at SXSW in Austin, Byron Bay Blues Festival, Canterbury Folk Festival in N.Z. - a couple of special guest appearances with Dougie MacLean at his Perthshire Amber Festival, and Jazz Guitar Legend Martin Taylor in his string of sell-out shows at the London Jazz Festival, earned a sell-out laurel as a solo artist at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe, performed 3 Gallagher and Lyle Charity Shows, 9 Gallagher & Lyle concert dates and went on to attend the LIPA Student Graduation in his capacity as a Companion of Sir Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts!

As a testament to the enduring quality of Benny Gallagher's song-writing:
1. Simon & Garfunkel and Garth Brooks both performed “A Heart in New York “ in their Concerts in Central Park to audiences of approx. 500,000 and 750,000

2. Don Williams had a No.1 Country Hit with “Stay Young” which generated well in excess of 1,000,000 airplays on US Radio.

3. Galagher and Lyle were recipients of the 2010 Nordoff-Robbins Tartan Clef Lifetime Achievement Award.

4. The songs composed by Benny and Graham Lyle for Apple Record's biggest solo artist and lifelong friend Mary Hopkin are featured in the recently released..

‘Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records’
The First Commercial Multi-Artist Compilation in Apple’s History
Release Date: October 25th 2010

A selection of artists that have recorded and released Benny Gallagher songs:
Art Garfunkel - Bryan Ferry - Colin Blunstone - Don Williams – Donovan Frankereiter - Elkie Brooks - Fairport Convention - Garth Brooks - Joe Brown - Judith Durham – Little Anthony and the Imperials - Mary Hopkin - Phil Everly - Ricky Nelson - Ringo Starr - Rita Coolidge - Simon and Garfunkel - Status Quo - The Fureys and Davey Arthur - Tompall and The Glaser Bros. - LemonJelly and Jim Capaldi to name but a few.....






A Benny Gallagher song, ‘Tusitala’ has been chosen to represent the Robert Louis Stevenson panel of The Great Tapestry of Scotland

The album:
‘THE MUSIC AND SONG OF THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND’
Representing 40 Panels of The Tapestry
CDTRAX372D – BAR CODE 5 018081 037223
www.greentrax.com

will be released by Greentrax Recodings in association with ‘The Great Tapestry of Scotland’, which is currently being stitched on panels by hundreds of volunteers. The panels have been designed by the artist Andrew Crummy, on behalf of the Tapestry Trustees: Alexander McCall Smith, Alistair Moffat, James Naughtie, Lesley Kerr and Hugh Andrew. The Tapestry will be launched in 2013, when it will be handed over to the Nation and thereafter go on exhibition. It will depict the history of Scotland and each panel will focus on a personality or important event. The Tapestry, which will be the longest in the world, has been given the stamp of approval by The Scottish Parliament.

UPDATE:
MUNDELL MUSIC AWARDS

Among the winners of the 2013 awards,were Jefferson Starship (Best International Performance), Gallagher and Lyle (Best UK Performance) and former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor (Best Guitarist). Colin Blunstone of the Zombies won Best Vocalist,
http://mundellmusic.com - http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/music/arts-news.20422529

www.bennygallagher.com