Marty,
The thing is Gary is very widely known and popular in the rest of the world. It is only in the US that he, for some crazy reason, has never been fully appreciated. His omission from the RS 100 greatest guitarists list is as absurd as it is a case in point (not that it's Gospel, but still). His music might have been a different flavor in the '70s and '80s, but his talent was always mind-blowing. By the time he focused primarily on blues, he was already recognized as one of the greatest guitar players outside of the US, so I really doubt that anyone would even think of him as a Green wannabe. But I do agree with you that him being Irish was a big factor in his less than deserved popularity in the US. But that solo around the 5 min mark is just unreal.
The thing is Gary is very widely known and popular in the rest of the world. It is only in the US that he, for some crazy reason, has never been fully appreciated. His omission from the RS 100 greatest guitarists list is as absurd as it is a case in point (not that it's Gospel, but still). His music might have been a different flavor in the '70s and '80s, but his talent was always mind-blowing. By the time he focused primarily on blues, he was already recognized as one of the greatest guitar players outside of the US, so I really doubt that anyone would even think of him as a Green wannabe. But I do agree with you that him being Irish was a big factor in his less than deserved popularity in the US. But that solo around the 5 min mark is just unreal.