“Fender execs were miffed that the brand was being represented by such a worn-out Strat. They gave Rory a new one to replace the ’61. It saw little use”: The story of Rory Gallagher’s ’61 Stratocaster, one of the most iconic guitars of all time

Rory Gallagher wields his heavily-worn '61 Fender Stratocaster onstage in London in 1975.

The following is an extract from Gallagher's Guitars: The Rory Gallagher Collection, which is available now.

Rory Gallagher's Sunburst Strat has a unique beauty to it and it appeared on many album covers through the years: Deuce (1971), Live in Europe (1972), Against the Grain (1975), Top Priority (1979), Stage Struck (1980), Jinx (1982), and Fresh Evidence (1990). On Against the Grain and Jinx, the Strat appears on its own without its owner, like a metonymy for Rory himself. The link between the two is so strong that on an album cover, the Strat is Rory.