Bad Penny, Rory Gallagher
Bad Penny tribute 1948 - 1994, duration: 4.47 minutes. 1. Intro Discovering a new song or awesome live performance is always a pleasure, even for this writer at the age of 68. One such discovery occurred in late February 2025. It was Bad Penny , by the late, great Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher (1948-95). How it happened is unclear, but when a live version popped up on YouTube, the writer was intrigued. He looked around and found others, along with an original studio recording. The majority of the live recordings were off video or soundboard and are high quality. Why the interest in this specific song? Because it is a classic, late 70s rock song, with a catchy, though simple and rocking melody, and an awesome lead break and riff in D minor. All versions are linked below, along with a discussion of the song, its music, words and performance variations. Along the way anecdotes of Rory Gallagher are interspersed. The song was obviously a favourite with the band, as it was ...