GERRY McAVOY
TERRY SMITH and RS55 - Was the headline for an advert in Beat Instrumental circa 1966.

It went on: Rotosound RS55 “Jazz King” flatwound is the string that helps Terry produce his exciting, unique sounds.”I like a heavy string” he told Alan Marcuson, Sales director of the manufacturers of Rotosound Strings,”and I find Rotosound particularly well balanced. And I never had a break.”
RS55”Jazz King” at your Rotosound dealer now 29/11d.

Fantastic. I was a young struggling musician in Belfast at the time playing six string guitar in a group called “Pride”.This later developed into “Deep Joy” when I switched to Bass Guitar.

Funny enough when I bought my Bass or should I say my Mother did. I was told it already had a set of RS66 round wound strings.I later found out that was a lie. This was confirmed when I heard John Entwhistle on the “Who’s” “My Generation”and my guitar didn’t sound like that so off I went in search of this sound and low and behold it was the Rotosound RS66.

Since that day I have played this particular set of strings.

Eventually leaving to travel to England with my band Deep Joy. We were signed to the Robert Stigwood Agency who already had “Taste” on their books, because of this we ended up doing a few support slots with Taste who had the gifted guitar player Rory Gallagher as their frontman.

When eventually both bands split which incredibly enough was on the same day 31st December 1970 also both bands played their last gig in Belfast on that particular evening.

A few months went by I was in and out of jobs back in Belfast when I got a call from none other than Rory Gallagher.

He was putting a band together under his own name. Well, needless to say I jumped at the chance and off I went again but this time it would last for 20 years.

I played with Rory from 1971 to 1991.

I travelled the world with Rory. Rory and the bands success is now history but I wasn’t satisfied with my lot so in 1991 I decided to leave and join the now reformed Nine Below Zero, and that is where I am today.

Throughout those 38 years the RS66 strings have travelled with me. I think I must be Rotosound’s oldest living endorsee - wow that’s a worry.

Gerry McAvoy