Editing Gordon Giltrap (section)

=== 1990s ===
In 1992, Giltrap performed at the Warwick Folk Festival when he performed, arguably, his finest live session. Unbeknownst to Giltrap, this was recorded and later released as an album. It was this album which caught the attention of [[Ritchie Blackmore]], who had become a self-professed admirer of Giltrap's work.<ref>''Perilous Journey''. 2018, First edition, Steve Pilkington, p.147</ref>

In 1993, Giltrap was able to complete a project he had contemplated for some time. He wished to re-record "Heartsong" with famous friends [[Brian May]], [[Steve Howe]], [[Rick Wakeman]], [[Midge Ure]] and [[Neil Murray (British musician)|Neil Murray]]. When completed there was little interest from record companies and it was two years before the track surfaced on an album.<ref>''Perilous Journey''. 2018, First edition, Steve Pilkington, p.153</ref>

Later that year, Giltrap joined Midge Ure on his Out Alone solo tour. Giltrap co-wrote a song with him entitled "Feel So Good" which was eventually released on the 2001 album ''Little Orphans''. He also undertook a tour with a guitarist he greatly admired, [[Albert Lee]], along with his band [[Hogan's Heroes (band)|Hogan's Heroes]].

In 1994, Giltrap toured with [[ELO Part II]]. a group created by ELO drummer [[Bev Bevan]] without the involvement of [[Jeff Lynne]]. Giltrap was disappointed that his name did not appear on any advertising poster, nor was he actually remunerated for his performances. These were very well received and resulted in good CD sales.<ref>''Perilous Journey''. 2018, First edition, Steve Pilkington, p.158</ref>

Giltrap had used a [[Fylde Guitars|Fylde guitar]] on "Heartsong" which had been greatly admired by [[Cliff Richard]]. This guitar is the one he played on BBC's ''[[Top of the Pops]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftCbSABgzb0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/ftCbSABgzb0| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Heartsong by The Gordon Giltrap Band|date=19 January 2009 |access-date=4 September 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Whilst interviewing many musicians for ''[[Guitarist (magazine)|Guitarist]]'' magazine, Giltrap met Cliff Richard for the first time since the 1970s when he had originally loaned Richard the Fylde. It had an intricately designed inlay of the 'Tree of Life' on the fretboard and Richard loved it. Giltrap decided to present it to him as a gift.<ref>''Perilous Journey''. 2018,  First edition, Steve Pilkington, p.158</ref>

In 1995, Giltrap released the album ''Music for the Small Screen''. Not many of these pieces, composed as the theme tunes for television programmes, had appeared on his albums. The album featured the all-star reworking of "Heartsong" and also a track entitled "Last of England", later to be the title of a highly regarded album, which had been used in the [[Adrian Shergold]] drama ''Will You Love Me Tomorrow''. This play was loosely based on the actions of child killer [[Mary Bell]] and featured Giltrap in a cameo role as a newspaper seller strumming a guitar.

This album also featured a track entitled "The Lord's Seat" which had been written for a television documentary. It still remains a staple of Giltrap gigs. The track was written in a [[Renaissance music|Renaissance]] style and required a special, [[lute]]-like baby guitar made by [[luthier]] Rob Armstrong. Another track on the album, "Brutus", had been used as the theme tune of the [[World Bowls Championship]].

In 1995, Giltrap was invited by Cliff Richard to take part in his West End musical ''[[Heathcliff (musical)|Heathcliff]]'', which was based upon the ''[[Wuthering Heights]]'' novel by [[Charlotte Brontë]]. Giltrap's character in the show was the [[Troubadour]].<ref>''Perilous Journey''. 2018,  First edition, Steve Pilkington, p.168</ref> He sang three songs in the show.

After some public previews at [[Earls Court Exhibition Centre|Earls Court]], ''Heathcliff'' premiered at the [[Utilita Arena Birmingham|National Indoor Theatre]] in Birmingham in October 1996. The show then headed to [[Edinburgh Playhouse]] for a four-week run before returning to Birmingham for a few pre-Christmas shows. It then travelled to the [[Palace Theatre, Manchester|Palace Theatre]] in Manchester and finally [[Hammersmith Apollo|Hammersmith Odeon]] before its final performance there in May 1997. ''Heathcliff'' reached an audience of nearly half a million people during its run and broke box-office records at almost every theatre at which the production was staged. Whilst not popular with critics, a video of the show recorded at [[Hammersmith Odeon]] remained top of the video charts for eight weeks.

Giltrap's next album, ''Troubadour'', was named after his character in ''Heathcliff''.<ref>''Perilous Journey''. 2018, First edition, Steve Pilkington, p.171</ref> ''Troubadour'' gave Giltrap the chance to approach his old friend [[Del Newman]] to work on the string arrangements for the album.<ref>''Perilous Journey''. 2018, First edition,  Steve Pilkington, p.171</ref> Newman wanted to produce the album himself to ensure the right balance between his string arrangements and Giltrap's guitar.

When he heard that the album was going to include a version of "A Misunderstood Man", Cliff Richard approached Giltrap and volunteered to sing backing vocals on the track. ''Troubadour'' also includes another song from the ''Heathcliff'' musical: "Be With Me Always". The first edition of the album included sleeve notes written by both Cliff Richard and [[Tim Rice]].<ref>''Perilous Journey''. 2018, First edition, Steve Pilkington, p.172</ref>  An important album for Giltrap, many of its tracks are frequently included in his live performances to this day.

One of the album's tracks, "Rain in the Doorway", utilised a beloved baby guitar purchased at a boot sale for £5. It has since been renovated and usually accompanies Giltrap on his gigs, used primarily for the piece "Appalachian Dreaming".<ref>{{Cite web|title=July 2020 News Update - Gordon Giltrap - general - General News|url=https://giltrap.co.uk/news/general/General_News/5242|access-date=2020-11-22|website=giltrap.co.uk|language=en-gb}}</ref> The album gained very favourable reviews and sold well.

Alongside his continued live performances, Giltrap then began conducting celebrity interviews for ''[[Guitarist (magazine)|Guitarist]]'' magazine. This led to him meeting Fay Goodman, who was considering producing a series of DVD interviews with prominent musicians. Once employed, Giltrap found himself interviewing stars such as [[Albert Lee]] and [[Tony Iommi]]. One such interview was with one of his heroes, [[John Entwistle]] of [[the Who]]. Their encounter was later released as a DVD entitled ''Thunderfingers''.