Thin Lizzy

Thin Lizzy biography

Style and legacy

thumb From 1974, Thin Lizzy switched from using one lead guitarist to two. Though others had earlier used similar techniques, Thin Lizzy are widely recognised as one of the first hard rock bands to employ double lead guitar harmony sound - a technique pioneered by Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac and Wishbone Ash in the UK, whilst independently in the USA by Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band. This style was later refined and popularised in the mid-1970s by bands like Thin Lizzy and Judas Priest, and later by the emerging New Wave of British Heavy Metal groups such as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard. Iron Maiden covered the song "Massacre" from Thin Lizzy's Johnny the Fox album, and released it on their 1988 single Can I Play with Madness. A cover of "Cowboy Song" appears on "Sound of White Noise" by Anthrax as the bonus track for album's Japanese release.

Thin Lizzy is also the major inspiration for modern heavy metal bands, most notably Metallica and Mastodon. Mastodon covered Thin Lizzy's classic "Emerald", which has been included as a bonus track for their Japanese release of their album Remission. They have played the song live several times, including an acoustic version with Scott Gorham on guitar. and the Rollins Band covered their song "Are You Ready?" on their album Get Some Go Again (2000). The 2005 release from The Great Divide (band) included a cover of "Cowboy Song" in two parts.

Current members

• Brian Downey - drums (1969-83, 1996-98, 2010-present)
• Scott Gorham - guitar, backing vocals (1974-83, 1996-2001, 2004-present)
• Darren Wharton - keyboards, vocals (1981-83, 1996-2001, 2010-present)
• Marco Mendoza - bass guitar, backing vocals (1996-2001, 2005-07, 2010-present)
• Ricky Warwick - lead vocals, occasional guitar (2010-present)
• Damon Johnson - guitar, backing vocals (2011-present)

Former members

• Phil Lynott - bass guitar, lead vocals (1969-83; died 1986)
• Eric Bell - guitar, backing vocals (1969-73)
• Eric Wrixon - keyboards, backing vocals (1969-70)
• Gary Moore - guitar, backing vocals (1974, 1977, 1978-79; died 2011)
• Brian Robertson - guitar, backing vocals (1974-78)
• Midge Ure - guitar, keyboards and backing vocals (1979-80)
• Dave Flett - guitar, backing vocals (1979)
• Snowy White - guitar, backing vocals (1980-82)
• John Sykes - guitar, lead and backing vocals (1982-83, 1996-2001, 2004-09)
• Tommy Aldridge - drums (1998-2001, 2007-09)
• Randy Gregg - bass guitar, backing vocals (2004-05)
• Michael Lee - drums (2004-07; died 2008)
• Francesco DiCosmo - bass guitar, backing vocals (2007-09)
• Vivian Campbell - guitar, backing vocals (2010-11)
• Richard Fortus - guitar, backing vocals (2011)

Discography

• Thin Lizzy (1971)
• Shades of a Blue Orphanage (1972)
• Vagabonds of the Western World (1973)
• Nightlife (1974)
• Fighting (1975)
• Jailbreak (1976)
• Johnny the Fox (1976)
• Bad Reputation (1977)
• Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979)
• Chinatown (1980)
• Renegade (1981)
• Thunder and Lightning (1983)

References

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