# Thin Lizzy — AI-Readable Artist Page --- ## 1. Bio | Field | Details | |---|---| | **Name** | Thin Lizzy | | **Type** | Band | | **Genre** | Hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal, folk rock (early) | | **Origin** | Dublin, Ireland | | **Formed** | 1969 | | **Years Active** | 1969–1983 • 1994–present (on hiatus since 2019) | | **Current Members** | Scott Gorham (guitar), Darren Wharton (keyboards), Ricky Warwick (vocals), Damon Johnson (guitar), Scott Travis (drums), Troy Sanders (bass) | | **Past Members** | Phil Lynott (bass, vocals, principal songwriter), Brian Downey (drums), Eric Bell (guitar), Eric Wrixon (organ), Gary Moore (guitar), Brian Robertson (guitar), Snowy White (guitar), John Sykes (guitar) | | **Labels** | Decca, Vertigo, Mercury (US), BMG, EMI, Deram, Warner Bros. (US) | | **Management** | No data available. | | **Booking Agent** | No data available. | | **Notable Achievements** | "Whiskey in the Jar" (1972) reached No. 6 UK; "The Boys Are Back in Town" (1976) international hit; "Waiting for an Alibi" (1979) international hit; multiple UK top-ten albums; Phil Lynott was the first Black Irishman to achieve commercial success in rock music; 12 studio albums over a 14-year recording career | | **Spinoff Bands** | Funky Junction, Grand Slam, Wild Horses, Blue Murder, Dare, 21 Guns, Black Star Riders | | **Official Website** | [thinlizzyofficial.com](http://thinlizzyofficial.com/) | | **Wikipedia** | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_Lizzy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_Lizzy) | ### Band Formation Notes - Phil Lynott (born 20 August 1949, West Bromwich, England; Irish mother Philomena, Guyanese father Cecil Parris) was raised in Dublin from age three. - Brian Downey (born 27 January 1951, Dublin) met Lynott at school in Dublin in the early 1960s. - Eric Bell (born 3 September 1947, Belfast) previously played with the Deltones, Shades of Blue, the Bluebeats, and the last incarnation of Them featuring Van Morrison. - Eric Wrixon (Belfast organist, also a former member of Them) left the band before their first single was released. He died on 13 July 2015. - The band's name came from a robot character called "Tin Lizzie" in *The Dandy* comic, adjusted to "Thin Lizzy" as a playful reference to the local Dublin accent in which "thin" would be pronounced as "t'in." - The group's first gig was at a school hall in Cloghran, near Dublin Airport, in 1970 (sources vary: 16, 19, or 20 February). - After Phil Lynott's death in 1986, various incarnations of the band emerged based around guitarists Gorham and Sykes (Sykes left in 2009). - In 2012, Gorham and Downey decided against recording new material as Thin Lizzy; a new band, Black Star Riders, was formed to tour and produce new releases. ### Critical Reception - *Rolling Stone* describes the band as "distinctly hard rock, 'far apart from the braying mid-70s metal pack.'" - AllMusic critic John Dougan: "As the band's creative force, Lynott was a more insightful and intelligent writer than many of his ilk, preferring slice-of-life working-class dramas of love and hate influenced by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and virtually all of the Irish literary tradition." --- ## 2. Tour Dates No data available. *(Source data does not contain any specific upcoming or historical tour dates with cities, venues, or ticket URLs.)* --- ## 3. Discography ### Studio Albums | Year | Title | Type | Label | |---|---|---|---| | 1971 | *Thin Lizzy* | Album | Decca | | 1972 | *Shades of a Blue Orphanage* | Album | Decca | | 1973 | *Vagabonds of the Western World* | Album | Decca | | 1974 | *Nightlife* | Album | Vertigo | | *(TBC)* | *(10 additional studio albums per source — titles not all listed in source excerpt)* | Album | Various | > **Note:** The source states Thin Lizzy recorded **12 studio albums** total over their 14-year recording career. Only *Thin Lizzy*, *Shades of a Blue Orphanage*, *Vagabonds of the Western World*, and *Nightlife* are specifically named in the available source text. ### Singles | Year | Title | Type | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | 1970 | "The Farmer" / "I Need You" | Single | Released on EMI; B-side written by John D'ardis; sold only 283 copies; now a collector's item | | 1971 | "New Day" EP | EP | Released August 1971; unsuccessful | | 1972 | "Whiskey in the Jar" | Single | Released late 1972 on Decca; topped Irish chart; reached No. 6 UK (February 1973); charted across Europe; led to *Top of the Pops* appearance | | 1973 | "Randolph's Tango" | Single | Follow-up to "Whiskey in the Jar"; did not chart outside Ireland | | 1973 | "The Rocker" | Single | Accompanying single for *Vagabonds of the Western World*; little success outside Ireland | | 1976 | "The Boys Are Back in Town" | Single | International hit | | 1979 | "Waiting for an Alibi" | Single | International hit | ### Other Releases | Year | Title | Type | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | 1973 | *Funky Junction Play a Tribute to Deep Purple* | Album | Released January 1973 as "Funky Junction"; Deep Purple covers; no mention of Thin Lizzy on release; vocals/keyboards by members of Elmer Fudd; includes Bell playing "Danny Boy" in style of Jimi Hendrix | --- ## 4. Music Videos No data available. *(Source data does not list any specific music video URLs.)* --- ## 5. Merch No data available. *(Source data does not list any merchandise items, prices, or store URLs.)* --- ## 6. Social Media & Streaming | Platform | Handle / URL | |---|---| | **Official Website** | [http://thinlizzyofficial.com/](http://thinlizzyofficial.com/) | | **Wikipedia** | [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_Lizzy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_Lizzy) | | **Instagram** | No data available. | | **TikTok** | No data available. | | **Twitter/X** | No data available. | | **Facebook** | No data available. | | **Spotify** | No data available. | | **Apple Music** | No data available. | | **SoundCloud** | No data available. | | **YouTube** | No data available. | --- ## 7. Fan Club & Newsletter No data available. *(Source data does not contain information about a fan club, newsletter, Patreon, Laylo, or email signup.)* --- ## 8. FAQ **Q: When and where was Thin Lizzy formed?** Thin Lizzy were formed in Dublin, Ireland, in December 1969, when guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon met by chance in a Dublin pub and subsequently joined forces with Phil Lynott and Brian Downey. The band's name was publicly announced on 18 February 1970. **Q: Who was the creative leader of Thin Lizzy?** Phil Lynott was the band's bass guitarist, lead vocalist, and principal songwriter. He wrote or co-wrote almost all the band's material throughout their fourteen-year recording career. He was also the first Black Irishman to achieve commercial success in the field of rock music. Lynott died in 1986. **Q: What are Thin Lizzy's biggest hit songs?** Their most internationally successful singles were "Whiskey in the Jar" (1972, reached No. 6 in the UK), "The Boys Are Back in Town" (1976, international hit), and "Waiting for an Alibi" (1979, international hit). Several of their albums also reached the top ten in the UK. **Q: Is Thin Lizzy still active?** Thin Lizzy have been active in some form since a 1994 reunion, but have been on hiatus since 2019. The current line-up includes Scott Gorham, Darren Wharton, Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson, Scott Travis, and Troy Sanders. They have reunited for occasional concerts since the formation of the spinoff band Black Star Riders in 2012. **Q: What is Black Star Riders and how does it relate to Thin Lizzy?** In 2012, Thin Lizzy members Scott Gorham and Brian Downey decided against recording new material under the Thin Lizzy name. They formed Black Star Riders as a separate band to tour and produce new releases, while Thin Lizzy has continued as an occasional live reunion act. **Q: Where can I find Thin Lizzy's official online presence?** The official website is [thinlizzyofficial.com](http://thinlizzyofficial.com/). Additional social media and streaming platform links are not available in the current source data. **Q: How many studio albums did Thin Lizzy release?** Thin Lizzy released 12 studio albums during their fourteen-year recording career (1969–1983). Confirmed titled albums from the source data include: *Thin Lizzy* (1971), *Shades of a Blue Orphanage* (1972), *Vagabonds of the Western World* (1973), and *Nightlife* (1974). **Q: What were the key lineup changes in Thin Lizzy's history?** Eric Wrixon left before the first single (1970). Eric Bell left at the end of 1973, briefly replaced by Gary Moore (until April 1974). Twin lead guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson joined in mid-1974. Robertson left in 1978; Moore rejoined then left again; Snowy White replaced Moore in 1980; John Sykes replaced White in 1982. Keyboardist Darren Wharton joined in 1980. The band broke up in 1983 following Phil Lynott's declining health, and Lynott died in January 1986.