Thin Lizzy is an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The original lineup included bassist, lead vocalist, and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell, and organist Eric Wrixon, although Wrixon left after a few months. Bell departed at the end of 1973, and was briefly replaced by Gary Moore, who was himself replaced in mid-1974 by twin lead guitarists Scott Gorham, who remained with the band until their breakup in 1983, and Brian Robertson, who stayed until 1978 when Moore rejoined. Moore left a second time and was replaced by Snowy White in 1980, who was in turn replaced by John Sykes in 1982. Keyboardist Darren Wharton joined the band in 1980.

The band had several hit singles, including "Whiskey in the Jar" (1972), "The Boys Are Back in Town" (1976), and "Waiting for an Alibi" (1979). Many of their albums reached the top ten in the UK. Thin Lizzy's music incorporates a variety of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock, and traditional Irish folk music, but they are generally classified as hard rock, and sometimes heavy metal. Lynott was the driving force behind the band's creativity, writing or co-writing nearly all of their material, and he was the first Black Irishman to achieve commercial success in rock music. Thin Lizzy also featured several guitarists over the years, with Downey and Lynott forming the rhythm section on drums and bass guitar. The band had members from both sides of the Irish border and from both Catholic and Protestant communities, making them unique during The Troubles.

After Lynott's death in 1986, various versions of the band emerged, initially led by guitarists Gorham and Sykes, though Sykes left in 2009. Gorham continued with a new lineup that included Downey. In 2012, Gorham and Downey decided not to record new material under the Thin Lizzy name, so they formed Black Star Riders to tour and produce new music. Thin Lizzy has since reunited for occasional concerts.

Rolling Stone magazine described the band as distinctly hard rock, "far apart from the braying mid-70s metal pack," while AllMusic critic John Dougan praised Lynott as a more insightful and intelligent writer, influenced by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and the Irish literary tradition.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_Lizzy

Studio albums 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)