Phil Lynott
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| Phil Lynott | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Philip Parris Lynott |
| Born | 20 August 1949 West Bromwich, England, UK |
| Died | 4 January 1986 (aged 36) Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, UK |
| Genre(s) | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, vocalist, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar, harmonica, irish harp, percussion |
| Years active | 1965 – 1985 |
| Associated acts | Thin Lizzy, The Greedies, Skid Row, Grand Slam, Gary Moore |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Rickenbacker bass (early) Fender Precision Bass |
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Philip Parris Lynott (20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, instrumentalist, and songwriter, who first came to prominence as the frontman of Thin Lizzy.
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[edit] Early life
Lynott was born in Hallam Hospital (now Sandwell General Hospital) in West Bromwich (then in Staffordshire), England, the son of an Afro-Brazilian father, Cecil Parris, and an Irish mother, Philomena (aka Phyllis) Lynott, whose surname he adopted. His father left his mother just three weeks after he was born and returned to his native Brazil.[1] Phil was christened at St. Edwards Church in Selly Park, Birmingham.
Phil was initially brought up in Moss Side, Manchester where he became a Manchester United fan. While still at school, he moved to Crumlin, Dublin, to live with his grandmother, Sarah.[2] His parents reportedly kept in touch for a number of years after his birth, but Lynott did not meet his real father until the late 1970s.
[edit] Music career
In the mid 1960s, Lynott began singing in his first band, the Black Eagles.[2] Around this time, he befriended Brian Downey, who was later persuaded to join the band from the 'Liffey Beats'. Before long the Black Eagles broke up (when Downey left to join 'Sugar Shack') and Lynott joined 'Kama Sutra' before settling into a short stint singing in Skid Row, a band that featured guitarist Gary Moore, bassist Brendan 'Brush' Shiels and drummer Noel Bridgeman. Lynott was let go by Skid Row following a temporary absence to have his tonsils removed. Lynott had acquired a bass guitar and Shiels gave him some lessons to help him on his way. Lynott and Downey quickly put together a new band titled 'Orphanage' with guitarist John Stanton and bassist Pat Quigley. At the end of 2006 a number of Skid Row and Orphanage demo tapes featuring Phil Lynott were discovered. These were his earliest recordings and had been presumed lost for decades.[3]
In 1969, Lynott and Downey quit Orphanage to form Thin Lizzy with guitarist Eric Bell and keyboard player Eric Wrixon (both ex-Them, but from different line-ups).[2] Lynott was the main songwriter for Thin Lizzy, as well as the lead singer and bassist. Their first top ten hit was in 1973, with a rock version of the traditional Irish song "Whiskey in the Jar",[2] featuring a cover by Irish artist and friend, Jim Fitzpatrick.[4] Their biggest international hit, the 1976 song "The Boys are Back in Town", featured Lynott's lead vocals. The song reached the top 10 in the UK, Ireland and Canada, and peaked at #12 in the US.
In 1978, he was featured in Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, singing and speaking the role of The Parson. In 1979, under the name of "The Greedies" (originally "The Greedy Bastards", but shortened for obvious reasons), he recorded a Christmas single, "A Merry Jingle", featuring other members of Thin Lizzy as well as Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols. He also performed alongside Jones and Cook on Johnny Thunders' solo album So Alone.
In 1980, though Thin Lizzy were still enjoying considerable success, Phil Lynott launched a solo career with the album, Solo in Soho: this was a Top 30 UK album and yielded two hit singles that year, "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts" and "King's Call". The latter was a tribute to Elvis Presley, and featured Mark Knopfler on guitar. His second solo venture, The Philip Lynott Album was a chart flop, despite the presence of the single "Old Town". The song "Yellow Pearl" (1982), was a #14 hit in the UK and became the theme tune to Top Of The Pops.
In 1980, he married Caroline Crowther, the daughter of British comedian Leslie Crowther.[2] The couple had two children - Sarah, for whom the 1979 song of the same title was written, and Cathleen.[2]
In 1984, Thin Lizzy disbanded.[2] Later that year, Lynott recorded a rock'n'roll medley single, "We Are The Boys (Who Make All The Noise)" with Roy Wood, Chas Hodges, and John Coghlan. Phil regularly collaborated with former bandmate blues/rock guitarist Gary Moore on a number of tracks including the singles "Out in the Fields" (a No. 5 UK hit in 1985), his highest-charting single ever, "Parisienne Walkways" (a UK no. 8 hit in 1978), "Back On The Streets" and "Spanish Guitar" in 1979.
In 1984, he formed a new band, Grand Slam - with Doish Nagle, Laurence Archer, Robbie Brennan, and Mark Stanway.
It was rumoured that Lynott would team up with Northern Ireland hit maker Clodagh Rodgers to perform a duet in the 1986 A Song for Europe TV contest with the hope of representing the UK in the subsequent Eurovision Song Contest. His last single, "Nineteen", released a few weeks before his death, was produced by Paul Hardcastle. It bore no relation to the producer's chart-topping single of the same title some months earlier.
[edit] Death
Lynott's last years were dogged by drug and alcohol dependency, and on the night of 25 December 1985, he was rushed to hospital suffering from a kidney and liver infection.[2] He died of heart failure and pneumonia on 4 January 1986 at the age of 36.[2] In 2006, he was named the 59th greatest metal singer by heavy metal magazine Hit Parader.
In 2005, a life-size bronze statue of Phil Lynott was unveiled on Harry Street, off Grafton Street, Dublin. The ceremony was attended by former band members Eric Bell, Gary Moore, Brian Robertson, Brian Downey, and Scott Gorham, and by Lynott's mother. The attending Thin Lizzy members paid tribute with a live performance.[5] The statue appears in the movie Once in a scene where the main characters attempt to hire a street busking "Lizzy" cover band as session musicians on their own songs. His grave in St. Fintan's cemetery in Sutton is regularly visited by family, friends, and fans.[6]
In November 2005, American actor Gary Dourdan revealed in a radio interview that he has carried out preliminary work with a view to playing Phil Lynott in a film biography. This has also been tentatively confirmed by Phil Lynott's mother, Philomena, in an article by Rolling Stone magazine.[7] [8]
In April 2007, The Rocker: A Portrait of Phil Lynott was released on DVD in the UK.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Solo in Soho (1980)
- The Philip Lynott Album (1982)
- Live In Sweden 1983 (2001)
[edit] References
- ^ Thin Lizzy website
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Thin Lizzy star dies on BBC website. Retrieved 28 December 2007
- ^ Fans' joy as Lynott demos unearthed
- ^ *Philip Lynott remembered by his friend, artist Jim Fitzpatrick
- ^ Thin Lizzy's Lynott back in town from BBC News, Northern Ireland, 20 August 2005. Retrieved 28 December 2007
- ^ Lynnot's grave, St. Fintan's Cemetery
- ^ Rolling Stone article
- ^ April 2007 story
- Hale, Mark (1993). "1694 Philip Lynott". Headbangers (First edition, second printing ed.). Ann Arbor, Michigan: Popular Culture, Ink. pp. 201. ISBN 1-56075-029-4.
- Putterford, Mark (2002). Phil Lynott: The Rocker. Omnibus Press. pp. 228.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Roisin Dubh Trust - Official Website
- Thin Lizzy - A Rock Legend - Remembering Philip Parris Lynott - Fan Website
- The Official Vibe For Philo - Rock event honouring Phil Lynott every 4 January
- Rolling Stone article about Phil Lynott, his statue in Dublin, and the 'My Boy' movie
- Some of the last photos of Lynott, along with album artwork and personal memories by his friend, artist Jim Fitzpatrick
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