A look back at Thin Lizzy's career timeline through the years

'The Boys Are Back In Town' hitmakers had a meteoric rise to fame

Author: Scarlett MartinPublished 29th Oct 2023

With international hits such as 'Whiskey in the Jar', 'Jailbreak' and 'The Boys Are Back in Town' and 12 studio albums to their name, Thin Lizzy are nothing short of rock and roll royalty. The band, who were originally formed in 1969, have a dedicated legion of fans and continue to inspire some of the world's biggest bands, including Metallica and U2.

Since the sad passing of frontman and songwriter Phil Lynott in 1986, the band with its new lineup of Scott Gorham, Darren Wharton, Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson, Scott Travis and Troy Sanders continue to keep the legacy of Thin Lizzy alive.

To celebrate the band's amazing achievements over the years and to commemorate the late great Phil Lynott, we've highlighted some of the biggest and most notable moments from their incredible career.

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Thin Lizzy through the years: The band's career timeline

Career beginnings

Thin Lizzy was formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969, when guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon went to see school friends Phil Lynott and Brian Downey perform with their band Orphanage. After some brief introductions during a break in the show, the four of them decided to start a band together.

According to multiple sources, the name Thin Lizzy came from a robot character in The Dandy comic book called 'Tin Lizzie'. However, the band added a "H" to "Tin" as a playful nod to the Irish accent, where "thin" would often be pronounced as "t'in". Thin Lizzy would play their first show in Feb 1970, in a school hall near Dublin Airport.

1970-1973: Eric Wrixon's departure and debut album release

After parting ways with Eric Wrixon in late 1970, Thin Lizzy were signed by Decca Records and released their self-titled debut album in April 1971. The album caught the attention of radio DJs John Peel and Kid Jensen, who both played it extensively on their shows, but it failed to chart in the UK. After releasing their second album, 'Shades of a Blue Orphanage', Thin Lizzy went on a UK tour with Slade and Suzi Quatro in late 1972. Whilst on tour, Decca Records released the band's version of the traditional Irish ballad 'Whiskey In The Jar' as a single, without the band's knowledge. Despite the band's initial displeasure, the single reached Number 1 in Ireland and Number 6 in the UK in February 1973.

Just after the band released their third studio album, 'Vagabonds of the Western World' in late 1973, Eric Bell left the band due to ill health and was replaced by guitarist Gary Moore.

1974-1975: A new line-up

After Gary Moore's departure in April 1974, Thin Lizzy welcomed John Cann and Andy Gee into the fold before embarking on a tour in Germany. However, this new line-up proved to be only temporary and lasted solely for the duration of the tour. After holding more auditions, the band settled on Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham. Thin Lizzy achieved their first UK charting album in 1975 with fifth album 'Fighting', the follow-up to 1974's 'Nightlife'. However, despite the impressive guitar work on singles 'Wild Ones' and 'Suicide', they failed to chart.

1976-1977: The boys were back in town

The band achieved their big breakthrough moment upon the release of their sixth studio album, 'Jailbreak', in March 1976 The album featured the mega-hit, 'The Boys Are Back in Town' which reached Number 8 in the UK and Number 12 in the US. After the success of 'Jailbreak', Thin Lizzy supported Aerosmith and Rush on their US tours before embarking on their own 'Jailbreak' tour.

While recovering from a bout of hepatitis which saw the band end their previous tour prematurely, Phil Lynott wrote the majority of the follow-up album 'Johnny The Fox', which was released in October 1976. It reached Number 11 on the UK chart and the single 'Don't Believe a Word' reached Number 2 and Number 12 in the Ireland and the UK respectively.

In August 1977, Thin Lizzy headlined Reading Festival. A month later, they released their eighth studio album 'Bad Reputation', which went on to reach Number 4 in the UK after the success of the single, 'Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)'.

1978-1979: First live album

Thin Lizzy released their first live album 'Live and Dangerous' in June 1978, which went on to reach Number 2 in the UK and sold over half a million copies. This was the last album to feature guitarist Brian Robertson, who left the band shortly after its release. He was replaced by former Thin Lizzy member Gary Moore. In early 1979, Thin Lizzy recorded the album 'Black Rose: A Rock Legend', which featured the successful singles 'Waiting for an Alibi' and 'Do Anything You Want To'. Upon its release , 'Black Rose: A Rock Legend' reached Number 2 in the UK album chart.

Gary Moore abruptly left the band in July 1979 to focus on his solo career. Thin Lizzy continued as a trio before welcoming temporary members Midge Ure and Dave Flett. After joining forces with the Sex Pistols' Mick Jones and Paul Cook to create the band the Greedy Bastards in 1978, the supergroup released a Christmas single under the name The Greedies in December 1979, 'A Merry Jingle'.

1980-1981: Another line-up change and Phil Lynott's debut solo album

After welcoming new guitarist Snowy White and keyboardist Darren Wharton in 1980, Thin Lizzy started working on both their ninth studio album 'ChinaTown' and Phil Lynott's debut solo album 'Solo in Soho'. 'Chinatown' debuted at Number 7 in the UK, with the title track reaching Number 21. The second single 'Killer on the Loose', which was released amidst the Yorkshire Ripper murders, went on to reach the Top 10 despite the song's lyrics sparking public outrage. Lynott's solo album 'Solo in Soho', which featured songs 'Yellow Pearl' and 'Dear Miss Lonely Heart', reached Number 28 in the UK.

1982-1983: Thin Lizzy's separation and farewell tour

Snowy White decided to leave Thin Lizzy after the release of the album 'Renegade' and was swiftly replaced by John Sykes in 1982. The band released 'Thunder and Lightning', their 12th studio album the following year and it reached Number 4 in the UK.

After deciding to go their separate ways in 1983, Thin Lizzy played a farewell tour. Some of the shows were recorded for the live album 'Life' which featured 'Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)', 'The Boys Are Back in Town' and 'Still In Love With You'. The band played their final show at the Monsters of Rock festival in Nuremberg on 4th September 1983.

1986: Phil Lynott passes away

On the 4th January 1986, Phil Lynott sadly passed away after suffering from multiple organ failure as a result of his dependency on drugs. He was just 36 years old. While the band initially felt they could no longer continue without their songwriter and singer, Thin Lizzy did reform to play Self Aid, an unemployment benefit concert held in Dublin in May 1986. Later that year, a 'Vibe for Philo' tribute concert was held in Lynott's memory, which continues to be held each year on the anniversary of his death.

1994-2000: Official reformation

Despite playing several small-scale reunion shows throughout the late 80s/early 90s, Thin Lizzy didn't officially reform until 1994, just shy of a decade after Lynott's passing. John Sykes took on the role of vocalist and convinced former members Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Darren Wharton to return to the band, alongside bassist Marco Mendoza. When Downey left a year later, he was replaced by drummer Tommy Aldridge.

In 2000, Thin Lizzy released their live album, 'One Night Only' which included songs such as 'Jailbreak', 'Cold Sweat' and 'Cowboy Song'. Around this time, keyboardist Darren Wharton decided to leave Thin Lizzy.

2004-2007: Solo projects and Phil statue

After pursuing individual projects for a few years, Thin Lizzy came together once again, this time with Sykes, Gorham, ex-Angel bassist Randy Gregg and drummer Michael Lee for another round of touring. However, this line-up proved to be temporary and former members Mendoza and Aldridge both returned between 2005 and 2007.

Despite the new members bill, the band had no plans of recording new material, with Sykes publicly stating that the band was now "more of a tribute thing". A life-sized bronze statue of Phil Lynott was also erected in 2005 on Harry Street in central Dublin, just outside one of his favourite pubs.

2009-2010: More line-up changes

Thin Lizzy were meant to be going on tour with AC/DC in 2009 but had to cancel when Aldridge was involved in an accident which caused a broken collarbone. A few months later, it was announced that Sykes had decided to leave Thin Lizzy and all subsequent shows were cancelled. The remaining members decided to part ways, except Gorham who started creating a new line-up for Thin Lizzy.

In 2010, it was announced that former Thin Lizzy members Brian Downey, Marco Mendoza and Darren Wharton would be returning to the band, along with Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell and vocalist Ricky Warwick from The Almighty.

2011-2013: UK and European tour

With the new members in place, Thin Lizzy set out on a full UK and European tour in January 2011. Once the tour was over, Vivian Campbell decided to leave to rejoin his former band Def Leppard and was replaced by Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus.

The following year, the band announced that they had been in the studio recording new material, but that it would not be released under the Thin Lizzy name out of respect for Phil Lynott. The band ceased regular touring as Thin Lizzy in 2013 and announced that all new material would now be recorded under the name of Black Star Riders. Downey and Wharton decided to leave the band and not participate in this new venture.

2016: 40th anniversary

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the band's formation and the 30th anniversary of Lynott's death, Thin Lizzy returned to the stage for a handful of one-off shows. The line-up consisted of Gorham, Warwick, Johnson, Wharton and Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee.

2019-2021: Steelhouse Festival gig

To mark the 40th anniversary of the classic 'Black Rose' album, Thin Lizzy performed an exclusive show at the Steelhouse Festival, where they performed the album in its entirety. The band went on to play shows in the UK, Spain and Belgium, this time with Troy Sanders of Mastodon on bass guitar. It was also announced in 2019 that Ireland's Central Bank was releasing a commemorative coin to mark 70 years since Phil Lynott's birth. 2021 marked 35-years since Phil's sad passing.

In 2021, it was also announced that Scott Gorham had stepped down from Black Star Riders, after eight years and four studio albums. He decided to step down from all recording and touring commitments with them, however did continue to tour with Thin Lizzy.

2023: Thin Lizzy voted Ireland's greatest band

In March 2023, Thin Lizzy were voted Ireland's greatest band of all time, in a poll of more than 10,000 people, in a feat which saw them win ahead of Irish rock band U2. Triumphing in a 16-strong shortlist, other finalists included U2, The Pogues, Van Morrison, The Undertones, The Boomtown Rats, Something Happens, Ash, The Coronas, Horslips, Snow Patrol, The Frames, Aslan, Hosier, The Cranberries and Sinead O'Connor. With the results announced in St. Patrick's Day, Thin Lizzy secured 60.5% of the vote ahead of U2's 39.5%.