Thin Lizzy

Hard-rock pioneers Thin Lizzy paved the way for generations of heavy bands with a riff-centric attack based around dueling guitarists. Co-founded in Dublin in 1969 by vocalist-bassist Phil Lynott, the group reached No. 1 on the Irish singles chart with a revved-up 1972 cover of the traditional folk song “Whiskey In the Jar.” In subsequent years, Lynott became the first Black Irishman to achieve rock stardom as Thin Lizzy refined their sound around guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson; this pair can be heard wailing on hard-charging hits like “The Boys Are Back In Town” and “Jailbreak.” In the late ’70s, Robertson was replaced by a returning ferocious talent, the influential blues-rock guitarist Gary Moore, as Thin Lizzy once again stretched out sonically, including by tackling rock arrangements of traditional folk-leaning songs. The band broke up in 1983, and although Lynott died three years later, various incarnations of Thin Lizzy appeared over the years—notably Black Star Riders, who coalesced when Gorham and a new lineup wanted to record new music.