He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive pick -based style on the bass and for his imaginative lyrical contributions, including working-class tales and numerous characters drawn from personal influences and Celtic culture.
Lynott was born in the West Midlands of England and grew up in Dublin with his grandparents. He remained close to his mother, Philomena , throughout his life. He fronted several bands as a lead vocalist, including Skid Row alongside Gary Moore , before learning the bass guitar and forming Thin Lizzy in After initial success with " Whiskey in the Jar ", the band had several hits in the mids, such as " The Boys Are Back in Town ", " Jailbreak " and " Waiting for an Alibi ", and became a popular live attraction combining Lynott's vocal and songwriting skills with dual lead guitars.
Towards the end of the s, Lynott embarked upon a solo career and published two books of poetry. After Thin Lizzy disbanded, he assembled and fronted the band Grand Slam. In the s, Lynott increasingly suffered drug-related problems, particularly an addiction to heroin. In , he had a final chart success with Moore, " Out in the Fields ", before his death in He remains a popular figure in the rock world, and in , a statue in his memory was erected in Dublin.
She subsequently had two more children who were placed for adoption. Lynott first attended school in Moss Side , Manchester. In , due to accounts of racism and Lynott being mixed race, his mother sent him to live with his grandparents, Frank and Sarah Lynott, in Crumlin, Dublin. The presence of Frank gave him a father figure for the first time in his life. He joined his first band, the Black Eagles , in as a lead singer, playing popular covers in local clubs around Dublin.
Lynott then left the family home and moved into a flat in Clontarf , where he briefly joined the group Kama Sutra. It was in this band that he learned his frontman skills, and worked out how to interact with an audience. Downey was not interested in Shiels' request to be the drummer, so the job went to Noel Bridgeman. He took to smearing boot polish under his eyes on stage to draw attention to himself, which he would continue to do throughout Lizzy's career later on, and regularly performed a mock fight with Shiels onstage to attract the crowd.
