Artists & Bands

Thin Lizzy | Tunes + Guitar Lessons

Thin Lizzy forged a unique Irish rock legacy with unforgettable riffs, iconic anthems, and the charisma of Phil Lynott. Explore their rise from folk roots to stadium glory!

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From Whiskey In The Jar to Live and Dangerous: The Thin Lizzy Story

Irish rock band Thin Lizzy was formed in Dublin in 1969 by drummer Brian Downey and bassist, lead singer, and songwriter Phil Lynott.

Their best-known tunes include Whiskey In The Jar, The Rocker, The Boys Are Back In Town, Jailbreak, Don’t Believe A Word, and Dancing In The Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in It’s Spotlight).

The band’s lineup changed frequently, with guitarist Gary Moore famously joining and leaving three times. Outside of Thin Lizzy, he also recorded the hit Parisienne Walkways with Lynott.

Three years after forming, their label released Whiskey In The Jar, a rocked-up version of a traditional Irish folk song. It was only their second single, and the band weren’t thrilled—it didn’t represent the sound they were going for. Still, the song charted across Ireland, the U.K., and Europe, landing them an appearance on Top of the Pops and a taste of what was to come.

Unfortunately, follow-up singles failed to capture the same attention. The Rocker made waves in Ireland but didn’t take off elsewhere. It would take several more albums and smaller releases before the band gained international momentum.

That moment arrived in 1976 with the album Jailbreak, which featured both the title track and The Boys Are Back In Town—the latter becoming a rock anthem. With half a million albums sold in the U.S. alone, Thin Lizzy had finally broken through.

Later that same year, they released Johnny the Fox, with Don’t Believe A Word helping to keep the buzz going.

In 1977, Bad Reputation dropped, featuring Dancing In The Moonlight (It’s Caught Me In It’s Spotlight)—not to be confused with the similarly titled hits by Toploader or King Harvest. This would turn out to be their last major single.

One more significant release came in 1978 with the live album Live and Dangerous, produced by Tony Visconti. Rumours swirled that much of it was re-recorded in the studio for tax reasons—though Visconti later admitted that very little was actually overdubbed. Whether or not this is true remains a topic of debate among fans.

After Live and Dangerous, no significant singles followed. Band members continued to come and go until Thin Lizzy finally disbanded following the death of their frontman. Phil Lynott passed away in 1986 due to internal organ failure, brought on by years of heavy drug and alcohol use.

In 2005, a life-sized bronze statue of Phil was erected on Harry Street in Dublin—a fitting tribute to one of Ireland’s most iconic rockers.