The theme for Black History Month 2022 is February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the Black community and reflect on experiences and accomplishments. So all month we’re highlighting some of the iconic black artists who’ve changed rock n’ roll.

Today we focus on Irish singer, musician, and songwriter: Phil Lynott.

“You can know that the final show is coming up, and prepare yourself for it mentally, but when it finally occurs, it’s like a dream. You stand there feeling the love the audience has for you, and you think, ‘Is this really going to end?” – Phil Lynott

Lynott was born to single mother Philomena in West Bromwich, England in 1949. He would go on to attend school in Moss Side, Manchester. But due to accounts of racism and Lynott being mixed race, his mother would send him to live with his grandparents in Crumlin, Dublin, in 1957. This was a key moment in Lynott’s life as the presence of his grandfather gave him a father figure for the first time. Lynott would have a happy childhood growing up in Dublin and was a popular student at school.

Fronting multiple bands as the lead vocalist, including Skid Row, Lynott would learn how to play bass guitar and with his friends Brian Downey, Eric Bell and Eric Wrixon the four would form legendary Rock Band, Thin Lizzy, in 1969. The band would find early success with their first album “Whiskey in the Jar” and would go on to have several hits in the mid-1970s such as “The Boys Are Back in Town”, “Jailbreak” and “Waiting for an Alibi”.

Thin Lizzy would start to struggle commercially in the early 1980’s and Lynott started showing signs of drug abuse that included regular asthma attacks. Lynott would disband Thin Lizzy in 1983 and sadly would die of pneumonia and heart failure on January 4, 1986, at the age of 36.

In 2005 a statue of Lynott was erected in central Dublin to celebrate one of their favorite sons of Rock & Roll.

By Type17 – Own work, CC BY 3.0