John Sykes

Born: 1959-07-29

John James Sykes (born 29 July 1959) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He has also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums. Following a stint in the heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang in the early 1980s, Sykes joined Irish hard rock group Thin Lizzy for their 1983 album Thunder and Lightning. He then joined Whitesnake, with whom he recorded the multi-platinum selling 1987 album. However, Sykes was let go from the band before the record's release under acrimonious circumstances, which led to him forming his own group Blue Murder. After two albums and a live record, he embarked on a solo career. For the remainder of the 1990s and early 2000s, Sykes split his time between his solo career and a reformed Thin Lizzy, which he fronted until 2009, when he left to focus on his solo career. Influenced by the likes of Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore and Gary Moore, Sykes is known for his distinctive playing style, characterized by his fast alternate picking, use of pinch harmonics, and sense of melody. In 2004, he was included on Guitar World's list of "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time". In 2006, Gibson released a limited line of John Sykes Signature Les Pauls, which were modelled after his 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Sykes, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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Thin Lizzy: Thunder and Lightning Tour

as Himself
Released: 1983-04-09

This is the long awaited 'Thunder And Lightning Tour'; the tour that was to prove Phil Lynott's...

Movie page

Whitesnake: Greatest Hits

as guitars, backing vocals
Released: 2022-07-15

Greatest Hits – Revised, Remixed & Remastered 2022. Whitesnake continues to revisit its...

Movie page

Whitesnake: Live in '84 - Back to the Bone

as Guitar
Released: 2014-11-07

An exciting archive release from Whitesnake, showing the band in an evolutional phase which...

Movie page

Heavy Metal: Louder Than Life

as Self
Released: 2006-01-01

This documentary is a considered look at the continuing story of Metal, in the words of the...

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Thin Lizzy: now, then and forever

as uncredited
Released: 2016-05-06

Movie page

Thin Lizzy - Live at the Regal Theatre

as Himself - Guitar
Released: 1983-01-23

This is an excellent video from this legendary band's farewell tour. Tracklist: -Introduction...

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Whitesnake: Live in Japan

as Guitar
Released: 1984-08-11

Recorded Live In Tokyo, Japan, August 11 & 12, 1984.

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Behind the Music

as Self
First aired: 1997-08-17

An intimate look into the personal lives of pop music's greatest and most influential artists.

TV Show page