John Sykes

John James Sykes (29 July 1959 – 21 December 2024) was an English guitarist and singer, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He 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 self-titled 1987 album. However, Sykes was fired 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 was known for his distinctive playing style, characterised by his wide fret-hand vibrato, 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.

John James Sykes was born 29 July 1959 in Reading, Berkshire. The Sykes family spent three years living in Ibiza, Spain, where John's father and uncle owned a discothèque. Afterward, they moved back to Reading.

At age 14, Sykes took an interest in the guitar when his uncle showed him how to play some of Eric Clapton's licks. For the next two years, he practised playing blues songs on an old nylon-string guitar. Upon returning to Reading, Sykes entered a relationship and essentially gave up the guitar for a year and half. After moving to Blackpool, Sykes resumed playing and was asked to join the band Streetfighter by his friend Mervyn Goldsworthy, who would later play bass in Diamond Head, Samson and FM.

Sykes made his recording debut on the Streetfighter track "She's No Angel", which appeared on the New wave of British heavy metal compilation New Electric Warriors in 1980. Afterwards, he left Streetfighter to join Tygers of Pan Tang. Sykes recorded two albums with the group, Spellbound and Crazy Nights, which were both released in 1981. By the following year, however, Sykes had grown frustrated with the band as he and vocalist Jon Deverill would often butt heads with the other members. Additionally, he felt the group lacked both the style and dedication to achieve major success. Sykes left Tygers of Pan Tang in early 1982, two days before the start of a French tour. However, he appears on two tracks on the band's fourth album The Cage, which was released after he had already departed.

After leaving Tygers of Pan Tang, Sykes auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne's band and was briefly a member of John Sloman's Badlands. Despite a few shows and Sloman procuring a recording contract with EMI, the group ultimately broke-up.

After his departure from Tygers of Pan Tang, Sykes was still contractually obligated to deliver a single to the band's label MCA Records. Through Tygers of Pan Tang producer Chris Tsangarides, Sykes got in touch with Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott. The two co-wrote and performed the single "Please Don't Leave Me", which was released in 1982. The track also featured fellow Thin Lizzy members Brian Downey and Darren Wharton. Afterwards, Sykes was asked to join Thin Lizzy. He was officially confirmed as the band's new guitarist in September 1982, replacing previous guitarist Snowy White, who had quit the band one month earlier. Sykes performed on the group's 1983 album Thunder and Lightning, for which he also co-wrote the single "Cold Sweat". Sykes's inclusion helped revitalise the band, steering them towards a sound more akin to heavy metal. The supporting tour for Thunder and Lightning was billed as Thin Lizzy's farewell tour, though Sykes and Lynott were eager to continue further. During the tour, the band recorded the live album Life. Sykes also accompanied Lynott on a European solo tour. Thin Lizzy played their final UK concert at the Reading Festival in August 1983, before finally disbanding after a show at Nuremberg's Monsters of Rock festival on 4 September.