John Sykes


John Sykes is an English musician and songwriter, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder, and has released several solo albums.
Following a stint in the heavy metal group Tygers of Pan Tang in the early 1980s, Sykes joined the Irish hard rock group Thin Lizzy for their 1983 album Thunder and Lightining. Sykes then joined Whitesnake, with whom he released the multi-platinum selling 1987 album. However, Sykes was let go from the group before the album's release and thus decided to form his own band Blue Murder. After three albums, Sykes embarked on a solo career before reforming Thin Lizzy in the 1990s as tribute to the group's deceased frontman Phil Lynott. Sykes continued to front the group until 2009, when he left the band to continue his solo career.
In 2006, Gibson released a limited line of signature John Sykes Les Pauls, which were modelled after his 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom, that he has used throughout most of his career.

Career

Early career

Influenced by the likes of Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker and Uli Jon Roth, Sykes began his musical career in 1980, when he joined the band Streetfighter. He soon left the group to join Tygers of Pan Tang. Sykes recorded two albums with band, before joining the Irish hard rock group Thin Lizzy in 1982. He did however make an appearance on the fourth Tygers of Pan Tang album The Cage, which was released after he had already joined Thin Lizzy. Sykes was also briefly involved with former Uriah Heep vocalist John Sloman's band Badlands, which failed to procure a recording contract.

Thin Lizzy

After successfully audtioning for Thin Lizzy in 1982, Sykes performed on the group's 1983 album Thunder and Lightning, for which he also co-wrote the track "Cold Sweat". Sykes has later been credited for revitalizing the band musically, steering them towards a heavier sound. The supporting tour for Thunder and Lightning was billed as Thin Lizzy's farewell tour, though Sykes and the group's frontman Phil Lynott were eager to continue. During the tour, the band recorded the live album Life and Sykes also accompanied Lynott on a European solo tour. Thin Lizzy played its final UK concert at the Reading Festival in August 1983, before finally splitting up after a show at Nuremberg's Monsters of Rock festival on 4 September.
Phil Lynott died on 4 January 1986, aged 36. In 1994, Sykes along with former Thin Lizzy alumn Brian Downey, Scott Gorham and Darren Wharton formed a new touring version of Thin Lizzy, which was presented as a tribute to Phil Lynott's life and work. While the band only performed material from Thin Lizzy's back catalogue, and did not compose any new material, they were still criticised for using the Thin Lizzy name without Lynott being present. In 2000, the group released a live album, One Night Only. Sykes would continue to front this version of Thin Lizzy through various line-up changes off and on, before announcing his departure from the group in 2009, stating that "I feel it's time to get back to playing my own music". Scott Gorham would later reform Thin Lizzy, without Sykes' involvement.

Whitesnake

In 1983, Sykes was asked to join British hard rock group Whitesnake. After getting Phil Lynott's blessing, Sykes agreed to join. His first order of business was to record some guitar parts for the US release of the group's 1984 album Slide It In. The band then embarked on a lengthy world tour, which culminated in two shows at the 1985 Rock in Rio festival.
Sykes was heavily involved in the making of Whitesnake's next album, co-writing nine songs with vocalist David Coverdale. The two began writing in the South of France in early 1985, before heading to Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver to begin recording. During the album's recording process, Coverdale's relationship with the rest of the band began to sour, which eventually culminated in him firing all other members, including Sykes. Whitesnake's self-titled album was eventually released in April 1987, and proved to be the band's most commercially successful album to date, reaching number two Billboard 200 chart and selling over eight million copies in the US.
Since leaving Whitesnake, Sykes' relationship with David Coverdale has remained strained, with Sykes admitting he's still "very bitter" about how Coverdale treated him. In 2017, Sykes said of Coverdale: "I really have no interest in ever talking to him again." He's also stated that "I regret that I never got to play those songs live - and I think fans regret it, too."

Blue Murder

Following his dismissal from Whitesnake, Sykes put together a new group with drummer Carmine Appice and bassist Tony Franklin. Vocalist Ray Gillen was initially tapped for the project, but after some encouragment from A&R executive John Kalodner, Sykes decided to handle lead vocal duties himself. Dubbed Blue Murder, the band released its self-titled debut album in April 1989, and it reached number 69 on the Billboard 200 chart. Blue Murder's second album Nothin' But Trouble was released in 1993, but failed to chart, something Sykes blamed on Geffen Records. According to him, instead of pushing the album, the company were trying to reunite him with David Coverdale, which he wasn't interested in. In 1994, Blue Murder released a live album, , after which the band were dropped from their label and broke-up.
There have been several attempts to reunite Blue Murder since the band's break up. In 2019, Carmine Appice revealed that the group had rehearsed together, but Sykes wanted the band to tour under the moniker John Sykes & Blue Murder, something Appice was unwilling to do. In 2020, Appice stated that he and Sykes had once again talked about the possibility of a Blue Murder reunion, but nothing came of the conversation.

Solo career

Sykes released his first solo single "Please Don't Leave Me" in 1982, which featured Phil Lynott on lead vocals and bass. The track was later repackaged with some Tygers of Pan Tang material and released as an album. Sykes released his first proper solo album Out of My Tree in 1995.
Sykes released his second solo album Loveland in 1997. His record company had initially requested a seven track extended play of ballads, but Sykes ultimately decided to expand the project into a proper album. That same year, he released 20th Century, an album of heavier material written as a response to the softer sound of Loveland. In 2000, Sykes released Nuclear Cowboy, which was followed by 2004's Bad Boy Live!, a live album featuring songs from his time with Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Blue Murder, as well his solo material.
In 2011, Sykes revealed he was forming a new band with drummer Mike Portnoy. However, in 2012, Eddie Trunk confirmed that the project had dissolved. Bassist Billy Sheehan had also been tapped for the project, but ultimately their individual schedules didn't line up, and Sykes "was not on the same timetable" as the others. Sykes was later replaced by Richie Kotzen, and group became The Winery Dogs.
In 2013, Sykes revealed he was working on a new solo album. Samples from the record were released in 2014, and Sykes discussed the album in a 2017 interview with Young Guitar Magazine. In 2019, it was announced that Sykes had signed a recording contract with Golden Robot Records, with the intent of releasing his upcoming album that same year. However, in November 2019, Sykes announced that he had ended his partnership with Golden Robot Records.

Equipment

Sykes has used a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom throughout most of his career. The guitar is fitted with chrome hardware, Grover tuners and a brass nut. The guitar featured a Gibson Dirty Fingers pick-up in the bridge position, that has since then been swapped out for a Gibson PAF reissue. In 2006, Gibson produced a limited number of Les Pauls based on Sykes' Custom model. The line quickly sold out. Other guitars Sykes has used include a sunburst 1959 Gibson Les Paul, a 1961 Fender Stratocaster, an EVH Frankenstein and a Joe Satriani model Ibanez.
Sykes mainly uses EVH 5150 III amplifiers and cabinets. He previously used a Marshall JCM800 for live performances. For Whitesnake's 1987 album and the first Blue Murder record, Sykes used two Mesa Boogie Coliseum heads with Mark III pre-amp sections and six 6L6 power tubes. Sykes also uses Ernie Ball strings, gauged at.010 to.046, and Dunlop 1.14mm Tortex picks.

Discography

Solo albums