ROCK LEGEND NEWS - 2005

An item recently came to light which was worthy of further investigation it was a photograph of a Balloon with Thin Lizzy written on the side. So when contact with the Pilot was made he had a great story regarding the Balloon and the 1978 Reading Pop Concert!

Here is Mike Glue's own story! "I obtained my balloon pilot's licence in 1974 and was one of seven members of a syndicate operating a balloon in Hertfordshire. Sharing the balloon with others didn't work that well so I decided in 1977 to seek sponsorship for a new one which would cost between £5,000 and £6,000 - the price of a Rover 2000 car. I wrote to a few companies without success and then a friend down my local suggested I contacted a few record companies and he gave me three addresses, one of which was Phonogram. The friend was Dave Peacock, then a session musician later to become famous as half of Chas & Dave.

Phonogram were considering hiring an airship to promote Thin Lizzy at the Reading Festival but the only airship flying in the UK then was the Goodyear airship which was based in Italy. My letter arrived on the marketing manager's desk, he sent me a telegram and after a meeting a few days later a new balloon was ordered from Cameron Balloons in Bristol. It was built is record time as the Reading Rock Festival was only 5 weeks away.

 The plan was to overfly the Reading Festival whilst Lizzy were on stage on 27/8/77 but high winds made a launch impossible. However, on the Sunday at 19.10 whilst the Doobie Brothers were on stage, the balloon lifted off from Littlejohn Farm, adjacent to the festival site and drifted low over the crowd.

Apparently the Doobie Brothers were not too happy when 40,000 people started chanting Lizzy, Lizzy! The balloon landed 35 minutes later in Palmer park in Reading. Over the next few years, it was used to promote other bands as well including Status Quo, Rush, Lindisfarne, Graham Parker & The Rumour & Dire Straits. It also appeared on Multi Coloured Swap Shop in 1980 taking Maggie Philbin aloft. The balloon retired in around 1983 and was donated by Phonogram to the British Balloon Museum & Library."

It has been officially announced that very special guests at Vibe For Philo 2006 will include Thin Lizzy legends Brian Robertson and Eric Bell. Both Brian and Eric have thrilled the Vibe stage before - but this is the first time that they will perform together since 1991!

Robbo will be performing with the red-hot Southbound Band - whose previous Vibe appearances have been sensational - this has all the hall marks of being something very special indeed!!!

Eric will take to the stage with the Houseshakers (a.k.a. The Tuesday Night Band of Vibe 2005) featuring the legendary Jimmy Faulkner and Noel Bridgeman. Eric and Brian will be lifting their guitars onstage together for the first time at a Vibe For Philo in fifteen years, and this will make for some unique memories.

                                                                                                                                
The fundraiser will see not only Eric Bell's band on the bill but also Renegade and Problem Solved. Guest of honour will be Philip’s mother, Philomena Lynott. Tickets will be on sale shortly.

The Eric Bell Band will be appearing on German TV on Sunday! For those of you outside Germany, Austria & Switzerland; cable or satellite viewers should be able to tune in. Channel: Hit Giganten, SAT 1. Date & Time: Sunday 13th November 2005 at 8.15pm

                                                                                                                                
BB King has announced a series of live performances which will mark his retirement from UK touring. The blues legend will be joined by fellow guitarist Gary Moore on a double bill of rhythm and blues music. The five-date UK tour begins on 29 March, 2006, in Sheffield and ends at Wembley Arena on 4 April, also taking in Birmingham, Bournemouth and Manchester.

Check out Garys's Web Site for BB King tour dates.

Robbo reforms The Clan to Tour Sweden

                                                                                                                                
Check out Robbo's Web Site for Swedish tour dates.

Tribute Gigs

                                                                                                                               
Three upcoming tribute gigs:

(click images for larger version)

Server Problems....

                                                                                                                               
We've had some server problems causes by a rogue log file that grew to over 400MB in size! We've found the little beggar and have given it a right good kicking. It won't be back! Normal service is now resumed!

On Thursday we hit a new record with 2,303 sessions in a single day! No wonder the server is straining!

Statue Unveiling and Gig

A report on the weekend is here

Robbo in Dublin

Check out the news page on Robbo's Official Web page for some info on what he'll be up to on stage in Dublin later this week ... The Old Bitch will be making an appearance!

Coloured Vinyl

Bootleg  Lizzy vinyl on eBay for £15-18!!

Classic Rock - Lizzy Feature And Lynott Cover

                                                                                                                        
Don't forget to buy the latest edition of Classic Rock. Onsale from 27th July.

"In the latest issue we celebrate the remarkable talents of Thin Lizzy’s leader, the late Phil Lynott. We reactivate on-the-road memories from the late 70s when Lynott and his roguish band toured with the legendary Queen. And we talk to famous Lizzy guitarists including Brian Robertson, Gary Moore and Scott Gorham about their time spent alongside Lynott, the man who was arguably the greatest purveyor of chart-friendly rock Britain has ever seen. Or heard".

UPATE:It's out and it's a good read with some nice pics. You may be able to spot that the picture of Robbo is in fact Brian Downey.

Nineteen - Tribute single

To coincide with the unveiling of the statue of Philip Lynott in August, Mark Kirkland and Jon Stone from Laurence Archer's Grand Slam - more recently known as Nineteen, have recorded and released a tribute single in memory of Phil. Using countless Thin Lizzy references, the song That Boy was written in recognition of Phil's unique character and charisma and has already been given Philomena's seal of approval. Crime Rate Also included on the CD is a recording of the Grand Slam song Crime Rate recorded at the Vibe for Philo 2003. This version features stunning playing from original Grand Slam guitarist, Laurence Archer. The CD can be purchased initially from the band at jon@hmclogistics.com for £5.00 including postage. All profits from the sale will be donated to the Roisin Dubh Trust

Do you wanna rock?

Remember the story posted here on Rock legend in March 2004? Colbert Hamilton is the Black Elvis. He worked with Philip Lynott in the last weeks of Phil's life and together recorded a track called D'You Wanna Rock?

The song is now available HERE

Sykes Out

From Sykes' web site: "John is disappointed to confirm that he will be unable to attend the Philip Lynott statue unveiling this August due to long-standing prior commitments that are keeping him in the US at that time. John is devastated that he can't be there, but he wanted all of you to know that he will be there in spirit, and wishes everyone a great night at what is sure to be a very special gig. John is also really looking forward to seeing you very soon on tour and we'll keep you posted on developments as they arise."

Hmm .....

ScottGorham.Gone

ScottGorham.com has been closed with this message buried in the html code of the homepage.

"DUE TO THE LACK OF COOPERATION FROM THOSE PARTIES THAT SHOULD SUPPORT THIS SITE BY PROVIDING INFORMATION, scottgorham.com WILL NOT BE UPDATED ANYMORE".

The Statue

Here's blurry, low-resolutiuon view of the statue.

Snowy White DVD

Check out Snowy White's fan club for info about The Way It Is DVD due for release next month.

Downey dates

                                                                                                                                
Brian Downey will be playing with The Ben Prevo Band at

The Mezz
Eustace Street,
Temple Bar,
Dublin 2.
Sunday 17th July. Starts at 6 pm (approx).

JJ Smyths,
Aungier Street,
Dublin 8.
on Saturday 16th July
Starts at 9.30 pm.

Greatest Hits DVD

                                                                                                                                
You'll have spotted this elsewhere by now but just in case ... click here for the details in this press release.

And for a critical review of this, and other DVD releases, take a look at Phil O's web page

Fizzy Days

A film about a caper in the 1970s ... click here for the details. The makers hope to use some of Thin Lizzy's music.

Dedication3

Dedication3 in Peterborough this October!

Click here for the website

Dare to play at August Statue Gig

                                                                                                                                
According to their web site, Darren Wharton's band DARE will be joining Gary Moore, Scott Gorham, Robbo, Brian Downey and Eric Bell in Dublin on 20th August.

Statue Gig Details

Details of the Statue Gig are now available.

Tickets available from TICKETBASTARD from tomorrow.

Interview with Tinn Lizzy Guitarist Ian Wilson

Here is an interview that Davey Murphy conductred with Ian Wilson following the recent Belfast tribute gig (see 8th April news item below).

More about the gig here!

Dare In Bradford

Dare will be playing in Bradford UK on Saturday 7th May at the FIREFEST

They will be on stage at around 5.30pm (!) but they say that although it's early, they're happy to get more time at the bar to hang out!

They're also hoping to announce some more show's across Europe very soon.

Classic Rock Guitarists

 
Dawn McCarrick informs us that we should keep an eye out for a big Classic Rock article by Dave Ling, on Thin Lizzy’s guitarists very soon. Eric Bell is being interviewed for it today!

Thin Lizzy - A Rock Legend

                                                                                                                               
The 2005 stats for the Rock Legend web site @thin-lizzy.com as of today ... >500 sessions per day, almost 10 GB transfer per month and 235 registered forum members. 22 years after splitting up, Thin Lizzy have not been forgotten!

Still Remembering.....

Moore News

The 2.5 hour DVD Strat Pack charity show filmed on 24th September 2004, at the London Wembley Arena, is due for release on Monday, May 2nd in the UK (US, May 3rd). The name derives from the anniversary of 50 years of the Fender Stratocaster guitar. Gary Moore plays Red House.

Classic Rock - Classic Pix

Check out the May 2005 Issue of Classic Rock for a free booklet of photos by photographer Ross Halfin, including Philip Lynott and Brian Robertson. Also, a small article on Limehouse Lizzy in which Wayne Ellis suggests that he'd like to join Fake Lizzy!

Rock Review DVD

Take a look at Phil O's page for a review of this DVD.

Statue Unveiling - 19th August 2005

As you may have already seen on the Trust Site, the long-awaited Statue of Philip Lynott will be unveiled in August.

The Trust have suggested (but not unequivocally confirmed) that the 'on street' unveiling event will not require tickets.

The celebrations afterwards will require tickets!

Snowy White Tour

                                                                                                                                
Catch Snowy in the UK & Europe....

June 9th: The Cluny, Newcastle
June 11th: Patti Pavilion, Swansea
June 15th: The Robin 2, Wolverhampton
June 16th: The Stables Theatre, Milton Keynes
June 17th: The Astor Theatre, Deal
June 18th: The Brook, Southampton
June 19th: The Cheese and Grain, Frome
June 24th: The Mean Fiddler, London

plus:

August 26th: Festival atHerselt, Belgium
August 28th: Openlucht festival, Lochen, Holland

Eric Bell Tour

                                                                                                                                
Catch King Er in Ireland....

25th May The Stables, Mullingar, Westmeath
26th May The Venue, Rathfarnham, Dublin
27th May Sound House, Johnstown/Naas, Kildare
28th May The Venue, Rathfarnham, Dublin
29th May Gleeson’s, Clonmel, Tipperary
1st June Debbarras Clonakilty, Cork
2nd June An Cruiscan Lan, Cork
3rd June The Granary, Killarney, Kerry
4th June Royal Theatre, Castlebar, Mayo
5th June The Limelight, Belfast

Benefit Gig for Robbie Brennan (ex-Grand Slam)

From Dawn McCarrick (Trust)

Former drummer from Grand Slam, Skid Row, Sinead O' Conner, Gerry Lee Lewis, Paul Brady, etc, was involved in a serious road accident, and a BENEFIT NIGHT is being organised on his behalf by Gavin Walsh.

The only news I have on Robbie's condition is that he is recovering in hospital.

Belfast Benefit Gig

                                                                                                                               
From Ivan Preston (Belfast Guitar Emporium)

On Friday 29 April 2005, Belfast Guitar Emporium (Bradbury Place) are hosting a Tribute to Phil Lynott night in The Spring and Airbrake in Ormeau Avenue, Belfast, featuring fantastic local Thin Lizzy tribute band Tinn Lizzy.

The members of this band are local guitar heroes Ian 'Speedo' Wilson and Willy Byrne, Julian Watson on drums with ex-Thin az Lizzy frontman Johnny Conlon completing the line up.

Many people, including Philomena have commented on Johnny’s voice, stating that "if you close your eyes, you would swear it was Phil himself". We are also trying to arrange one or two 'special guests' for the evening, although nothing is confirmed at present in this respect.

We are also delighted to have local up and coming rock band The Answer from Downpatrick also on the bill (check them out on their website www.theanswermusic.com). The Answer play an exciting mix of rock and blues, reminiscent of Led Zeppelin and have been impressing audiences both in Ireland and UK where they have been gigging with The Darkness at Brixton Academy and Ash at The London Astoria amongst others. The band have just completed a number of dates in the UK with Thunder, the highlight of the tour being a personal endorsement from non other than Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page whom, after hearing of comparisons between the band and Led Zeppelin, decided to check them our for himself at their Shepherd’s Bush Empire gig. Following their performance, Mr. Page was waiting backstage to say hello to the band and was extremely complimentary of their performance and their material, which consists of all original self-penned songs. High praise indeed from one of rock’s true legends.

The band have just finished recording new material in London and these recordings should be available in the shops shortly. They have also been booked to play this year’s Donington’s ‘Monsters of Rock’ Festival, which has now been re-named ‘Download’. Currently the band have offers from a number of major record labels on the table and the general consensus within the music industry is that this band could be one of the biggest acts ever to come out of Ireland. We are pleased that not only are they fans of the music of Thin Lizzy, but that they have also agreed to give their time in the midst of what is a busy schedule for themselves to this event. A major announcement regarding The Answer is imminent.

Tickets for the show on 29 April will be priced £10.00 and are available from Belfast Guitar Emporium (tel. 02890 242335, e-mail: info@belfastguitaremporium.com ) or from Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.ie/venue/196970/ ).

In the meantime details relating to the show will be available on the Belfast Guitar Emporium website www.belfastguitaremporium.com or on the Tinn Lizzy website www.tinnlizzy.co.uk . Phil’s mother Philomena will also be signing copies of her book My Boy: The Philip Lynott Story on the day of the show at Belfast Guitar Emporium. All proceeds from both any sales of Philomena’s book on the day and from the show will also go to the Phil Lynott statue fund. No individual or organisation will be making a profit out of any activity associated with the show or the book signing on 29 April 2005, with both bands and the organisers donating their time and effort free of charge, such is the esteem in which Phil’s memory is held. Your support for this unique and important event is appreciated…... It promises to be a great evening and celebration of the life and music of Philip Parris Lynott.

Dare Tour

                                                                                                                                
Darren Wharton's band Dare have just toured with Asia. Unfortunately the news came to us rather late in the day! :-(

Did anyone go? Any reviews?

March 15th England, Nottingham - Rock City
March 16th England, Wolverhampton - Wulfrun Hall
March 17th Scotland, Glasgow - Garage
March 18th England, Manchester - Academy 2
March 19th England, Bradford - T&C
March 20th England, London - Astoria
March 21st Wales, Cardiff - The Point

They will also be playing Madrid and Barcelona in May.

Sykes & Gorham end the tour...

                                                                                                                                
According to their web sites, Sykes and Gorham will finish their tour in Limerick on 19th Feb. Official reason is: Due to the fact that John Sykes is currently having hearing problems and needs to have some work done.

Doctors are hopeful that after the work he will no longer hear Rosalie whenever someone shouts Whiskey ..... Tinnitus, eh? lol ;-)

Meanwhile, at the Cork gig, Scott had to leave the stage due to ill health. Sykes attempted Rosalie on his own but the gig was brought to a premature end.

Update 22nd March From Sykes' web page "Just to set the record straight, the European leg of the Thin Lizzy tour was put back due to a severe ear infection. After getting back to Los Angeles and seeing a specialist, I'm happy to report that everything is fine and I look forward to playing for you all soon. Thank you for all your concerns. John Sykes."

Message from 'The Mammy'

A message from Philomena Lynott on the Trust's web site.

Hello Everyone

As you all probably know by now, we are in the last few months build up to the statue of Philip, going up in Dublin’s Grafton St.

Due to the heavy workload involved, I don’t always get the time to answer individual people, but I just wanted to say a special thank you, to all the supporters around the world, for their kind words and wishes, that I read in the guest book, on The Roisín Dubh site.

It is deeply touching to know, that Philip's words and music, still means so much, to so many people.

I look forward to seeing you all in August, when The Boy is Back in Town

Kindest Regards to you all

Philomena Lynott

4th February 2005

Snowy - Album & Live Dates