Metal Bulletin Zine: In Remembrance of John Sykes (Tygers of Pan Tang, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Blue Murder) (July 29, 1959

Here in the United States, Americans often hear the music of John Sykes without knowing that they are listening to the music that he wrote. His music might show up in a movie you are watching at the theater or at home, or you might find yourself at a stadium or arena for a sports event playing John Sykes’ music at a baseball, football, basketball, hockey, or soccer game. If you find yourself at a professional wrestling event, John Sykes' music might come on the speakers. It is probably pretty accurate to say that here in the United States, the name John Sykes is mostly associated with the massively popular, culture-shifting 1987 self-titled Whitesnake album.

However, there is a lot more to the music of John Sykes before that era, and there is a lot more music that came after 1987, too.

John James Sykes was born July 29, 1959, in Reading, Berkshire, England. For dedicated heavy metal fans in England in the early 1980s, he first came to prominence with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) band Tygers of Pan Tang, though his involvement in bands goes even further back to a group called Streetfighter. Sykes recorded two albums with the Tygers, Spellbound and Crazy Nights, both released in 1981. In 1982, Sykes joined Thin Lizzy and played on the 1983 album Thunder and Lightning. On this record, Thin Lizzy moved in the direction of tighter, faster songwriting, more in line with the prevalence of early 1980s heavy metal.

As noted by historians, the supporting tour for Thunder and Lightning was billed as Thin Lizzy's farewell tour, though Sykes and Phil Lynott were eager to continue. 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 September 4, 1983.

After Thin Lizzy broke up, Sykes joined Whitesnake for the 1984 album Slide It In, giving the band a more current heavy metal sound and moving away from the bluesier hard rock of their previous albums. If you have not seen it, I recommend the 1985 live performance at Rock in Rio available on YouTube. Sure, the footage is old, but there are several important reasons to watch it. First, Rock in Rio was massively important in the development of heavy metal in Brazil. Brazil was coming out of a period of dictatorship, and it was captivating for Brazilians to see major acts like Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, and Scorpions. While it was not strictly a heavy metal festival, the metal bands clearly captured the imagination of the fans. The second reason to watch is that it shows Whitesnake with John Sykes performing in front of a massive crowd of hundreds of thousands. The band also featured the legendary rhythm section of Cozy Powell (Rainbow, Black Sabbath) on drums and Neil Murray (Black Sabbath) on bass.

Of course, Sykes was essential to the 1987 album. What can be said about that record that has not been said already? Great singing, excellent guitar tone, tremendous playing, a wonderful rhythm section, and just about every song sounds like a hit. Unfortunately, due to tensions, John Sykes was kicked out of the band by the time of the album's release, missing out on the famous music videos and tours. Understandably, Sykes was very bitter about not being recognized and not being able to enjoy the fruits of his labor while other musicians received acclaim for the music he wrote. From Sykes' point of view, it was a bitter betrayal to be erased from Whitesnake.

After Whitesnake, Sykes formed Blue Murder. Their self-titled debut was released in April 1989, reaching number 69 on the Billboard 200. The band toured America and Japan, and while the debut sold an estimated 500,000 copies, its success fell short of the label's expectations. Sykes felt Geffen Records did not promote the group properly, stating: "I think they were trying to get me and David [Coverdale] back together... In hindsight, I would have done better with a different label."

While he never reached that 1987 level of commercial success again, he never stopped playing. There are great songs on the Blue Murder albums—where you’ll discover he can really sing!—and he released several solo albums. He also helped keep the music of Thin Lizzy alive after Phil Lynott's death by performing lead vocals and guitar with the band from 1996 until 2009.

There is a lot more to John Sykes than just one world-famous album. He is the type of guitarist that other guitarists study because of his tone, style, and skill. There are many fans fascinated by his equipment and technique, but as Metal Bulletin Zine, I am not a musician and cannot speak technically on that. At any rate, John Sykes is a legendary songwriter. So remember, next time you are at a hockey game and a heavy riff starts playing, you and the crowd might be singing along to a John Sykes song without even knowing it!

TYGERS OF PANTANG - live with John Sykes 1982