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Although
he wasn't an original member of Thin Lizzy, Scott Gorham was the longest-lasting
guitarist in the band's lineup. While his melodic and finely structured
dual leads with whoever happened to be Lizzy's second guitarist at the
time (and the list is loooong) proved to be highly influential and oft-copied
by subsequent rock bands. Born on March 17, 1951, Gorham grew up in
Glendale, CA, where he picked up a guitar and began playing in rock
bands as a teenager. He befriended drummer Bob Siebenberg, who then
relocated in the early '70s to England and found success with prog rock
popsters Supertramp. He then recommended Gorham fly out to England in
1974 to try out for Supertramp, who at the time was considering adding
another guitarist, but by the time he arrived, the group decided they
wanted to go with a sax player instead.
Stuck in England, Gorham began playing pubs in the East End of London
with a group he'd put together called Fast Buck, while a mutual acquaintance
forwarded Gorham's name to Irish hard rockers Thin Lizzy. Although the
group (led by bassist/singer Phil Lynott) had already scored a hit with
a cover of "Whiskey in the Jar" and released several albums, Lizzy remained
quite obscure worldwide and had problems holding onto guitarists.
Lynott decided that for Lizzy's next lineup, they would try something
different and enlist a pair of guitarists. Gorham got the gig after
a single tryout, and was joined by teenaged Scottish guitarist Brian
Robertson. It took Lizzy's new dual-guitar lineup (and overall sound/direction)
a little time to truly gel, as evidenced by the quartet's first couple
of unfocused albums together — 1974's Night Life and 1975's Fighting.
But by 1976's Jailbreak, everything fell into place. The album spawned
one of rock's most enduring and instant anthems, "The Boys Are Back
in Town," as the group finally came to the conclusion that they were
a rock band, turned the amps up to ten, and let it rip. Robertson and
Gorham would begin to perfect their dual-lead approach with this album,
as it and the aforementioned single proved to be hits worldwide.
Further albums throughout the '70s cemented Lizzy's standing as one
of hard rock's top acts — their second release of 1976, Johnny the Fox,
1977's Bad Reputation, and arguably their finest moment (and one of
rock's all-time best live albums) 1978's Live and Dangerous. To sample
Gorham's tasty guitar playing, Live and Dangerous is the place to start,
as he easily alternates between heartfelt ("Still in Love With You")
and fiery six-string heroics ("Emerald"). Robertson left Lizzy shortly
thereafter, replaced by an earlier member, Gary Moore. Although the
guitar team of Moore and Gorham showed great promise on 1979's classic
Black Rose, hard living began to take its toll on bandmembers, as Moore
abruptly left mid-tour and was subsequently replaced by a revolving
door of guitarists. During the holiday season of 1979, Lynott and Gorham
joined forces with former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and drummer
Paul Cook for a one-off side project, dubbed the Greedy Bastards — issuing
the lone single "A Merry Jingle."
With both Gorham and Lynott struggling with drug addiction, Lizzy's
albums began to slip in quality by the dawn of the '80s (1980's Chinatown,
1981's Renegade, and 1983's Thunder and Lightning), and although they
were often sighted as a major influence by the up and coming New Wave
of British Heavy Metal bands (Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, etc.) as well
as U.S. thrash metallists Metallica, they couldn't keep pace. Lizzy
decided to call it a day after a farewell tour wrapped up at the end
of 1983 (Gorham had previously told Lynott that he had to quit the band
because his health was suffering), and while Gorham was able to successfully
conquer his demons, Lynott was not as lucky, dying in January of 1986.
After the breakup of Lizzy and Lynott's passing, Gorham guested on other
artist's albums, including his old pals Supertramp (the album Brother
Where You Bound), and as part of an all-star metal lineup on the release
N.W.O.B.H.M., among others. By the early '90s, Gorham was ready to resurface
with another new rock band, 21 Guns, who issued a pair of underappreciated
albums (1992's Salute and 1997's Nothing's Real) before splitting up.
With Lizzy's popularity rising once again in the late '90s (a whole
new generation of rock fans was turned on to the group when such acts
as Metallica and the Smashing Pumpkins covered their songs), Gorham
and several other ex-members decided to resuscitate the Thin Lizzy name
and tour the world once again, issuing a live set (One Night Only) on
the CMC International label in 2000.
This
bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
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