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John James Sykes (born 29 July 1959) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
,
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or s ...
and
Tygers of Pan Tang Tygers of Pan Tang are an English heavy metal band who are part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. They formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue to record and pe ...
. He has 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 1987 album. However, Sykes was let go 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 Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz ...
, Sykes is known for his distinctive playing style, characterized by his fast alternate picking, use of pinch harmonics, and sense of melody. In 2004, he was included on ''
Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original arti ...
''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.


Early life

John James Sykes was born 29 July 1959 in
Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway serve the town. Reading is east o ...
. He first became interested in the guitar at age fourteen, when his uncle showed him how to play some of Eric Clapton's licks. At the time, Sykes and his family were living in Ibiza,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
, where his father and uncle owned a discothèque. For the next two years, Sykes practiced playing blues songs on an old nylon-string guitar. After three years in Spain, the Sykes family moved back to Reading. There, John entered a relationship and essentially gave up the guitar for a year and half. He didn't start playing again until he moved to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and ...
, when he was asked to join the band Streetfighter by his friend Mervyn Goldsworthy, who would later play bass in Diamond Head,
Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution ...
and FM.


Career


Early career

Sykes began his professional music career when he left Streetfighter to join
Tygers of Pan Tang Tygers of Pan Tang are an English heavy metal band who are part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. They formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, England, and were active until 1987. The band reformed in 1999 and continue to record and pe ...
. Sykes recorded two albums with the group, '' Spellbound'' and ''
Crazy Nights ''Crazy Nights'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, recorded from March to June 1987 and released on September 21, 1987, by Mercury worldwide and Vertigo in the UK. This was the second album to feature the line-up of Gene ...
'', 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. He would later also state that in his opinion the group lacked both the style and dedication to achieve major success. Sykes eventually left Tygers of Pan Tang two days before the start of a French tour in early 1982. However, he did appear on two tracks on the band's fourth album '' The Cage'', which was released after he had already left the group. After leaving Tygers of Pan Tang, Sykes auditioned for
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
's band and was briefly a member of
John Sloman John Anthony David Sloman (born 26 April 1957) is best known as the lead vocalist for Welsh band Lone Star during 1977/78 and classic rockers Uriah Heep from 1979 to 1981. Biography Sloman's first band of note was local Cardiff act Trappe ...
's Badlands. Despite a few shows and Sloman procuring a recording contract with EMI, the band ultimately broke-up after Sykes was approached to join
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or s ...
.


Thin Lizzy

After his departure from Tygers of Pan Tang, Sykes was still contractually obligated to deliver a single to the band's record label
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wi ...
. Through Tygers of Pan Tang producer Chris Tsangarides, Sykes was able to get in touch with
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or s ...
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. After finishing the song, Sykes was asked to join Thin Lizzy. He was officially confirmed as the band's new guitarist in September 1982. 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 Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'', and Sykes also accompanied Lynott on a European solo tour. Thin Lizzy played their final UK concert at the
Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...
in August 1983, before finally disbanding after a show at
Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
's
Monsters of Rock Monsters of Rock was an annual hard rock and heavy metal music festival held in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as the Netherlands, Poland ...
festival on 4 September. Phil Lynott died on 4 January 1986, aged 36. In 1994, Sykes, along with former Thin Lizzy members 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 songs 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 the live album '' One Night Only''. Sykes continued to front Thin Lizzy through various line-up changes before announcing his own departure in 2009, stating: "I feel it's time to get back to playing my own music." Scott Gorham would later reform Thin Lizzy without Sykes's involvement.


Whitesnake

After Thin Lizzy's break-up, Sykes was initially keen to continue working with Phil Lynott in what would become Grand Slam. However, he was soon asked to join English hard rock group
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
, whom he had met while on tour with Thin Lizzy. After negotiating a satisfactory contract and receiving Phil Lynott's blessing, Sykes agreed to join Whitesnake. He made his live debut with the group in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
on 17 February 1984. He was then tasked with recording new guitar parts for the US release of the band's 1984 album '' Slide It In''. Afterwards, Whitesnake embarked on a lengthy world tour, which culminated in two shows at the 1985 Rock in Rio festival. ''Slide It In'' became Whitesnake's first major success in the United States, selling over half a million copies. Sykes played a key role in Whitesnake's newfound success, with a more vibrant look and sound compared to the band's previous guitar players. Sykes was heavily involved in the making of Whitesnake's next album, co-writing nine songs with vocalist David Coverdale. He began pushing the band towards a more mainstream sound, which Coverdale described as "leaner, meaner and more electrifying". The two began writing together in the South of France in early 1985, before heading to Little Mountain Sound Studios in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...
to begin recording. During that time, however, Coverdale's relationship with the rest of the band began to sour with him eventually firing all other members of the group, including Sykes. Whitesnake's seventh album was eventually released in April 1987, and it became the band's most commercially successful album to date, reaching number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and selling over eight million copies in the US. Since leaving Whitesnake, Sykes's relationship with David Coverdale has remained strained, with Sykes admitting he's still "very bitter" about how Coverdale handled his firing. In the early 2000s, there was a "reaching out" between the two as Coverdale was putting together a new Whitesnake line-up. By his own account, Sykes recommended Marco Mendoza and
Tommy Aldridge Tommy Aldridge (born August 15, 1950) is an American heavy metal and hard rock drummer. He is noted for his work with numerous bands and artists since the 1970s, such as Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, White ...
for the band (both of whom would end up joining), after which he never heard from Coverdale again. Conversely, Mendoza claimed to have acted as a mediator of sorts between the two. Coverdale admitted to having spoken to Sykes about a possible reunion, but ultimately felt that the two had been "their own bosses" for too long. In 2017, Sykes said of Coverdale: "I really have no interest in ever talking to him again."


Blue Murder

Following his dismissal from Whitesnake, Sykes formed Blue Murder, which featured bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Carmine Appice. Initially, drummer Cozy Powell and vocalist
Ray Gillen Raymond Arthur Gillen (May 12, 1959 – December 1, 1993) was an American rock singer. He is best known for his work with Badlands, in addition to his stint with Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s and recording most of the vocals on Phenomena's ' ...
were tapped for the project. Powell eventually left to join
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped de ...
, while Gillen was let go after
Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and ...
' A&R executive John Kalodner encouraged Sykes to front the band himself. Blue Murder's self-titled debut album was released in April 1989, and it reached number 69 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The band then embarked on a tour across America and Japan. While their debut album would go on to sell an estimated 500,000 copies according to Sykes, Blue Murder's success fell short of expectations. Sykes felt Geffen Records did not properly promote the group, stating: "I think they were trying to get me and David overdaleback together. They wanted me to get back with the 'winning formula'. But the wounds were too fresh. I stayed with the same label. In hindsight, I would have done better with a different label." During the recording of their sophomore effort, Franklin and Appice left Blue Murder, while Sykes put together a new line-up. At the same time, Sykes was being considered for the guitarist spot in Def Leppard. While no formal auditions took place, Sykes did jam with the group and sang backing vocals on their 1992 album '' Adrenalize''. Ultimately the band would hire Vivian Campbell, formerly of Dio (and Sykes's successor in Whitesnake). Blue Murder, meanwhile, released their second album '' Nothin' But Trouble'' in 1993. It failed to chart, something Sykes once again attributed to Geffen Records, whom he felt "didn't do anything" to promote the record. In 1994, Blue Murder released a live album, '' Screaming Blue Murder: Dedicated to Phil Lynott'', 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 breakup. 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 ultimately came of the conversation.


Solo career

After parting ways with Geffen Records, Sykes signed with the Japanese branch of
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
and released his first solo album '' Out of My Tree'' in 1995. Sykes released his second solo album '' Loveland'' in 1997. Mercury Records 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'', a companion album to ''Loveland'' featuring heavier material. In 2000, Sykes released '' Nuclear Cowboy''. After a failed attempt to secure a European record deal with Z Records, Sykes signed a distribution deal with Burnside Distribution in 2003, which made his solo albums available in the US for the first time. In 2005, Sykes released '' Bad Boy Live!'', a live album featuring songs from his time with Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Blue Murder, as well his solo material. According to a 2021 interview with guitarist Richard Fortus, Sykes auditioned for
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
in 2009. During an appearance on '' That Metal Show'' in 2011, Sykes revealed he was forming a new band with drummer Mike Portnoy. However, Eddie Trunk confirmed in 2012 that the project, tentatively named "Bad Apple", was no longer moving forward. Bassist
Billy Sheehan William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playin ...
had been tapped to the band as well, but ultimately the individual schedules of all parties involved didn't line up. According to Trunk, 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 January 2019, it was announced that Sykes had signed a recording contract with Golden Robot Records with the intent of releasing his long-delayed album that same year. However, in November 2019, Sykes announced that he had ended his partnership with Golden Robot Records. On 1 January 2021, Sykes released "Dawning of a Brand New Day", his first new song in over twenty years. This was followed up by "Out Alive" in July.


Personal life

Sykes married Jennifer Brooks-Sykes on 10 April 1989, after four years of living together. They were married until 1999. Sykes has three sons; James, John Jr. and Sean.


Style and influences

Sykes has listed Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore,
Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz ...
,
Michael Schenker Michael Schenker (born 10 January 1955) is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group. He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenk ...
,
Uli Jon Roth Uli Jon Roth (born Ulrich Roth; 18 December 1954) is a German guitarist who became famous for his work with the hard rock band Scorpions and is one of the earliest contributors to the neoclassical metal genre. He is also the founder of Sky ...
,
Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017) was a British jazz fusion and progressive rock guitarist and composer. Holdsworth was known for his esoteric and idiosyncratic usage of advanced music theory concepts, especially with respe ...
and John McLaughlin among his biggest influences as a guitar player. He regards himself as a "blues player that plays rock". Some of the main characteristics of Sykes's playing are his fast alternate picking, doubled‐note lines, wide fret-hand vibrato, pinch harmonics and tapping. He has also been described as having a great sense of melody in his playing. In 2004, Sykes was included on ''
Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original arti ...
s list of the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time". In 2011, he was included on ''
Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political ...
's'' list of "50 Unsung Heroes of the Guitar". ''Guitar Player'' also highlighted Sykes in their 2021 article "How '80s Guitar Heroes Changed Hard Rock Forever" as one of the quintessential hard rock guitarists of the 1980s.


Equipment

Sykes has used a 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom throughout most of his career. The guitar is fitted with chrome hardware (which were added at Phil Lynott's suggestion), Grover tuners and a brass nut. The guitar featured a Gibson Dirty Fingers pick-up in the bridge position, that was later swapped out for a Gibson PAF reissue. In 2006, Gibson produced a limited number of Les Pauls based on Sykes's model. The line quickly sold out. Other guitars Sykes has used over the course of his career include a sunburst 1959 Gibson Les Paul (which is featured on the cover of his 1997 album '' Loveland''), a 1961
Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuous ...
, an EVH Frankenstein and a Joe Satriani model Ibanez. Sykes uses Ernie Ball strings, gauge .010 to .046, and Dunlop 1.14mm Tortex picks. Sykes mainly uses EVH 5150 III amplifiers and cabinets. He previously used modified Marshall JCM800s for live performances. For
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
'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. For live performances, Sykes has used rack‐mounted chorus and delay effects. During his first stint with Thin Lizzy, Sykes used a Boss chorus pedal, which he retired after Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray complained it was too noisy.


Discography


Solo albums

* '' Out of My Tree'' (1995) * '' Loveland'' (1997) * '' 20th Century'' (1997) * '' Nuclear Cowboy'' (2000) * '' Bad Boy Live!'' (2004)


with Tygers of Pan Tang

* '' Spellbound'' (1981) * ''
Crazy Nights ''Crazy Nights'' is the fourteenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, recorded from March to June 1987 and released on September 21, 1987, by Mercury worldwide and Vertigo in the UK. This was the second album to feature the line-up of Gene ...
'' (1981) * '' The Cage'' (1982) (Tracks 8 and 10)


with Thin Lizzy

* '' Thunder and Lightning'' (1983) * ''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...
'' (1983) * '' One Night Only'' (2000)


with Whitesnake

* '' Slide It In'' (1984) * ''
Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
'' (1987)


with Blue Murder

* '' Blue Murder'' (1989) * '' Nothin' but Trouble'' (1993) * '' Screaming Blue Murder: Dedicated to Phil Lynott'' (1994)


Other appearances


References


Footnotes


Book sources

* * * * * *


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sykes, John 1959 births Living people English rock guitarists English heavy metal guitarists English rock singers English heavy metal singers Thin Lizzy members Whitesnake members Blue Murder (band) members Badlands (UK band) members People from Reading, Berkshire Lead guitarists