January 27, 2014 Happy Birthday to drummer Nick Mason of Pink Floyd. He’s 70 today. Other birthdays include Thin Lizzy drummer Brian Downey(63), Guitarist Janick Gers of Iron Maiden(57) and singer Mike Patton of Faith No More(46)
Def Leppard's Joe Elliott will produce the sophomore record by Black Star Riders, a band featuring former members of Thin Lizzy. Elliott previously worked on the 2011 reissue of Thin Lizzy's 1976 classic 'Jailbreak' album. The Def Leppard singer also produced the first two solo albums by Black Star Riders' Ricky Warwick, who joined Thin Lizzy as vocalist in 2010.
Thin Lizzy's hard-living frontman and bassist Phil Lynott escaped the grips of crushing childhood poverty in Dublin, but ultimately couldn't out run his own demons. He died at 36 from heart failure and pneumonia on Jan. 4, 1986, having been admitted to Salibury Hospital in Wiltshire, England on Christmas Day after "a drink and drug binge" at his home.
