Eric Bell: Thin Lizzy

Undercurrent Stories

To celebrate St Patrick's Day here is another chance to hear this interview with legendary guitarist Eric Bell from the equally iconic and legendary Irish hard rock band, Thin Lizzy.

This episode was originally released in March 2023.

Episode photo attributed with thanks - By Klaus Hiltscher - https://www.flickr.com/photos/khiltscher/3141138463/in/faves-24788065@N02/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15531140

With it's haunting and mesmerising guitar intro many listeners will be familiar with the Thin Lizzy hit, Whisky in the Jar which reached no. 6 in the UK charts in 1973.
My guest today is the legendary former lead guitarist and founding member of Thin Lizzy, Eric Bell. As well as playing on that famous song, Eric recorded 3 albums with Thin Lizzy, 'Thin Lizzy,' ' Shades of a Blue Orphanage' and 'Vagabonds of the Western World.'
In our conversation Eric talks about;
1) His introduction to the guitar
2) Playing in Irish Showbands
3) How a chance meeting with Phil Lynott and Brian Downey led to the formation of Thin Lizzy
4) How the trio wrote songs
5) The story of how Whisky in the Jar was never intended to be a single!
6) Reaching success and how Phil Lynott developed his enigmatic stage persona
7) His career after Thin Lizzy, including playing with Jimi Hendrix's bassist Noel Redding
8)The Eric Bell Trio
9) Valuable lessons about performing for other musicians
10) Eric's autobiography, 'Remembering'
11) Songwriting and much more.

If you are a Thin Lizzy fan I hope that you will enjoy this episode and for those listeners who may not be too familiar with the band but would like to hear a captivating tale from a true gentleman and one of the worlds greatest guitarists, this is for you. Enjoy!
Eric's links;
https://www.facebook.com/EricBellOfficial
http://www.oftheedgeproductions.com/index.html

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