Philip Lynott: Superbrother inspired generations

As a child I remember being  transfixed, jaw dropping  watching Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott  fronting Thin Lizzy on Top of the Pops. The thrill this androgynous, 'Punk Regent' 'Superbrother' simple made me simply want to be him. It was the same with Michael Jackson, Prince or Hendrix, but he was  different. Black Americans were 'normal'- plentiful when it came to music: they dominated the charts; the tour revues; and the music magazines. I'd grown up with them.

But what made Phil Lynott special was that he was  one of us: Black British. And if that wasn't novel enough he also had an Irish accent too ! Lynott was born on 20th Aug 1949 - in West Bromwich in the West Midlands a product of his Irish mother, Philomena and African-Guyanese father, Cecil Parris.

Around this time African, Caribbean and Irish relations were plenty. Two oppressed peoples often finding solace in dance and love.

When Cecil heard of the birth he returned north to find suitable accommodation for Lynott and Philomena, his mother. They continued their relationship which would last two years.

Cecil stayed in touch, and at one point asked for her hand in marriage, but this was politely declined. Whether this was because of the social environment at the time and how inter-racial relationships would be frowned upon is unknown. He did however, despite the rejection, continue to contribute to the support of his family. Sadly, this would be the last contact that Lynott had with his father for over twenty years.

He would move to Dublin to live with his grandparents at the age of four, absorbing the influences of his Uncle Tommy's record collection from Tamla Motown to Rock and Roll. He picked up the guitar and joined his first band when he was 16. Six years later in 1972 he made his big breakthrough with his second band Thin Lizzy and top ten hits 'Whisky in a Jar' and 'Boys are Back in Town'. In Thin Lizzy he wrote the music, lyrics, sung and performed, unusual for many artists of this era.

He was living a celebrity jet set life, with a mansion in Kew, West London, but into the 80’s the hits started to dry up. Although there was a brief comeback near the end of his life, the drug abuse that had begun at the height of celebrity had returned. Maybe  his upbringing and identity brought with it its own demons too, or maybe like many celebrities today as then, the availability to access a plentiful supply of hard drugs was a tragedy waiting to happen. 

An overdose took his life.

Today, he’s still worshipped around the World for his axe wielding guitar style, big afro and pencil 'tache. And despite his tragic fall he left a legacy for other Black Brits to follow: dress different, play different and try and be who you are

Ashok Viswanathan