Overview
The first biography written with the cooperation of the Lynott Estate, Cowboy Song explores the fascinating contradictions between Philip Lynott's unbridled rock star excesses and the shy, sensitive "orphan" raised in working-class Dublin. The mixed-race child of a Catholic teenager and a Guyanese stowaway, Lynott rose above daunting obstacles and wounding abandonments to lead Thin Lizzy as Ireland’s first rock star.
Cowboy Song analyses his unsettled childhood; musical apprenticeship; key alliances with the poets, painters, and folkies of 1960s Dublin; stardom with Thin Lizzy; and drug-induced decline. It examines the unique blend of cultural influences which informed Lynott’s writing, connecting Ireland’s rich reserves of music, myth, and poetry to hard rock, progressive folk, punk, soul, and new wave. The results—including the hits “Whiskey in the Jar,” “The Boys Are Back in Town,” and “Dancing in the Moonlight,” and classic albums Jailbreak and Live and Dangerous—are now part of the rock canon.
Including an afterword by Lynott’s former wife Caroline Taraskevics, Cowboy Song is the definitive authorized account of an extraordinary life and career.
Reviews
“Excellent . . . painstaking . . . [a] fine telling of the messy life of Thin Lizzy’s charismatic frontman.” —Barney Hoskyns, Guardian
“I've always held it impossible for biography to encompass a life, especially the life of someone as vibrant as Phil Lynott. Cowboy Song has changed my mind. A touching portrait of one of my favorite musicians.” —Cass McCombs
“An admirable book . . . there are times when Graeme Thomson’s prose reaches astute heights and stirs recognitions.” —Joseph O’Connor, Irish Times
“The truest measure of the man . . . a must-read.” —Mojo
“Meticulously researched, richly detailed . . . a compelling read.” —Classic Rock
"...Cowboy Song is a sober, somber read. But like the best biographies, it gets to the heart of the man. One feels a connection to Lynott through Cowboy Song." —Under the Radar
“...sympathetic and insightful and a must for fans of Thin Lizzy and Irish rock.” —Booklist Online
Author Biography
Graeme Thomson is the author of several music books, including Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush, which the Irish Times described as “the best music biography in perhaps the past decade,” and George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door. His work has appeared in the Observer, New Statesman, the Guardian, Uncut, the Telegraph, GQ, Mojo, and Rolling Stone.
Mother's Day
Father's Day
