Legendary guitarist JOHN SYKES dies at 65

Legendary English guitarist John Sykes (PAN TANG TYGERS, THIN LIZZY, WHITE SNAKE, BLUE MURDER, SYKES) died at the age of 65.

Earlier today (Monday, January 20), the following statement was issued on Sykeson social networks: “It is with great sadness that we share that John Sykes died after a tough battle with cancer. Many will remember him as a man of exceptional musical talent, but for those who did not know him personally, he was a caring, kind and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room.

“He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum and always pulled for the underdog. In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude to his fans who stood by him all these years.

“Even though the impact of his loss is profound and the mood dark, we hope that the light of his memory extinguishes the shadow of his absence.”

In July 2021, Sykes released the official Parker Thibault-production of the video clip for a new song entitled “Outside Alive”. The piece, recorded at least four years ago, was to appear on Sykesthe long-awaited new solo album from, “Sy-Ops”.

“Outside Alive” was the second song of “Sy-Ops” which will be released in 2021. Back in January 2021, Sykes posted a video for “The Dawn of a Brand New Day”also produced by Thibaultwith additional images courtesy of Natacha Grégory And James Sykes.

In 2020, Sykes separated from Golden robot records without releasing a single record through the label.

Sykes‘s partnership with the Australian company was first announced in January 2019. At the time, John promised that his first album in two decades would arrive before the end of 2019. However, things apparently went wrong shortly after signing, with Sykes later accusing the label of making “few attempts to move things forward despite our best efforts and patience”.

“Sy-Ops” was to include other pieces such as “Believe in yourself” And “My guitar”.

Talk to Reality TV in January 2019 Heavy Metal History Hall event in Anaheim, California, Sykes said of his absence from the rock scene: “I can’t wait to get back on the road and play again. I kind of go underground and stay there for a while. I don’t know, man . Sometimes I take off.” and stop everything. But I want to go out and play, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Asked about the musical direction of his new record, Sykes said: “It’s kind of got flavors of old and new. But I think it’ll make a lot of people happy to hear it. I think it’ll touch a lot of people if they watch it. It’s a good, solid album – it’s not just a few songs and a bunch of fillers.”

SykesThe band for his tour was to include his single BLUE MURDER group member Tony Franklin (bass) and Fred Boswell Jr. (battery).

JohnThe best known work of WHITE SNAKE and co-wrote the band’s self-titled seventh studio album, released in 1987. It produced a major power ballad hit, “Is this love”with the number 1 hit “Here we go again”. The album was a major success, eventually selling over eight million copies in the United States alone.

Sykes announced his departure from THIN LIZZY in July 2009, explaining that “I think it’s time to start playing my own music again.”

In 2012, Sykes withdrew from a planned collaboration with DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy And Mr. GRAND bassist Billy Sheehan. In 2011, the project presented more than a dozen songs in a Los Angeles studio, with Portnoy describing a track as “copping the (DIRECTED) ZEPPELIN/(BLACK) SABBATH ambiance” and another like “(PINK) FLOYD encounter (DEEP) PURPLE!!! Serious old-school classic rock. »

Two years ago, Sykesit’s the old one BLUE MURDER group member Appice Carmine said SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk” that he had no contact with Sykes despite repeated attempts to contact the guitarist. “I think he’s done (playing music),” the drummer said at the time. “I’m texting him; I don’t hear anything in response. I don’t know. Maybe he’s mad at me for some reason. But I talk with (BLUE MURDER bassist) Tony (Franklin); He hasn’t heard from him either.

BLUE MURDER was formed by Sykes and released two studio albums – the 1989 self-titled album and the 1993 follow-up, “Nothing but trouble” – before stopping.

Sykes co-wrote nine of the tracks WHITE SNAKEthe classic 1987 album “White Snake”including mega-hits “Always night” And “Is this love?”

Sykes found himself expelled from WHITE SNAKEalongside the bassist Neil Murray and drummer Aynsley Dunbareven before the album was released. WHITE SNAKE singer and leader David Coverdale then I assembled a whole other one, MTV-friendly group to tour the record.

In 2017, Sykes admitted he was still “very bitter” about how Coverdale treated it. “David didn’t say anything to any of us about our decision to kick ourselves out of the band,” the guitarist said. rock candy magazine, claiming that he had only discovered that he was no longer a member of WHITE SNAKE when he asked the band’s A&R man John Kalodner what was happening.

“I was furious and I wasn’t about to accept that,” said Sykes. “So I went down to the studio where David was still recording his voice, ready to confront it. Honestly to God, he ran away, got in his car and hid from me!”

Sykes claimed Coverdale record company blamed Geffen for forcing him to change group members. “I knew he was lying,” said Sykes. And he insists CoverdaleClaims of having written 95 percent of the album’s guitar parts are also false. “When I knew him, David I could barely play the guitar,” Sykes said.

Sykes also excluded the possibility of collaborating with Coverdale in the future, saying: “I know David said recently that he and I had talked about working together on a project outside of WHITE SNAKE. This is completely false. I really have no interest in talking to him again.”