COWBOY SONG is the definitive authorised biography of Thin Lizzy guiding spirit, Philip Lynott, the instantly identifiable singer, charismatic stage performer and supremely gifted songwriter.
'The truest measure of the man we have thus far' - Mojo
'Affectionate, impeccably researched biography' - Mail on Sunday
'Head and shoulders above the usual rock hagiography' - Sunday Telegraph
The first biography to be written with the cooperation of the Lynott Estate, COWBOY SONG is the definitive authorised account of the extraordinary life and career of Thin Lizzy guiding spirit, Philip Lynott.
Leading music writer Graeme Thompson explores the fascinating contradictions between 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 become Ireland's first rock star. Cowboy Song examines his key musical alliances as well as 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.
Published on the thirtieth anniversary of Lynott's death in January 1986, Thompson draws on scores of exclusive interviews with family, friends, band mates and collaborators. COWBOY SONG is both the ultimate depiction of a multi-faceted rock icon, and an intimate portrait of a much-loved father, son and husband.
An affectionate and unflinching book on Lynott . . . It's the substantive flesh Thomson puts on the bones of Lynott's personal life, though, that makes COWBOY SONG the truest measure of the man we have thus far - and a must-read for anybody ever smitten by Lizzy's fatally-flawed romantic. - Mojo
Well researched . . . poignant . . . revealing - RTE Guide
A genuinely sympathetic portrait - Uncut
An admirable book . . . there are times when Graeme Thomson's prose reaches astute heights and stirs recognitions - Irish Times
Affectionate, impeccably researched biography . . . an impressively well-rounded story - Mail on Sunday
Head and shoulders above the usual rock hagiography - Sunday Telegraph
Outstanding - Belfast Telegraph
Even non-Thin Lizzy fans will find much to fascinate in COWBOY SONG. Thomson's account . . . is absorbing - Irish Examiner