Eric Bell

Irish guitarist best known as a founding member of Thin Lizzy.

Born in England on the 3rd of September 1947, adopted to Belfast as a baby. Played with a number of Belfast bands, first The Atlantics and then The Deltones (who later became Shades Of Blue), followed by an incarnation of [a=Them (3)], called Van Morrison and Them Again, in 1966. Next was the Earth Dwellers and then Glasgow-based The Bluebeats, who broke up leading to a return to Belfast to join Shades Of Blue, and then to Dublin where he joined [a=Dreams (2)].

In Dublin in 1969 he went to see the band Orphanage, where he met Phil Lynott and drummer Brian Downey and together they formed Thin Lizzy. Bell stayed with the band as guitarist and sometimes co-writer until 1973, recording three albums: Thin Lizzy, Shades Of A Blue Orphanage, and Vagabonds Of The Western World. During this time, he also did a brief stint with [a=Skid Row (2)], in early 1972.

After leaving Thin Lizzy, he joined the Noel Redding Band, then later Mainsqueeze, which included stints backing Bo Diddley.

Since leaving Thin Lizzy, Bell has also continued to record and perform both solo, and leading his own blues-based trio the Eric Bell Band.