Cowboy Song: The Authorised Biography of Philip Lynott

(Paperback)

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'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.

Reviews

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

Author Bio

Graeme Thomson is the author of several music books, including Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush, described by the Irish Times as 'the best music biography in perhaps the past decade'. His biography of George Harrison, Behind the Locked Door, was included in the Mail on Sunday's Best Books of 2013. One of the UK's leading music writers, his work has appeared in the Observer, New Statesman, the Guardian, Uncut, the Telegraph, GQ, MOJO and Rolling Stone.