
John James Sykes (Reading, Berkshire, 29 July 1959) is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy and Tygers of Pan Tang. He has also fronted the hard rock group Blue Murder and released several solo albums.
Following a stint in the heavy metal band Tygers of Pan Tang in
the early 1980s, Sykes joined Irish hard rock group Thin Lizzy for their
1983 album Thunder and Lightning. He then joined Whitesnake, with whom he recorded the multi-platinum selling 1987 album.
However, Sykes was let go from the band before the record's release
under acrimonious circumstances, which led to him forming his own group
Blue Murder. After two albums and a live record, he embarked on a solo
career. For the remainder of the 1990s and early 2000s, Sykes split his
time between his solo career and a reformed Thin Lizzy, which he fronted
until 2009, when he left to focus on his solo career.
Influenced by the likes of Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore and Gary Moore,
Sykes is known for his distinctive playing style, characterized by his
fast alternate picking, use of pinch harmonics, and sense of melody. In
2004, he was included on Guitar World's list of "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time". In 2006, Gibson released a limited line of John Sykes Signature Les Pauls, which were modelled after his 1978 Gibson Les Paul Custom.