Thin Lizzy are a hard rock group formed during December 1969 in Dublin, Eire. Drummer Brian Downey, born on 27th January 1951, in Dublin and bass guitarist and lead vocalist Phil Lynott, born on 20th August 1949, in West Bromwich, England, UK, two of the founding members, met while still at school in Dublin, during the early 1960s. Phil led the band throughout their recording career of 12 studio albums, writing most of the material. Their singles "Whiskey in the Jar", a traditional Irish ballad, "Jailbreak", and "The Boys Are Back in Town" were international hits. After Lynott's death during 1986, various incarnations of the band emerged over the years, at first having been based around guitarists Scott Gorham and John Sykes, though the latter left the group during 2009, Gorham later continuing with a new line-up including Downey. Phil, Thin Lizzy's de facto leader, was composer or co-composer of almost all of the band's songs, having been the first successful black Irish rock musician. Thin Lizzy had several critically acclaimed guitarists during their history, with Downey and Lynott as the rhythm section, on drums and bass guitar. The group members were not only from both sides of the Irish border but also from both the Catholic and Protestant communities during The Troubles. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock, and traditional Irish folk music, but is usually classified as hard rock or sometimes heavy metal. Rolling Stone magazine describes the band as distinctly hard rock, "far apart from the braying mid-70s metal pack". John Dougan wrote that "As the band's creative force, Lynott was a more insightful and intelligent writer than many of his ilk, preferring slice-of-life working-class dramas of love and hate, influenced by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, and virtually all of the Irish literary tradition." Van Morrison, Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix were major influences during the early days of the band, with later influences having included the pioneering twin lead guitars of Wishbone Ash and American artists Little Feat and Bob Seger. Gorham and Downey decided against recording new material as Thin Lizzy in 2012, planning to reunite only for occasional concerts, with a new group, Black Star Riders being formed to tour and produce new releases, including their debut L.P., All Hell Breaks Loose.