It was on this day, in 1949, that Philip Lynott was born in England.

Unbeknown to his mother Philomena - who raised him during his early years in England - and his grandparents - who guided him through his teenage years in Dublin - Phil Lynott would emerge as one of the most influential figures in modern Irish music as the frontman for Thin Lizzy.

With Thin Lizzy's classic album Bad Reputation charting on both sides of the Atlantic whenever our magazine first launched way back in 1977, Phil Lynott came to represent the extraordinary ambition and vibrancy of the Irish music scene. It is because of this reason that Philo will always hold a special spot in Hot Press' heart.

To mark his birthday, we've compiled a treasure trove of great interviews with the man himself and insightful pieces about what some of his contemporaries had to say about his music.

Take a look back at a classic interview with Phil from 1984, where the then-reclusive former Thin Lizzy singer reflected on the break-up of the band and a life of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. http://www.hotpress.com/archive/431546.html

Back in 2011, we looked back on Phil's career and asked other musicians to reflect on what made him special. Bono recalls "murdering" several Thin Lizzy songs in his early U2 days, as him and the lads tried to match the style and musical ability of their fellow Dubliners. http://www.hotpress.com/archive/7558055.html

Guns N'Roses guitarist Slash also admitted to us that he owed a debt to Phil, saying that he "identified with the Thin Lizzy sound stylistically" in this interview back in 2011. http://www.hotpress.com/archive/7537113.html

Read more Phil Lynott tributes here:

http://www.hotpress.com/archive/8149831.html
http://www.hotpress.com/archive/7556779.html