Ricky Warwick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ricky Warwick
Warwick performing with Black Star Riders at Rock Hard Festival in 2015
Background information
Born	(1966-07-11) 11 July 1966 (age 58) Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland
Genres	Hard rock, heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Earache Records · Nuclear Blast

Ricky Warwick was born on July 11, 1966. He is a musician from Northern Ireland. Ricky is best known as the lead singer for the rock bands Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy. He also leads the Scottish hard rock band The Almighty. With The Almighty, he had many successful songs in the UK during the 1990s. Ricky Warwick has also released several solo albums. He performs with his own band, The Fighting Hearts, to share his solo music.

Growing Up

Ricky Warwick was born in Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland. He spent his early years there. When he was 14, he got his first guitar. He started playing along to songs by artists like Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash. Soon, he discovered harder rock bands like Motörhead and The Clash. Ricky felt these bands helped him express himself. He said they "gave me a voice" when he felt unheard.

A year later, Ricky and his family moved to Strathaven in Scotland. There, he met Stump Monroe and Floyd London at his new school. They would later become his bandmates.

Ricky's Music Career

Ricky Warwick got his first big chance in the late 1980s. He was asked to join the band New Model Army. He played rhythm guitar for their world tour. Ricky learned a lot about writing songs and performing on stage during this time.

The Almighty Band

After touring with New Model Army, Ricky Warwick formed The Almighty in 1988. He started the band with guitarist Andy 'Tantrum' McCafferty. His school friends, drummer Stump Monroe and bass guitarist Floyd London, also joined. Ricky was the lead singer and played guitar. Even though the band members loved punk rock, The Almighty played a heavier style of music. It was more like heavy metal and hard rock.

In the early 1990s, The Almighty toured a lot. They played across the UK and Europe. They opened for famous bands like Motörhead, Alice Cooper, and Metallica. Later, they started headlining their own shows. The Almighty released five studio albums and one live album. These albums were very popular with rock fans in the UK and Europe. However, they did not become as famous in the United States. In 1993, Ricky also performed with The Stiff Little Fingers in Glasgow. A live album from that show, Pure Fingers, came out in 1995.

Warwick in 2011

In 1996, Ricky Warwick felt The Almighty was going in a different direction. He moved to Dublin and started a new band called (sic). This band released one album in Japan. They also put out a short EP in the UK. (sic) broke up in 1999. After that, Ricky went back to The Almighty. The band released two more albums before breaking up again in 2001.

After The Almighty's second breakup, Ricky thought about quitting music. But instead, he started touring as a solo artist in 2002. He played acoustic songs, showing his love for country music. This tour made Ricky love music again. He began writing songs for a new album.

Solo Music and Other Projects

Ricky Warwick's first solo album, Tattoos & Alibis, came out in October 2003. It was mostly acoustic, which was very different from The Almighty's loud hard rock. His next album, Love Many Trust Few, was released in January 2006. It was similar but had a bit more hard rock.

In 2006, The Almighty got back together for some special shows. They played at the Bulldog Bash festival and toured the UK. That same year, Ricky joined a band called Circus Diablo with Billy Duffy. They recorded one album and played at Ozzfest in 2007. The band is not active anymore.

Ricky has also toured with famous artists like Bob Dylan and Sheryl Crow. He is set to make his acting debut in a film called The Bridge. Other rock musicians like Joe Elliott will also be in the movie.

In April 2009, Ricky released his third solo album, Belfast Confetti. It continued his acoustic guitar style. A music website, Metalriot.com, praised his 2021 solo song "You're My Rock'N'Roll." They said it was a powerful song about living for rock music.

Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Warwick performing in 2014

In September 2009, Ricky Warwick was asked to join the famous band Thin Lizzy. He became their lead singer and guitarist. Ricky toured with Thin Lizzy in 2011. This tour celebrated 25 years since the death of Thin Lizzy's original singer, Phil Lynott.

In December 2012, Ricky helped start a new band called Black Star Riders. This band was formed to release new music that Ricky and guitarist Damon Johnson had written. Black Star Riders' first album, All Hell Breaks Loose, came out in May 2013.

In 2014, Black Star Riders recorded their second album, The Killer Instinct. It was released in February 2015. Ricky also toured the UK with Damon Johnson, playing acoustic shows. They performed songs from Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders, plus some of Ricky's solo material. He also recorded an album of cover songs called Stairwell Troubadour.

In 2016 and 2017, Ricky and Thin Lizzy played a few shows. These celebrated the 40th anniversary of Thin Lizzy's hit album, Jailbreak. They also marked 30 years since Phil Lynott passed away. Black Star Riders' third album, Heavy Fire, was released in February 2017. It reached number 6 on the UK album charts.

The Fighting Hearts

In February 2014, Ricky Warwick started a project to release two new albums. One album would have acoustic songs, and the other would be a hard rock record. These albums, Hearts on Trees and When Patsy Cline Was Crazy (And Guy Mitchell Sang The Blues), came out in late 2014. They were released as a double album in February 2016. Many guest musicians played on these albums, including Joe Elliott and Damon Johnson.

Ricky put together a band called The Fighting Hearts to tour with his new music. The band included Gary Sullivan on drums, Robbie Crane on bass, and Mark Gemini Thwaite on guitar. Ricky Warwick and The Fighting Hearts toured the UK in early 2016. They also toured again in November 2016.

In 2022, The Fighting Hearts went on a month-long tour in the UK and Ireland. Ricky was joined by Richard Vernon on bass, Ben Christo on guitar, and Jack Taylor on drums. They played more shows later that year.

Personal Life

Ricky Warwick met Vanessa Young in 1990. She was a presenter for the MTV show Headbangers Ball. They got married in 1991 and later divorced in 2000. Ricky is now married to Christina and lives in the United States.

Ricky is good friends with singer Joe Elliott from the band Def Leppard. Ricky has sung backing vocals on Def Leppard albums. Joe Elliott has also helped Ricky with his solo albums. Joe was Ricky's best man at his wedding in 2004.

Ricky Warwick is a big fan of the Northern Ireland football club Glentoran. In 2010, he released a DVD to help raise money for a campaign to save the club. In December 2014, he played an acoustic show to raise more money for the Glentoran Community Trust. Ricky wore a special Glentoran football shirt for the show. It had the logos of all his bands, and it was auctioned off to help the Trust.

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Ricky Warwick para niños