Ricky Warwick at Rascals Live -- March 16.
Saturday, March 16, 6:30 p.m.
Rascals Live, 1414 15th Street, Moline IL
Headlining the Rockin' Authentic St. Patrick’s Day Party at Moline's Rascals Live on March 16, a fittingly, genuinely Irish musician takes the stage with the area arrival of Ricky Warwick, the lead singer of the rock bands Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy who also serves as frontman for the Scottish hard-rock band The Almighty.
Warwick was born in northern Ireland's Newtownards, County Down, where he spent his formative years, and he received his first guitar at age 14. He was soon playing along to songs by various rock and country acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash, although Warwick quickly migrated to the music of harder-edged acts such as Motörhead, MC5, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Clash. The nascent rocker got his first break in the late 1980s when he was invited to join New Model Army as a rhythm guitarist on their The Ghost of Cain album world tour. After departing New Model Army, Warwick formed The Almighty in 1988 with guitarist Andy "Tantrum" McCafferty and two of Warwick's former schoolmates: drummer Stump Monroe and bass guitarist Floyd London. Warwick was the lead vocalist and played guitar in various formats of the band, and although all four founding members had a strong background in punk rock music, The Almighty took a more heavy metal/hard rock orientated musical direction.
Years later, in September of 2009, Warwick was invited to join the latest lineup of Thin Lizzy and joined them as lead vocalist and guitarist. Warwick took part in Thin Lizzy's 2011 European tour commemorating 25 years since the death of original frontman Phil Lynott. In December of 2012, Warwick went on to co-found the Thin Lizzy spin-off band Black Star Riders in order to release new material largely composed by Warwick with guitarist Damon Johnson. Black Star Riders' first album All Hell Breaks Loose was released in May of 2013, and the following year, Warwick recorded a second album with the Black Star Riders titled The Killer Instinct. Alongside his touring commitments with Black Star Riders in 2015, Warwick toured the U.K. with his bandmate Damon Johnson, performing acoustic sets of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders songs, plus various covers and selections of Almighty and solo material. More recently, Warwick performed with Black Star Riders on their 2023 album Wrong Side of Paradise, and as a soloist, the rocker delivered his ninth studio release in 2021's When Life Was Hard and Fast.
The Rockin' Authentic St. Patrick’s Day Party with Ricky Warwick gets underway in Moline on March 16, admission to the event that starts at 6:30 p.m. is $15-20, and more information and tickets are available by visiting the event's Facebook page.
