Imagine owning your first guitar at age 13 and being so obsessed with a band that you’d eventually have its lyrics posted all over your house. Then imagine getting a call from that group’s renowned guitarist asking you to replace its late legendary vocalist.
That fairy-tale picture became reality for Ricky Warwick, who has spent the past 10 years singing and playing guitar in Thin Lizzy, which eventually morphed into Black Star Riders out of respect for creating new music in the Thin Lizzy vein without continuing to attach the modern songs to the late Phil Lynott. But when Warwick received that completely unexpected call from guitarist Scott Gorham, it launched Warwick’s musical stature into the stratosphere. Although he had put out several solo records prior to that 2010 life-changing moment, Warwick soon found himself touring the globe while replacing his idol.
But while Black Star Riders has put out four records since 2012, the Covid-19 pandemic has ground live music to a halt. However, like many musicians, Warwick is turning a negative into a positive by using that time to create his fifth solo album. When Life Was Hard And Fast, coming out Feb. 19, 2021, on Nuclear Blast Records, features 11 wide-ranging songs with Warwick being backed by former Buckcherry members in guitarist Keith Nelson and San Antonio native Xavier Muriel on drums, along with ex-Ratt and Black Star Riders bassist Robbie Crane. The album also has a variety of guest musicians, some of whom you might not expect to team with Warwick (click album link above for a song-by-song breakdown and more).
Warwick discussed it all and shared a few laughs with Alamo True Metal today. Click on the appropriate boxes below to hear our conversation, watch the video for “Fighting Heart” and to see a slideshow of Warwick and his Fighting Hearts bandmates in action during their recent area visits.
