Born in Newtownards, County Down, Northern Ireland, singer/songwriter/guitarist Ricky Warwick was cut from the cloth of a mill workers jacket. Raised on a diet of Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Thin Lizzy, Stiff Little Fingers, Motown, and everything in between.

Saving his money from a newspaper round and with a little help from his father, Ricky got his first electric guitar at age 13. “That cheap electric guitar changed my life....it saved me, it was more than just notes on a fret board, it was the deepest breath of life I ever experienced.” At age 14 Ricky and his family relocated to Strathaven, Scotland and it was here that Warwick fully immersed himself in the sonic seas of Rock n Roll. Writing and practising every free moment he wasn’t working on his father’s farm; Ricky got a call to join acclaimed U.K. Punk/Folk band New Model Army as rhythm guitarist on their 1987 “Ghost of Cain” World Tour.

After leaving New Model Army Ricky went on to form The Almighty in Glasgow Scotland. The Almighty enjoyed ten top forty singles and four top twenty albums in the U.K. touring worldwide with such iconic bands as Ramones, Motorhead, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden.

In 2002 after relocating back to Ireland Ricky recorded his first solo album “Tattoos & Alibis” in Joe Elliott of Def Leppard’s studio in Dublin. Joe also handled production duties. It marked a shift in direction “I realized that I didn’t need to yell over a wall of sound to make my point...the less is more, stripped back instrumentation could achieve the same goal just as effectively. I learned so much making that record primarily about myself”. 

Warwick would go on to release two more solo albums between 2002 -2010 and tour globally opening for the likes of Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Bryan Adams and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
In January 2010 Ricky received a call from his old friend Scott Gorham who was spearheading a reformation of Ireland’s favourite sons Thin Lizzy and wanted Ricky to front the new line up. “I was shocked, terrified, excited, and extremely humbled when I got that call. Phil Lynott was my hero and Thin Lizzy were the soundtrack of my life. I realized that I could never hope or even dare to try and stand in Phil’s shoes, all I could do was try and stand beside them and sing his songs with as much heart, soul, and passion possible.

In late 2012 with a necessity to write and perform new material and out of respect for the Thin Lizzy name, Black Star Riders were born. Warwick is the frontman and main songwriter for the band.

2013 saw the release of Black Star Riders acclaimed debut album “All Hell Breaks Loose”. Since then, Black Star Riders have released five critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums the most recent being 2023’s “Wrong Side of Paradise” which landed at number 6 in the UK album chart. They have achieved three U.K. top 15 albums and two U.K. top 10 album as well as mainstream radio play also claiming two “singles of the week” on BBC Radio 2.

2016 saw Rick release his first solo effort, the critically acclaimed “When Patsy Cline Was Crazy... And Guy Mitchell Sang the Blues”

In early 2021 Ricky Warwick released his fifth solo album: “When Life Was Hard & Fast” which was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Keith Nelson (ex Buckcherry) who also co-wrote many of the songs on the record with Warwick.  “I wanted to create an album that had the simplistic melodies of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and charged with the electric hedonistic fury of Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. Working with Keith Nelson was a no brainer for me as we are kindred spirits plus, he has a great vintage guitar collection”. 

In February 2024 Ricky once again hit the studio with Keith Nelson to record his sixth solo album which is due for release in early 2025. It features Billy Duffy from The Cult/ Southern Death Cult adding his unique distinctive guitar sound on three of the tracks.

“It’s all about the songs and rock n roll in its purest form, raw and anthemic. This record is drenched in guitars!! I can’t wait for people to hear this album and to hit the road touring it whether it’s with my band, The Fighting Hearts or just myself and my acoustic – either way it will be amazing. I’m grateful that after 35 years of making records my appetite for writing and playing is the same as it was that day all those years ago when I got my first electric guitar”. 

Ricky Warwick

Black Star Riders/The Fighting Hearts/ Thin Lizzy/ The Almighty