Brian "Robbo" Robertson

Brian Robertson
Robertson performing in 2011
Background information
Also known as	"Robbo"
Born	(1956-02-12) 12 February 1956 (age 61) Clarkston, Scotland
Genres	Hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal, rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, cello, drums, piano
Years active	1974–present
Associated acts	Thin Lizzy, Motörhead, Wild Horses, The Bitter Twins
Website	Official website

Brian David Robertson (born 12 February 1956) is a Scottish rock guitarist, best known as a member of Thin Lizzy and Motörhead.

Robertson was born in Clarkston, Renfrewshire (now part of East Renfrewshire), where he was educated, attending Eastwood High School in nearby Newton Mearns, and became a musician. He studied cello and classical piano for eight years before switching to the guitar and drums. He played in gigs around his local area with bands like Dream Police, who later evolved into the Average White Band.

In June 1974, Thin Lizzy were auditioning for two new guitarists and a try-out for Robertson was arranged. Aged 18, Robertson was taken on along with Scott Gorham on the other lead guitar. The two lead guitarists provided a critical part of Thin Lizzy's signature sound, referred to by critics as their "twin guitar attack". During his time in the band, Robertson was a contributing member to five studio albums released by Thin Lizzy: Nightlife (1974), Fighting (1975), Jailbreak (1976), Johnny the Fox (1976), Bad Reputation (1977) and a live album Live and Dangerous (1978).

Although frontman, bassist/lead vocalist Phil Lynott was the primary songwriter for Thin Lizzy's material, Robertson contributed a substantial share of songwriting for the band, sometimes collaborating with Lynott and the band. Nightlife and Bad Reputation were the only records that did not feature his songwriting and he performed only on selected tracks from the latter album.