Yesterday (January 20), it was announced that John Sykes – a hugely influential mainstay of '80s hard rock guitar who had stints in Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, and Tygers of Pan Tang – had died at 65.
Though not quite a household name, Sykes was a true guitar player's guitar player who could more than keep up in a speed-obsessed era, but was most impressive for his unmistakable tone and song-focused playing approach.
