[6] He began his career with local groups around the Belfast area, including the last incarnation of Them to feature Van Morrison, between September and October 1966.

[7] He also played with a number of other bands including Shades of Blue, The Earth Dwellers and The Bluebeats, before joining an Irish showband named The Dreams.

[7][8] He left in 1969, having tired of the showband format, and at the end of that year formed a band with Irish musicians Phil Lynott, Eric Wrixon and Brian Downey.

[9][10] Organist Eric Wrixon left Thin Lizzy after a few months and the remaining trio later secured a contract with Decca Records.

[12] Although Thin Lizzy gained in popularity during the early 1970s, the pressures of recording, touring and the excesses of the rock star lifestyle began to take their toll.

[16] It was later included on Thin Lizzy's Vagabonds, Kings, Warriors, Angels box set in 2002, although much of Eric Bell's lead guitar work was missing from this version as the relevant master tapes could not be found.

[19] In 2005, he joined Gary Moore onstage to perform "Whiskey in the Jar" at the Phil Lynott tribute concert "The Boy Is Back in Town" in the Point Theatre, Dublin.