Towards the end of 1969, Lynott and Downey were introduced to

Towards the end of 1969, Lynott and Downey were introduced to guitarist Eric Bell via a founding member of Them , keyboardist Eric Wrixon (Bell had played in a later lineup of Them). Deciding that Bell was a better guitarist, and with Lynott now confident enough to play bass himself, the four formed Thin Lizzy . The name came from the character “Tin Lizzie” in the comic The Dandy , which in turn came from the nickname for the Ford Model T car. The H was deliberately added to mimic the way the word “thin” is pronounced in a Dublin accent. Lynott later discovered the saying attributed to Henry Ford , “Any colour you like as long as it’s black,” which he felt was appropriate for him. Wrixon was felt by the others to be surplus to requirements and left after the release of the band’s first single, ” The Farmer “, in July 1970.