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Richard Thompson (born 3 April 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Thompson first gained prominence in the late 1960s as the lead guitarist and songwriter for the folk rock group Fairport Convention, which he had co-founded in 1967. After departing the group in 1971, Thompson released his debut solo album ''
Henry the Human Fly ''Henry the Human Fly'' is the debut solo album by former Fairport Convention guitarist Richard Thompson. It was released on the Island label in the U.K. and the Reprise label in the U.S.A. in April 1972. The album was reissued by Rykodisc in 19 ...
'' in 1972. The next year, he formed a duo with his then-wife Linda Thompson, which produced six albums, including the critically acclaimed '' I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight'' (1974) and ''
Shoot Out the Lights ''Shoot Out the Lights'' is the sixth and final album by British husband-and-wife rock duo Richard and Linda Thompson. It was produced by Joe Boyd and released in 1982 on his Hannibal label. A critically acclaimed work, AllMusic's Mark Deming ...
'' (1982). After the dissolution of the duo, Thompson revived his solo career with the release of '' Hand of Kindness'' in 1983. He has released a total of eighteen solo studio albums. Three of his albums''
Rumor and Sigh ''Rumor and Sigh'' is the seventh solo album by British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson, released in 1991 on the Capitol label. The album was a commercial success for Thompson, and featured his biggest American hit single "I Feel So Good", as ...
'' (1991), ''
You? Me? Us? ''You? Me? Us?'' is the ninth studio album by British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson released in April 1996 via Capitol Records. It was Thompson's fourth album for the label, his fifth with Mitchell Froom producing and his second to be n ...
'' (1996), and '' Dream Attic'' (2010)have been nominated for
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s, while '' Still'' (2015) was his first UK Top Ten album. He continues to write and record new material regularly and had frequently performed at venues throughout the world, although the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
forced him to suspend his touring. Music critic
Neil McCormick Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for '' The Daily Telegraph'' since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Ne ...
described Thompson as "a versatile virtuoso guitarist and a sharp observational singer-songwriter whose work burns with intelligence and dark emotion". His songwriting has earned him an Ivor Novello Award and, in 2006, a lifetime achievement award from BBC Radio. His 1991 song " 1952 Vincent Black Lightning" was included in ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' magazine's "All-TIME 100 Songs" list of the best English-language musical compositions released between 1923 and 2011. Thompson was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(OBE) in the
2011 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2011 were announced on 31 December 2010 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: New Zealand,New Zealand"New Year Honours 2011"(14 January 2011) 2 ''New Zealand Gazette'' 55. The Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands: Grenada,Grenada: ...
for services to music. Many varied musicians have recorded Thompson's compositions. In 2021, his book ''Beeswing: Losing my Way and Finding my Voice, 1967-1975'' was released. Published by Algonquin Books, it is mainly a memoir of his life as a musician from 1967 to 1975.


Early life and career (1949 to 1972)

Richard Thompson was born in Ladbroke Crescent, Notting Hill, West London, England. His father, a Scot, was a
Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...
detective, and an amateur guitar player; several other family members had played music professionally. While attending William Ellis School in Highgate, he formed his first band, Emil and the Detectives (named after a book and a movie by the same title) with classmate Hugh Cornwell, later lead singer and guitarist of The Stranglers, on bass guitar. Like so many musicians of his generation, Thompson was exposed to and embraced
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...
music at an early age, and he was also exposed to his father's
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and
traditional Scottish music Scotland is internationally known for its traditional music, which remained vibrant throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, when many traditional forms worldwide lost popularity to pop music. In spite of emigration and a well-developed c ...
record collection. His father had seen Django Reinhardt play in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
in the 1930s and played guitar himself. He was later described by his son as "a bad amateur player ... with three chords, though, unfortunately, not C, F and G." All these musical genres were to colour Thompson's playing in the years to come. American producer Joe Boyd said: At the age of 18 Thompson co-founded folk rock group Fairport Convention. Largely on the strength of Thompson's playing, Boyd took them under his wing and signed them to his Witchseason production and management company. Boyd said: Shortly thereafter Thompson, already acquiring a reputation as an outstanding guitar player, started writing songs seriously. This seems to have been out of necessity as Fairport Convention was at first essentially a cover band. By early 1969, when Fairport's second album ''
What We Did on Our Holidays ''What We Did on Our Holidays'' (released as ''Fairport Convention'' in the United States) is the second album by British band Fairport Convention, released in 1969. It was their first album to feature singer-songwriter Sandy Denny. The album al ...
'' was recorded and released, Thompson was starting to emerge as a songwriter of distinction. As Fairport's lineup and their sound evolved, Thompson continued to grow in stature as a player and as a songwriter with compositions like "
Meet on the Ledge "Meet on the Ledge" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Richard Thompson and recorded by British folk rock band Fairport Convention in 1968 on Island Records. It was their second single. Background The song was taken from the album ...
". On 12 May 1969, between the recording and release of their next album ''
Unhalfbricking ''Unhalfbricking'' is the third album by the British folk rock band Fairport Convention and their second album released in 1969. It is seen as a transitional album in their history and marked a further musical move away from American influences ...
'', Fairport's van crashed on the M1 motorway on the way home from a gig at
Mothers ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestati ...
, a club in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
. Drummer Martin Lamble, aged 19, and Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn were killed. The rest of the band suffered injuries of varying severity. Later in 1969, Fairport re-grouped with a new drummer, Dave Mattacks, and also invited the well known fiddle player, Dave Swarbrick, to join. Thompson and Swarbrick worked together to create songs such as "Crazy Man Michael" from the band's seminal 1969 folk-rock album '' Liege & Lief'' and "Sloth" from its 1970 follow-up '' Full House''. In January 1971, Thompson announced that he was leaving Fairport Convention. His decision was instinctive, rather than a calculated career move: In April 1972, he released his first solo album ''
Henry the Human Fly ''Henry the Human Fly'' is the debut solo album by former Fairport Convention guitarist Richard Thompson. It was released on the Island label in the U.K. and the Reprise label in the U.S.A. in April 1972. The album was reissued by Rykodisc in 19 ...
'', recording with Sandy Denny, Pat Donaldson, Sue Draheim, John Kirkpatrick,
Barry Dransfield Barry Dransfield (born 1947 in Harrogate, West Riding of Yorkshire), is an English folk singer, fiddler, cellist and guitarist. He has appeared as a session musician on numerous albums by other artists, and has released his own albums as ...
,
Ashley Hutchings Ashley Stephen Hutchings, MBE, sometimes known in early years by his nickname, "Tyger" Hutchings (born 26 January 1945) is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founding member of t ...
, Linda Peters, Andy Roberts, and others. The album sold poorly and was panned by the press, especially the influential ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' magazine. With time ''Henry'' has come to be more highly regarded, but at the time the critics' response hurt both Thompson and his career.


1970s: Richard and Linda Thompson

By the 1970s, Thompson had begun a relationship with the singer Linda Peters, who had sung on ''Henry the Human Fly''. In October 1972 the couple were married, and Thompson, with Linda now effectively his front woman, regrouped for his next album and the next phase of his career. The first Richard and Linda Thompson album, '' I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight'', was recorded in May 1973 in short time and on a small budget. Largely because of the petrol shortage in Britain and its impact on the availability of vinyl for records, ''Bright Lights'' was held back by
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anothe ...
for nearly a year before being released in April 1974. The album was well received by critics, though sales were less than stellar. Thompson's lyrics expressed a rather dismal world view, and it has been suggested that the bleak subject matter of his songs helped to keep his recordings off the hit parade. A more likely explanation was given by ex-
Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...
A&R man Richard Williams in the 2003
BBC TV BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
documentary ''Solitary Life'': Thompson was just not interested in fame and its trappings. The Thompsons recorded two more albums—'' Hokey Pokey'' and ''
Pour Down Like Silver ''Pour Down Like Silver'' is the third album by the British duo of singer-songwriter and guitarist Richard and vocalist Linda Thompson. It was recorded in the summer of 1975 and released in November 1975. Background The Thompsons had adopted th ...
'', both released in 1975—before Richard Thompson decided to leave the music business. The couple moved to a Sufi community in
East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
. It was not apparent from their records at first, but the Thompsons had embraced an esoteric
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
strand of
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
in early 1974. ''I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight'' was recorded before this conversion, but released some time afterwards. The songs for the second Richard and Linda album, ''Hokey Pokey'', were similarly written some time ahead of the album's recording and eventual release. It was ''Pour Down Like Silver'', with its cover photo of a turbaned Richard Thompson, that tipped the public off to the Thompsons' growing preoccupation with their faith. The trilogy of albums released before and after his sojourn in the commune was heavily influenced by Thompson's beliefs and by Sufi scripture, but in the long run his religious beliefs have not influenced his work in an obvious manner. The outlook expressed in his songs, his musical style, the subjects addressed by his lyrics have not shown any fundamental change. He remains a committed
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
. Thompson started to re-engage with the world of professional music in 1977. He played on an album by Sandy Denny, and had undertaken a short tour and started recording with a group of musicians who were also Sufis. Thompson asked Joe Boyd to produce these sessions, and two days were spent on the initial recordings. Boyd recalls that the sessions were not a success: "It was really, I felt, very poor. I didn't have much confidence in the musicians that he was working with. The atmosphere was very strange and it just didn't seem to work." At about this time the Thompsons and their family moved out of the commune and back to their old home in
Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...
. Boyd had already invited Richard Thompson to play on Julie Covington's debut album. With spare studio time and the American session musicians hired to work on the Covington album available, the Thompsons went back into the studio to record under their own name for the first time in three years. The resulting album, '' First Light'', was warmly received by critics but did not sell particularly well. Neither did its follow up, 1979's harder-edged and more cynical ''
Sunnyvista ''Sunnyvista'', released in October 1979, is the fifth album by Richard and Linda Thompson. After the artistic mismatch of the previous year's comeback album, '' First Light'', the Thompsons made greater use on this album of backing musician ...
''. Chrysalis Records did not take up their option to renew the contract, and the Thompsons found themselves without one.


1980s

Gerry Rafferty had booked the Thompsons as the support act for his 1980 tour, and had also used Richard as a session player on his '' Night Owl'' album. Rafferty offered to finance the recording of a new Richard and Linda Thompson album which he would then use to secure a contract for the Thompsons. Richard Thompson fell out with Rafferty during this project and was not happy with the finished product. Nevertheless, Rafferty kept his side of the bargain and presented the album to several record companies – none of which expressed interest in signing the Thompsons. Rafferty did not recover his investment. About a year later, Joe Boyd signed the Thompsons to his small
Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Pu ...
label and a new album was recorded. ''
Shoot Out the Lights ''Shoot Out the Lights'' is the sixth and final album by British husband-and-wife rock duo Richard and Linda Thompson. It was produced by Joe Boyd and released in 1982 on his Hannibal label. A critically acclaimed work, AllMusic's Mark Deming ...
'' included new recordings of many of the songs recorded in 1980. Linda Thompson was pregnant at the time of the recording, so the album's release was delayed until they could tour behind the album. Breathing problems arising from her pregnancy also meant that Linda could not sing the lead part on some of these songs as she had done on demo tapes and the Rafferty-produced recordings. As an interim measure, Richard Thompson agreed to a short (5-day), low-key solo tour of the U.S. This tour was set up by Nancy Covey, then concert director for McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. Covey, who had been in the UK in 1981 trying to sign Thompson to play at McCabe's, arranged for Thompson well-received 5 and 6 December shows. It was during this tour that Thompson and Covey developed an intimate relationship, and during that month, Richard and Linda Thompson separated. Upon its release in 1982, ''Shoot Out the Lights'' was lauded by critics and sold quite well – especially in the U.S. The Thompsons, now a couple for professional purposes only, toured the United States in support of the album, their only American tour together. Both the album and their live shows were well received by the American media, and ''Shoot Out the Lights'' effectively relaunched their career – just as their marriage was falling apart. The performances, with a backing band including both
Simon Nicol Simon John Breckenridge Nicol (born 13 October 1950) is an English guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founding member of British folk rock group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the ...
and Dave Mattacks of Fairport Convention, were seen as strong, but the tension between Richard and Linda was all too obvious. For this reason, the Thompsons' fans often refer to the ''Shoot Out the Lights'' tour as "The Tour from Hell". Upon returning home, Richard and Linda went their separate ways. Richard Thompson continued recording as a solo artist. His 1983 album '' Hand of Kindness'' saw him working with Boyd again, but with a revised backing band and a more extroverted and up-tempo song selection. With his separation from Linda finalized, Richard Thompson began to commute between twin bases in London and Los Angeles and to tour regularly in the USA. Encouraged by the success of his solo shows in late 1981 and early 1982, he began to perform solo with increasing frequency and continued to tour with a band. In 1983 and 1984, he toured the US and Europe with the Richard Thompson Big Band, which included two saxophone players in addition to the more usual rhythm section, second guitar and
accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a ree ...
. Set lists included covers of classic rock 'n roll songs and jazz standards such as "
Tuxedo Junction "Tuxedo Junction" is a popular song written by Erskine Hawkins, Bill Johnson, and Julian Dash with lyrics by Buddy Feyne. The song was introduced by Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra, a college dance band previously known as the Bama State Collegi ...
". In 1985, Thompson signed with
PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
and received a sizeable advance. He and Nancy Covey married at an alcohol-free wedding that included a who's who of roots-music performers who Covey knew well from McCabe's and the Los Angeles music scene, and had introduced to Thompson. After their wedding, Thompson moved his home and working base to California. As part of the settlement that allowed Thompson to leave Boyd's Hannibal label for Polygram, the live album ''
Small Town Romance ''Small Town Romance'' is the first live album by British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson. Before and after the "Tour From Hell" to promote the Richard and Linda Thompson album '' Shoot Out the Lights'', Richard played solo shows in the US ...
'' was released. This comprised recordings made during Thompson's solo shows in the US in late 1981 and early 1982. ''
Across a Crowded Room __NOTOC__ ''Across a Crowded Room'' is the fourth solo album by Richard Thompson released in 1985, on both vinyl and CD. As of 2019, it remains his final collaboration with long-time producer Joe Boyd (who had produced Thompson's previous four ...
'' (1985) was his last album to be recorded in England and the last to have Boyd as producer. Thompson put together a new look backing band for the tour to promote this album, and some shows were filmed for a live video release (see
Richard Thompson discography The discography of Richard Thompson, an English singer/songwriter and guitarist, consists of 18 solo studio albums, three live albums and 16 singles, in addition to six studio albums and two live albums credited to Richard and Linda Thompson an ...
). In 1986, he released '' Daring Adventures'', which was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Mitchell Froom. ''Daring Adventures'', with a rich sound, markedly different production and use of American session players, was perceived by some as evidence of Thompson's increasing "Americanisation". Perhaps more significantly, the album continued the trend, begun with ''Across A Crowded Room,'' of Thompson's songs moving away from the seemingly personal material and towards the character sketches and narratives for which he has since become famous. Froom and PolyGram had plans to target college and the growing "alternative" markets with ''Daring Adventures''. Sales improved, but not substantially. Polygram declined an option to renew the contract. Thompson's management negotiated a new deal with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...
. In 1985, Fairport Convention reformed and recorded the album '' Gladys' Leap''. Thompson did not rejoin Fairport, but he did contribute a song to the project and played guitar on another track on the album. 1988 saw the release of Thompson's first album for Capitol, '' Amnesia''. Froom was retained as producer, and once again the album was recorded in Los Angeles with many of the same players that Froom had called upon for the ''Daring Adventures'' sessions.


1990s

Thompson contributed music to BBC Northwest's documentary ''Hard Cash'' and appears on the eponymous accompanying album issued by Topic. A track from the album, ''Time To Ring Some Changes'' is included in the 2009 Topic Records 70-year anniversary boxed set '' Three Score and Ten'' as track thirteen on the sixth CD. Thompson appears on Willie Nile's 1991 ''
Places I Have Never Been ''Places I Have Never Been'' is an album by the American musician Willie Nile, released in 1991. It was Nile's first album in 10 years, as legal and personal issues prevented him from putting out music. Nile supported the album with a North Americ ...
'' album. In 1991, Thompson recorded ''
Rumor and Sigh ''Rumor and Sigh'' is the seventh solo album by British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson, released in 1991 on the Capitol label. The album was a commercial success for Thompson, and featured his biggest American hit single "I Feel So Good", as ...
'', his second album for Capitol. Once again Froom produced. This album, particularly the acoustic guitar ballad " 1952 Vincent Black Lightning," was hailed by critics and fans alike and greatly advanced Thompson's reputation as a leading traditional-style guitarist. ''Rumor and Sigh'' was nominated for a Grammy and sold well. However, a shake-up at Capitol saw Hale Milgrim (Thompson's champion and fan within the boardroom) replaced by Garry Gersh. Thus, Thompson's next album ''
Mirror Blue __NOTOC__ ''Mirror Blue'' is the eighth studio album by Richard Thompson, released in 1994. The follow-up to 1991's successful '' Rumor And Sigh'' was recorded in January 1993 with Mitchell Froom once again in the producer’s chair. Despite t ...
'' was held back for almost a year before being released. Thompson was awarded the Orville H. Gibson Award for best acoustic guitar player in 1997. In 1992, he performed with David Byrne. Their joint acoustic concert at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity in Brooklyn Heights, New York on 24 March, produced the album ''An Acoustic Evening'', which was released the same year. ''Mirror Blue'' was released in 1994, to often negative reviews sparked by the production decisions that Thompson and Froom took. Thompson took to the road to promote the album. He was joined by drummer Dave Mattacks, Danny Thompson (no relation) on double bass, and Pete Zorn on acoustic guitar, backing vocals, mandolin and various wind instruments. This line-up toured with Thompson the following two years. Thompson continued recording for Capitol until 1999, when ''
Mock Tudor Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...
'' was recorded and released. His deal with Capitol was modified so that he could release and directly market limited-quantity, live recorded, not-for-retail albums. The first of these was '' Live at Crawley'', released in 1995.


2000s

In 2001, Thompson declined the option to renew his contract with Capitol. Thompson appeared on his ex-wife Linda's studio album ''Fashionably Late'' on the song "Dear Mary". It was the first time the two had recorded together since ''Shoot Out the Lights''. The BBC produced a documentary, in 2003, about Thompson's long musical career, entitled ''Solitary Life'', directed by Paul Bernays and narrated by
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
. It featured interviews with Thompson from his home in California and contributions from Billy Connolly,
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...
, ex-wife Linda Thompson, Harry Shearer and Thompson's then wife Nancy Covey. The programme was re-broadcast by BBC Four in September 2012. The move away from big labels and big budgets paradoxically brought a bigger marketing push and healthier sales. Thompson's first two self-funded releases, 2003's ''
The Old Kit Bag __NOTOC__ ''The Old Kit Bag'' is the eleventh studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson, released in 2003 on the Cooking Vinyl label. Background The title refers to the World War I marching song "Pack Up Your T ...
'' and 2005's '' Front Parlour Ballads'', did well in the indie charts on both sides of the Atlantic. In May 2007 Thompson released ''
Sweet Warrior ''Sweet Warrior'' is the thirteenth studio album by Richard Thompson, released in 2007. Thompson financed the recording of this album himself and then licensed the finished album to various labels for distribution. On its release, ''Sweet War ...
''. The album was licensed to different labels in different territories: Shout! Factory in the US, P-Vine in Japan, Planet Records in Australia, and Proper Records in the UK and Europe. In August of the same year
Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...
released a live Richard and Linda Thompson album, compiled from recordings made during the November 1975 tour to promote the ''
Pour Down Like Silver ''Pour Down Like Silver'' is the third album by the British duo of singer-songwriter and guitarist Richard and vocalist Linda Thompson. It was recorded in the summer of 1975 and released in November 1975. Background The Thompsons had adopted th ...
'' album. Thompson continued releasing "official bootlegs" on his boutique label as an additional source of revenue – all live recordings.


2010s

In early 2010, Thompson assembled a band and did a string of shows showcasing new material. The aim was to record the new material in a live setting. The recording and touring band consisted of Thompson, Pete Zorn, (acoustic guitar, flute, saxophone, mandolin, vocals); Michael Jerome (drums, vocals), Taras Prodaniuk, (bass guitar, vocals); and Joel Zifkin, ( electric violin, mandolin, vocals). The resulting album '' Dream Attic'', released in August the same year, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. On 10 June 2010, Thompson was awarded the ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...
'' Les Paul Award for "Guitar Legend". Thompson curated the 2010
Meltdown Festival Meltdown is an annual festival held in London, featuring a mix of music, art, performance and film. Meltdown is held in June at Southbank Centre, the arts complex covering and including the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and ...
. The festival included a tribute to the recently deceased Kate McGarrigle, a feature of which was a rare on-stage reunion of Richard and Linda Thompson. He was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, he was awarded an
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
by the University of Aberdeen. In early 2013, Thompson released '' Electric'', recorded in Nashville with Buddy Miller producing. The record enjoyed good reviews and debuted in the UK top 20. Thompson took to the road with a stripped down "
power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...
" band on a multi-month tour on both sides of the Atlantic to promote the new album. Also that year Thompson appeared on his ex-wife Linda's fourth studio album ''Won't Be Long Now'', on the track "Love's for Babies and Fools". It was the second time the two have recorded together since ''Shoot Out the Lights''. In 2014, Thompson released ''
Acoustic Classics ''Acoustic Classics'' is the fifteenth solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson. It was released by Beeswing Records via Proper Records on 21 July 2014 in the UK and 22 July 2014 in the USA. Background ''Acoustic Classic ...
,'' an album featuring acoustic renditions of 14 songs from his back catalogue, on his Beeswing label. The record reached number 16 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
. Thompson appears alongside family members, both blood related and by marriage, on the album ''
Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
'' (2014) by Thompson (the band being named for all the Thompsons that appear), performing two songs solo and contributing to others as well. The album was produced by son Teddy Thompson and features ex-wife Linda Thompson,
The Rails The Rails is a folk rock band from London, England, composed of husband and wife James Walbourne and Kami Thompson. Thompson and Walbourne first met during the recording sessions for ''Versatile Heart'' by Thompson's mother Linda Thompson in 2 ...
who are Thompson's daughter Kami Thompson and her husband James Walbourne, as well as other related musicians, including Walbourne's brother and Richard Thompson's son from his second marriage. Thompson released '' Still'' in June 2015, an album produced by
Jeff Tweedy Jeffrey Scot Tweedy (born August 25, 1967) is an American musician, songwriter, author, and record producer best known as the singer and guitarist of the band Wilco. Tweedy, originally from Belleville, Illinois, started his music career in hi ...
of Wilco and recorded in Tweedy's The Loft Studio. The album reached number 10 in the UK Album chart, his first album to reach the UK top 10. In September 2015, he appeared on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
's '' Later... with Jools Holland'', where he performed "All Buttoned Up" and ""She Never Could Resist a Winding Road" from his album '' Still''. This was followed, in 2017, by a second acoustic album ''
Acoustic Classics II ''Acoustic Classics II'' is the seventeenth solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson. It was released by Beeswing Records on 10 August 2017. Background Acoustic Classics II is the second acoustic compilation album by Ric ...
'' which reached number 24 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
. and ''Acoustic Rarities'', an album of new recordings of some of the more obscure songs in the Thompson catalogue, some previously existing only as cover versions. Thompson's eighteenth studio album, ''
13 Rivers ''13 Rivers'' is the eighteenth solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson. It was released on 14 September 2018 by New West Records in the US and by Proper in the UK. Background ''13 Rivers'' was written after a period of ...
'' was released on 14 September 2018. Thompson produced the record himself at
Boulevard Recording Boulevard Recording is a recording studio in Hollywood, California that was opened in 2010 under the ownership of producer ''Clay Blair''. The studio was previously home to the famed Producer's Workshop where Pink Floyd decided to park for two m ...
in Los Angeles. On 30 September 2019 Thompson played at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
to celebrate his 70th birthday.


Side projects and collaborations

In between leaving Fairport Convention in early 1971 and releasing his debut solo album in 1972, he undertook a large amount of session work, most notably on albums by John Martyn, Al Stewart, Matthews Southern Comfort, Sandy Denny, Mike Heron and Nick Drake. During the same period, he also worked on two collaborative projects. '' Morris On'' was recorded with
Ashley Hutchings Ashley Stephen Hutchings, MBE, sometimes known in early years by his nickname, "Tyger" Hutchings (born 26 January 1945) is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founding member of t ...
, John Kirkpatrick, Dave Mattacks and Barry Dransfield, and was a collection of English traditional tunes arranged for electric instruments. ''The Bunch'' were almost the reverse conceptually – a grouping of English
folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
musicians (including Sandy Denny, Linda Peters and members of Fairport Convention) recording a selection of classic
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...
tunes. Thompson has continued to guest on albums by an array of artists, from Crowded House,
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...
and Vivian Stanshall, to Norma Waterson and BeauSoleil and folk artists like Loudon Wainwright III,
Cathal McConnell Cathal McConnell (born 1944) is a musician and singer best known as the mainstay of traditional band The Boys of the Lough, of which he was a founder member. His main instruments are the Irish flute and the tin whistle. Early life McConnell ca ...
(of The Boys of the Lough) and Bob Davenport. He has also performed and recorded with Teddy Thompson, his son from his marriage to Linda Thompson. Since the early 1980s, Thompson has appeared at Fairport Convention's annual Cropredy Festival, both in his own right and as a participant in sets with current and previous Fairport members. These sets are seldom confined to performances of songs out of the Thompson or Fairport Convention canons, and in recent years some surprise offerings have included the soul classic " I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (with Thompson backed by the Roy Wood Big Band),
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' " I'm Down" and even " The Lady Is a Tramp". Thompson has displayed a penchant for the
avant garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or 'vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical D ...
as well, working with former Pere Ubu singer David Thomas's grouping The Pedestrians on two albums in 1981 and 1982, respectively. In the 1980s, he was associated with a loose-fitting group called The Golden Palominos, who were led by drummer Anton Fier and included at times on stage and on record Jack Bruce, Michael Stipe,
Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936) is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera '' Escalator over the Hill'' ...
, John Lydon, Bill Laswell and others. He has worked with experimental guitarist Henry Kaiser, most notably as part of the ad hoc grouping French Frith Kaiser Thompson with whom he recorded two albums. In 1997 he worked with long-time friend and band member Danny Thompson to record a concept album ''Industry'' that dealt with the decline of British industry. A year later he worked with
early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classi ...
expert
Philip Pickett Philip Pickett (born 17 November 1950) is an English musician. Pickett was director of early music ensembles including the New London Consort, and taught at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He played recorders, shawms and similar ins ...
on the acclaimed ''Bones of All Men'' which fused
renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
tunes with contemporary music. For several years Thompson devised and toured his show ''
1000 Years of Popular Music ''1000 Years of Popular Music'' is a 2003 live album by Richard Thompson. The album was originally conceived after Richard Thompson, along with many other artists, was asked by ''Playboy'' magazine to nominate his choice of the best songs of th ...
''. The inspiration for this came when ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...
'' asked Thompson (and many other music industry figures) in 1999 for their suggestions for the "top ten songs of the millennium". Guessing that ''Playboy'' expected most people's lists to start at around 1950, Thompson took the magazine at its word and presented a list of songs from the 11th century to the present day. Perhaps not surprisingly, ''Playboy'' did not use his list, but the exercise gave him the idea for a show which takes a chronological trip through popular music across the ages. Thompson acknowledges that this is an ambitious undertaking, partly because he reckons that he is technically unqualified to sing 98% of the material, and partly because of the sparse musical setting he restricts himself to: besides his acoustic guitar, he's backed by singer/pianist Judith Owen and percussionist/singer Debra Dobkin. A typical performance would start with a medieval round, progress via a Purcell aria, Victorian music hall and Hoagy Carmichael and end with Thompson's take on the Britney Spears hit " Oops!... I Did It Again". In 2004, Thompson was asked to create the soundtrack music for the Werner Herzog documentary ''
Grizzly Man ''Grizzly Man'' (2005) is an American documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. It chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell and the death of his girlfriend Amie Huguenard at Katmai National Park, Alaska. The fi ...
''. The score, which was recorded over a two-day period in December 2004, brought Thompson together with a group of improvisational musicians, mostly from the
San Francisco Bay area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...
; video footage from the sessions was edited into a mini-documentary, ''In the Edges,'' which was included with the DVD release of ''Grizzly Man''. In 2009, Thompson was commissioned to write a piece for the International Society of Bassists in honour of Danny Thompson. The resulting Cabaret of Souls, a musical play set in the underworld, has been performed in State College (Pennsylvania), London, and Los Angeles with a cast that includes Harry Shearer, Judith Owen, Debra Dobkin, Pete Zorn, either Danny Thompson or David Piltch, and a 12-piece string section conducted by Peter Askim. This suite was eventually commercially released in late 2012. In 2006 and 2013, Thompson recorded
Hugh S. Roberton Sir Hugh Stevenson Roberton (23 February 18747 October 1952) was a Scottish composer and Britain's leading choral-master. Roberton was born in Glasgow, where, in 1906, he founded the Glasgow Orpheus Choir. For five years before that it was the ...
's "
Mingulay Boat Song The "Mingulay Boat Song" is a song written by Sir Hugh S. Roberton (1874–1952) in the 1930s. The melody is described in Roberton's ''Songs of the Isles'' as a traditional Gaelic tune, probably titled "Lochaber". The tune was part of an old Gaeli ...
" and the traditional "General Taylor" for the sea shanty-compilations '' Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys'' and '' Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys''. In July 2019, New West Records released a soundtrack album for the documentary ''The Cold Blue'', featuring the film's original score composed by Thompson. The film, directed by Erik Nelson, tells the story of the
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forc ...
which flew multiple deadly missions during World War II and features newly restored 4K footage and outtakes, shot by director
William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), '' The Best Years o ...
, during the summer of 1943 for his 1944 documentary '' Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress''.


Retrospectives and tributes

There are a number of retrospective collections of Thompson's work, many containing material which is unavailable elsewhere. 1976's ''
(guitar, vocal) ''(guitar, vocal)'' is a 1976 album by Richard Thompson. It was released by Island Records as a career retrospective after he and his wife Linda had gone into semi-retirement from the business of making and performing music following the relea ...
'' was a collection of unreleased material from the previous eight years of Thompson's appearances on the
Island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An isla ...
label. The 3-CD set '' Watching the Dark'' combines his better-known songs and previously unreleased live and studio tracks. '' Action Packed'' is a compilation of tracks from his Capitol releases, plus three hard-to-find songs. Finally, in 2006, the independent label Free Reed released ''
RT- The Life and Music of Richard Thompson ''RT- The Life and Music of Richard Thompson'' is a 5-CD box set by Richard Thompson, released in February 2006. It gives an extensive overview of Thompson's long career without including content from any of his mainstream albums. While many of ...
'', a 5-CD box set consisting almost entirely of previously unreleased performances of songs from throughout Thompson's long career. Thompson's songs have been extensively covered; for example, Dimming of the Day has been performed by artists such as The Neville Brothers,
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...
,
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...
, David Gilmour, The Blind Boys of Alabama, June Tabor, The Corrs and
Alison Krauss and Union Station Alison Krauss & Union Station is an American bluegrass and country band associated with singer Alison Krauss. It was initially composed of Krauss, Jeff White, Mike Harman and John Pennell. Later additions included Tim Stafford, Ron Block, A ...
. There have been several tribute compilations of other artists' interpretations of his work, including: Capitol's '' Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson'' and Green Linnet's '' The World Is a Wonderful Place: The Songs of Richard Thompson'', both released in 1994.


Playing style

Thompson makes use of the "pick and fingers" technique (sometimes referred to as " hybrid picking") where he plays bass notes and rhythm with a pick between his first finger and thumb, and adds melody and punctuation by plucking the treble strings with his fingers. He also makes use of different guitar tunings, such as (low to high) CGDGBE, DADGBE,
DADGAD , or Celtic tuning is an alternative guitar tuning most associated with Celtic music, though it has also found use in rock, folk, metal and several other genres. Instead of the standard tuning () the six guitar strings are tuned, from low to high, ...
, and more. This enables him to adapt traditional songs, as on '' Strict Tempo!'' and ''
1000 Years of Popular Music ''1000 Years of Popular Music'' is a 2003 live album by Richard Thompson. The album was originally conceived after Richard Thompson, along with many other artists, was asked by ''Playboy'' magazine to nominate his choice of the best songs of th ...
''. Thompson occasionally makes use of a thumb-pick, playing in fingerstyle, the most notable example being on the motorcycle ballad " 1952 Vincent Black Lightning."


Guitars


Electric

Thompson is often associated with the Fender Stratocaster guitar. He has made prominent use of Stratocasters, as he has a general preference for the sound of single coil pick-ups. Prior to using a Stratocaster with Fairport Convention he used a Gibson Les Paul with P-90 pick-ups. He then switched to a late 60s Stratocaster. Since leaving Fairport Convention he has continued to use electric guitars with single coil pick-ups, most famously a late-1950s Stratocaster but also two custom built electrics by Danny Ferrington as well as other Stratocasters, various Telecaster-type guitars and, in the studio, a Danelectro U2. As regards effects, he has made significant use of modulation and vibrato type effects pedals, most notably the
Univibe The Uni-Vibe, also marketed as the Jax Vibra-Chorus,Harry Shapiro, Michael Heatley, Roger Mayer''Jimi Hendrix Gear'', page 120 Voyageur Press is a footpedal-operated phaser or phase shifter for creating chorus and vibrato simulations for electr ...
and emulations thereof. Thompson has made intermittent use of
Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...
's GK-1 pick-up and GL-2 synthesiser over the years. He made use of these devices on 1979's ''
Sunnyvista ''Sunnyvista'', released in October 1979, is the fifth album by Richard and Linda Thompson. After the artistic mismatch of the previous year's comeback album, '' First Light'', the Thompsons made greater use on this album of backing musician ...
'' album and has occasionally used them in concert.


Acoustic

Since the early 1990s, Thompson has made prominent use of Lowden acoustic guitars for studio and live work; Lowden have made a signature model for him. Before this he used a
Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...
000-18 as well as instruments built by Danny Ferrington. For live work, his acoustic guitars are fitted with a Sunrise pick-up and an internal condenser microphone. The output from the pick-up is usually fed into some effects pedals, typically a delay pedal and a
Uni-Vibe The Uni-Vibe, also marketed as the Jax Vibra-Chorus,Harry Shapiro, Michael Heatley, Roger Mayer''Jimi Hendrix Gear'', page 120 Voyageur Press is a footpedal-operated phaser or phase shifter for creating chorus and vibrato simulations for elect ...
.Gear and Tuninqs Q&A
. Retrieved 26 April 2007.


Discography


References

Bibliography * * * *


External links


Richard Thompson official web site

2013 ''Bomb Magazine'' interview of Richard Thompson by Keith Connolly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Richard 1949 births Appalachian dulcimer players British folk rock musicians Capitol Records artists Chrysalis Records artists Converts to Islam English people of Scottish descent English folk guitarists English male guitarists English folk singers English male singer-songwriters English Sufis English rock guitarists English session musicians English songwriters Fairport Convention members Island Records artists Polydor Records artists Ivor Novello Award winners Living people Musicians from London British mandolinists Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at William Ellis School People from Hampstead People from Notting Hill The Golden Palominos members Acoustic guitarists The Bunch members The Albion Band members French Frith Kaiser Thompson members PolyGram artists Proper Records artists 20th-century English memoirists