Richard Thompson
Richard Thompson was born at his parents’ home in the Spring of 1949, in West-London, and spent his early years in post war Britain, surrounded by a family with wide musical tastes. Counted among his early influences are Django Reinhardt, Fats Waller, Les Paul, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Flip the coin from his father’s jazz record collection to the early rock and roll music made available to him through his elder sister, including Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis’ Great Balls of Fire, and the eclectic diversity of his multi-generational career becomes clear.
Named by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Top 20 Guitarists of all-time and the recent recipient of both an Ivor Novello Award for Songwriting and the 2006 BBC Lifetime Achievement Award, the iconic British folk rock legend is one of the world’s most critically acclaimed and prolific songwriters. His work is admired and recorded by such artists as Bonnie Raitt, David Byrne and Elvis Costello. From his teenage years as a founding member of the 1960’s pioneering group Fairport Convention to duo work with his then-wife, Linda Thompson, and over 20 years as a solo artist, to scoring Werner Hertzog’s 2005 documentary ‘Grizzly Man’, Richard Thompson’s astounding body of work includes over 40 albums of lyrical wit anchored by such a singular acoustic and electric guitar delivery that Newsweek recently announced, ‘like all genuine art, it satisfies completely.’
The 60’s and 70’s
After earning a reputation as a fine guitarist in school bands like Emil and the Detectives, Richard had his first brush with ‘fame’ as a teenaged founding member of the 1960’s folk-rock pioneers, Fairport Convention. Playing an inventive musical mix of blues and California-style rock, the group was quickly dubbed “the new Jefferson Airplane”. The band’s founding members (Iain Matthews, Judy Dyble, Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings, Martin Lamble) were discovered playing in London’s Soho district, by American producer Joe Boyd. Boyd secured them a recording contract and their eponymous debut album was released in 1968. Shortly thereafter, the band’s lead vocalist, Judy Dyble, was replaced with the ethereal songstress, Sandy Denny.
Other personnel changes followed and over the next four years, Fairport Convention gradually developed a more personal and British based repertoire. 1969’s Liege and Lief, long regarded as a milestone recording in defining British Rock, revealed the extent of Richard’s talent as a songwriter. Here he penned contemporary songs that drew upon deep traditional genres, a writing style that would follow him throughout his career. Other 1969 releases included What We Did on Our Holidays, and Unhalfbricking.
Richard’s last album with the group was Full House, released in 1970.
That year the band also made its American debut, touring with Traffic and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Richard subsequently left the group in 1971. The next year was extremely significant for Richard. The release of his first solo album Henry the Human Fly, regarded by many as a classic and “must have” by his loyal fan base, is reported to have the dubious distinction of Warner Brothers’ worst selling album of all time. Still, it yielded songs like Poor Ditching Boy, The Angels Have Taken My Racehorse Away, and some well-developed instrumentals, which helped establish him as a talent in his own right. This venture brought the once reticent singer in Fairport Convention to the forefront, displaying his vocal abilities and typically twisted humor (Nobody’s Wedding).
In the same year Richard married folk singer Linda Peters.
The combination of Linda’s throaty vocals and Richard’s talents as songwriter and guitarist subsequently led to the recording of six albums by the duo. The release of 1974’s
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight met with universal critical acclaim, and it’s title track provided Richard with a hit single in the UK.
In 1975, fans saw the release of two albums by the duo, Hokey Pokey and Pour Down Like Silver, containing such classic Thompson material as Never Again and Night Comes In, both still demanded in concert to this day.
After a respite from the music industry, the couple returned to the stage in 1978 and soon released First Light and Sunnyvista, the former including Don’t Let a Thief Steal Into Your Heart, which was later covered by The Pointer Sisters.
The 80’s
In 1981, Richard recorded the solo instrumental album Strict Tempo, an exuberant collection of tunes from the British Isles and North Africa, performed with Thompson’s signet guitar style. Also notable is its recording of Duke Ellington’s Rockin’ in Rhythm.
Released in 1982, Shoot Out the Lights proved to be the collaborators’ most successful effort. The record was a success, critically and commercially, in America and UK, and was voted in Rolling Stone Magazine’s ‘Top Ten Records of The Decade’. Although the release included some of Richard’s best loved songs such as the title track and Wall of Death, and some of Linda’s best vocals, it was their last recording together. The couple divorced in 1982.
Richard returned to the studio to record Hand of Kindness in 1983, which introduced the use of a brass section. For the first time, saxophones traded solos with Richard’s guitar. The resulting ‘Big Band Tour’ was ecstatically received in both America and Europe. The ensemble performed Glenn Miller and Lord Rockingham numbers in the same set as vintage Thompson material like Calvary Cross and Tear Stained Letter.
In 1985, Richard married Nancy Covey, and Across a Crowded Room was released by Polygram. This album marked the beginning of his musical affiliation with Clive Gregson and Christine Collister, which lasted several years. Gregson and Collister provided an additional layer to the Thompson compositions as backing vocalists in the studio, and performers on tour as part of his band.
In 1986, Richard began his long association with American producer Mitchell Froom. He felt it was time for a departure from the ‘expected’ result of his association with producer Joe Boyd and his longtime friends from the Fairport line-up. Daring Adventures underscored that departure. Richard has said that he found working with Froom inspiring, stimulating and exciting, and the result of their first partnership remains one of Thompson’s most distinctive albums to date. Contributors to the album included the legendary Jim Keltner on drums and Jerry Scheff playing bass, a definitive change from the stable rhythm section of Pegg and Mattacks.
Between recording and touring, Richard also found time to collaborate with Peter Filleul writing and recording music for film and television soundtracks. One of these projects resulted in the spin-off album Hard Cash, a collection of specially recorded material by a number of respected British artists, based on the theme of exploitation in the workplace.
Richard also collaborated with John French, Fred Frith, and Henry Kaiser on two albums,
Live Love Larf & Loaf and Invisible Means, which provided another vehicle for Thompson’s songwriting, particularly demonstrating his acerbic and frequently oddball humor.
The 90’s
In 1990, Richard and Peter Filleul recorded the soundtrack of Sweet Talker, a full-length motion picture starring Bryan Brown and Karen Allen.
Released in 1991, the soundtrack album produced the well-known popular song, Persuasion, with music written by Thompson, and lyrics later added by Tim Finn of Crowded House.
The same year also found the release of the album Rumor & Sigh, which included such current concert favorites as I Feel So Good, I Misunderstood, and 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. The later is written in a traditional ballad form, complete with intricate Appalachian-style guitar work, and is often at the top of internet polls and college radio station ‘most requested song’ lists.
Rumor & Sigh remains Richard Thompson’s best selling album, reaching #32 on the UK charts, and in America, the release brought him a Grammy Nomination in the ‘Best Alternative Music Album’ category.
In October, the year was punctuated by an invitation to the Guitar Greats celebration in Seville, Spain, as the special guest of Bob Dylan. Richard was excited by the prospect of meeting the man who had opened the door for lyricists like himself, and who had written some of the best songs in Fairport Convention’s early repertoire.
Although Richard’s next new album, Mirror Blue, was not released until 1994, he was still constantly in demand as a live performer. Hence Richard spent much of this time between releases touring as a solo acoustic artist. This arrangement was important for at least two reasons. It lent Thompson the versatility to perform any material he wished, and it offered him an opportunity to connect with his audience on a more intimate level. His set lists varied from The Who’s Substitute to Hank Penny’s Don’t Roll Your Bloodshot Eyes at Me, intermingled with his original material. Songs he previously played with an electric band were pared down to fit his acoustic format, and he alone stood center stage with nothing between him and his fans. The result was an endearing public, one who appreciated his quick wit, wry humor, and extraordinary talent.
Another musical incarnation Richard began to enjoy in the 90’s was as the front man of a duo with double bass player, Danny Thompson (no relation). Although they’d known each other since the 60’s, the two Thompsons were great friends before bandmates. Best known as a member of the 60’s folk-rock band, Pentangle, Danny’s other musical associations include work with John Martyn, Nick Drake, Little Walter, Josh White, Donovan, Cliff Richard and even Engelbert Humperdick, among others. The pairing proved both enjoyable and successful, so Danny Thompson became a permanent part of the line-up. Since 1993, Danny has toured extensively with Richard, in both acoustic and electric band formats.
Watching The Dark, a 3 CD compilation overseen by Ed Haber, was released in 1993. Often dubbed by longtime fans as a wonderful starting point for the novice, it showcases all eras of Thompson’s work. Particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of From Galway to Graceland, a previously unreleased soul-stirring song about an obsessed Elvis Presley fan. The “boxed set” also contains plenty of material for the Thompson aficionado, (47 songs at 215 minutes) including many live, rare and previously unreleased recordings.
In 1995, the latest of several Thompson tribute albums was released, called Beat the Retreat. REM, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Syd Straw, Bob Mould, The Blind Boys of Alabama and others performed cover versions of Thompson’s songs. These efforts illustrated the artists’ reverie for Thompson, and brought some his songwriting achievements to previously unexposed listeners.
Be it positive fan reaction to the live performances on Watching The Dark, or the continued proliferation of bootleg recordings, Thompson decided in ‘95 to begin releasing ‘official’ live performances. The first release, Live at Crawley, chronicled a 1993 performance with Danny Thompson. Since that time, several additional live CD’s have been released; Two Letter Words, Celtschmertz and others. Such releases provide Thompson’s loyal fan base with supplemental entertainment between commercial releases, and Thompson himself with a less structured vehicle of expression.
In 1996, Richard released his first ‘double album’ with you?me?us?. Showcasing his versatile abilities in both acoustic and electric formats, Thompson devoted one disc to each. The ‘Nude’ disc features pared down, poetically emotive arrangements, notably Woods of Darney and Burns Supper. The second disc, ‘Voltage Enhanced ’, demonstrates his blistering electric guitar work with a full band, including such ‘awakenings’ as Put it There Pal, and Bank Vault in Heaven.
In 1997, a joint project Richard and Danny Thompson had been nurturing for some time was released, simply entitled Industry. Featuring a variety of musical and vocal styles, Industry was the basis for a BBC documentary, which aired in the UK in May of that year. Featuring compositions based on themes from the industrial revolution to Britain’s faltering mining industry, the album was performed live, in its entirety, at only 5 locations in Britain.
Two years later, Thompson released Mock Tudor, produced by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. The album, “Dedicated to the suburbanites of London” is loosely based on memories of Thompson’s youth, and the current day metropolis. Again, featuring a mix of acoustic (Bathsheba Smiles, Uninhabited Man) and electric numbers (Hard on Me), Thompson proves he is a master at both.
The New Millennium
Island Records released Best of Richard & Linda Thompson
