Richard Thompson (1) (1949–)

Richard Thompson started Fairport Convention with a group of other like-minded teenage musicians from around London. All were fascinated with American music but were well-versed in British traditional and folk music which they incorporated into their own style. This eventually inspired other musicians to from various countries and the UK to apply “the same contemporary approach to their own traditional cultures.”

Since then Thompson has played with various British groups and has had a long career as a solo act. He tells about much of it, as well as his quest for spiritualism and for meaning in his music. There’s also a bit of folly – Thompson doesn’t take himself too seriously. He tells a great story of being insulted for his long hair at a Detroit Airport coffee shop by a group of men he admired – Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, and then asking them all by name for their autographs. A great musical autobiography.… (meer)

I own as many Richard Thompson vinyl LPs I can get my hands on and can afford (Sweet Warrior is currently listed on Amazon for $300!!) and have been doing so since 1983 when I purchased Shoot Out the Lights and fell in love. Over the years I have managed to build up a nice collection of Fairport Convention, Richard and Linda Thompson and solo lps that I am very proud of. I saw him perform several years ago and it remains one of the highlights of my concert going experiences. There is a sensibility, a consciousness and a sense goodhearted warmth I feel from his work and his storytelling abilities are that of a master. His memoir, Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice 1967-1975, is a beautiful and touching walk through Thompson's early years up through the time of his finding himself in the Sufi religion. The stories of the early years of Fairport Convention and the folk rock scene, the different, now legendary performers of that time from his bandmate Sandy Denny to the tragic Nick Drake, makes for enjoyable reading. At the same time, there were moments that strike you like any powerful moment in a Richard Thompson song. Now I need to go and listen again to the work. Maybe I will start with Liege & Lief and wonder across the decades of invention.… (meer)