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Thompson formed his first band Emil and the Detectives while still attending secondary school, and like so many of his age took to listening-to and playing rock and roll. At the age of 18 now in the band Fairport Convention Thompson was spotted by producer Joe Boyd who invited the band to make a record, soon after Thompson developed a reputation as being a brilliant guitar player. The band released five studio albums including “What We Did on Our Holiday” (1968) and “Unhalfbricking” (1969).
After leaving the group, unsure as to what to do with himself, Thompson undertook a sizeable amount of session work, appearing on the albums of John Martyn, Al Stewart and Nick Drake. The musician also collaborated on the projects Morris On and The Bunch around the same time and made guest appearances on albums by Crowded House, Loudon Wainwright III and Bonnie Raitt.
Thompson’s debut album “Henry the Human Fly” was released in 1972 and was Warner Bros. Records’ worst selling album in history, after which the guitarist focused on work with wife Linda Peters. The duo went on to release a string of albums including “I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight” (1974) and after returning to the music industry after a hiatus with a Muslim community “Shoot Out the Lights” (1982).
In 1984 Thompson signed to major-label Polydor who released the albums “Across a Crowded Room” in 1985 and “Daring Adventure” in 1986, neither album performed significantly well in the charts and the musician was dropped shortly after. Thompson then went on the form a band called French Frith Kaiser Thompson, formed of John French, Fred Frith and Henry Kaiser. The group signed to Capitol Records recorded and released the albums “Live, Love, Larf & Loaf” (1987), “Amnesia” (1988) “Invisible Means” (1990) and the commercial breakthrough album “Rumor and Sigh” (1991).
Due to his success and devoted following Thompson had free reign over his musical exploration, which allowed him to release a number of diverse studio albums in the 1990s and work on the soundtrack for the film “Sweet Talker”. The new millennium brought independent releases from Thompson; recorded in his garage studio were “The Old Kit Bag” (2003) and “Front Parlour Ballads” (2005).
Thompson’s next studio album “Sweet Warrior” arrived in 2007 which was followed by an album of live recordings called “Dream Attic” in 2010. Recorded at Buddy Miller’s home studio in Nashville, U.S. “Electric” was released in 2013 and highlighted the guitarist’s enviable musical talent.
Richard Thompson, is best known for his time in Fairport Convention, but that's just a tiny fragment of his output. Over the years, he's absorbed all manner of musical influences, leading to a very unique style and presence.
He's a superb songwriter; many have covered his work, and also a stunningly good guitarist. When you go to a Richard Thompson gig it might be a solo acoustic affair - I've had friends amazed by how he manages to play basslines, chords and solo lines simultaneously on a single acoustic guitar ('surely there must be a backing track' - he's that good). Or if it's a full band show, you'll hear his blistering electric solos.
Or it might be a more quirky show, like the tour where he performed covers of his favourite songs from the past 1000 years! Or a show of Elizabethan folk songs with period instruments.
But always accessible, engaging and with stunning musicianship. Thompson is a musician's musician.
DaveMcA
I had seen Teddy play live once, a couple of years back. His voice is incredible, and he's very engaging as a performer. This time, he's paired up with Kelly Jones, a singer I was not familiar with. I also wasn't aware that he was performing with her the entire show. I love her voice, and they sound amazing together, but I would probably prefer to see Teddy as a solo act.
The two of them played in this very small, bare space in Echo Park. Anyone who loves checking out live music is always thrilled to see an artist in an intimate setting, so that was great. (The Lost Room is next door to a bar, restaurant, and yet another room with an open mic going on, called The Lost Knight. There is a small bar set up in The Lost Room, with well liquor, beer & wine.)
Teddy and Kelly told the audience that they were a new pair (not romantically, much to Teddy's apparent disappointment ;)), and that their album is set to drop in April. It was obvious they hadn't really worked out their "act," but they really sounded great. I'm looking forward to checking out the album in the Spring.
ginny-rankin
Mary Gauthier is a folk and alternative country singer from Louisiana, U.S.A. She is a singer-songwriter who has gained plenty of success over the years, receiving some fantastic critical acclaim over the times. She walks on stage to a good amount of applause, the audience is quiet and quite polite at best, not very animated, but that isn’t necessarily the way that these songs were written in the first place. “Sideshow” kicks of the proceedings with a catchy guitar sequence, engaging the audience. Her drawling southern-American voice sits on top of the chords that she strums and the gathering this evening quietly sing along to the song. “Blood is Blood” is another song that receives a similar reaction. This time, she plays a harmonica, which is on a harmonica holder around her neck. She has a fantastic reaction from the crowd at the end of each song. Making more of an impression with each song a little more than the last. It is interesting to watch this set as a play, as though she Gauthier is telling a story from start to finish.
Lannistaar
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