Discography
1000 Years of Popular Music
2006
Grizzly Man Soundtrack
2005
Front Parlour Ballads
2005
Live From Austin, Texas
2005
The Old Kit Bag
2003
Action Packed: Best Of Capitol...
2001
Action Packed: Best Of the Capitol Years
2001
The Best Of Richard & Linda Thompson: The Island Record Years
2000
Mock Tudor
1999
Industry
1997
You? Me? Us?
1996
Mirror Blue
1994
Watching The Dark: The History...
1993
Watching The Dark: The History Of Richard Thompson
1993
Sweet Talker: Music From The Motion Picture
1992
Rumor & Sigh
1991
Amnesia
1988
Daring Adventures
1986
Across A Crowded Room
1985
Small Town Romance
1984
Hand Of Kindness
1983
Shoot Out The Lights
1982
Strict Tempo!
1981
Sunnyvista
1979
First Light
1978
Guitar/Vocal
1976
Pour Down Like Silver
1975
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
1974
Hokey Pokey
1974
Henry The Human Fly
1972
It seems strange to be doing a Spotlight on a musican that has been performing for over three decades and has dozens of albums out. But the purpose of these spotlights is to introduce any readers I have out there of this blog to performers that are not that well known. And to the general public Richard Thompson is not that well known a name. To other musicans he is very well known. He is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Other performers that you wouldn't expect to know of him do, I once had a bootleg of a John Mellencamp show and he raved about Richard Thompson and than did a song of his. This man is that good.
Richard was born in England in 1949. By the age of 18 he was playing with a group called the Fairport Convention with lead singer Sandy Denny. The group played folk-rock, which is primarly what Richard does still today.
In 1972 he went out on his own and released Henry the Human Fly. Also at this time he met and married Linda Peters. They became a partnership and she sang on his next few albums. His next album, billed as Richard and Linda Thompson was I Want to see the Bright Lights Tonight. They also recorded an album Shoot Out The Lights. This album didn't sell well, but is considered a masterpiece today. On most critics lists of the Top Hundred Albums of All Time it ranks within those numbers.
He continues to make great music today. His and Linda's son, Teddy Thompson, is a singer as well. Linda and Richard are no longer married and no longer make music together. His song 1952 Vincent Black Lightning is one of my favorite songs of all time.
His songs are just as strong lyrically as they are musically. Richard is prehaps destined to remain more of a cult act than ever breaking into the big time, his music is just not what appeals to the kids. He writes of life and more. He recorded for Capital Records but now releases his music himself on a small indepdent label Cooking Vinyl.
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