Thompson, Richard (1949– )

English virtuoso guitarist, songwriter, and singer. His work spans rock, folk, and avant-garde. He was a member of pioneering folk-rock group Fairport Convention 1966–71, contributing to albums like What We Did on Our Holidays (1968). With his wife Linda Thompson he made several albums, among them Shoot Out the Lights (1982). Later solo work includes Rumor and Sigh (1991). He continued to release critically acclaimed work in various musical contexts throughout the 1990s, including an ingenious renaissance/rock album with wind-player and early musicologist Philip Pickett (1950– ), The Bones of All Men (1998).

Thompson's musicianship and quirky songwriting have made him a cult figure and his sardonic songs have been covered by diverse artists. He has also recorded with the Golden Palominos, a US-based part-time group, and with the experimental quartet French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson. He released Mock Tudor, which, like Rumor and Sigh, has an undercurrent of social commentary, in 1999. A compilation album, Action Packed: The Best of the Capitol Years, followed in 2001.

He has also written music for films, for example the single ‘Dimming of the Day’ for Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002).