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.

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.
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.

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.

In 1990, Richard and Peter Filleul recorded the soundtrack of Sweet Talker, a full-length motion picture starring Bryan Brown and Karen Allen.

In recent years, Richard has occasionally performed a show called 1,000 Years of Popular Music. Those lucky enough to see the show have been treated to highlights such as a ballad about the Battle of Agincourt fought in 1415, a number from the 1885 Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "The Mikado" (performed with Judith Owen), and even a rendition of the Britney Spears’ hit, Oops I Did it Again. A CD of one of the shows is available through BEESWEB.

Thompson’s 1,000 Years of Popular Music show surfaced in London and Chicago during the Autumn of 2003, and would become an extensive touring format for him in 2004, with more than twenty near sold-out shows.

On March 1st, 2005, The Queen opened the doors of Buckingham Palace to the music industry for the first time, with an event to celebrate its contribution to British culture. Approximately 500 musicians and industry figures, including Richard Thompson, attended the reception given by Her Majesty and The Duke of Edinburgh, representing the first time the Queen has recognised the music industry en masse.

	Tim and the Bears		Guitar Instrumental
	For Who's Sake		Folk/Acoustic Rock/Americana

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PIP and MERRY	7/9/2007 5:27:33 AM good to see yo here old pal, song writers eh, who would be one, some were born to it, and you are .love to ya pip & merry.
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