Editing Richard Thompson (musician)

{{Short description|British singer, songwriter, guitarist (born 1949)}}
{{Other people|Richard Thompson}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background        = person
| name              = Richard Thompson
| honorific_suffix  = [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
| image             = Richard_Thompson_-_6-21-07_-_Photo_by_Anthony_Pepitone.jpg
| caption           = Thompson performing in 2007
| birth_name        = Richard John Thompson
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1949|04|03|df=yes}}
| birth_place       = [[Notting Hill]], London, England
| genre             = {{hlist|[[British folk rock|Folk rock]]|[[Contemporary folk music|folk]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|musician}}
| instrument        = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar}}
| years_active      = 1967–present
| label             = {{hlist|[[Island Records|Island]]|Elixir|[[Hannibal Records|Hannibal]]|[[Polydor Records|Polydor]]|[[Capitol Records|Capitol]]|{{nowrap|[[Cooking Vinyl]]}}|[[Proper Records|Proper]]|Beeswing|[[New West Records|New West]]}}
| current_member_of = [[Family (Thompson album)|Thompson]]
| past_member_of    = {{hlist|[[Fairport Convention]]|{{nowrap|[[The Bunch]]}}|The GP's}}
| spouse            = {{unbulleted list|{{married|[[Linda Thompson (singer)|Linda Thompson]]|1972|1982|end=div}}|{{married|Nancy Covey|1985|2019|end=div}}<ref>{{cite web | last=Denselow | first=Robin | author-link=Robin Denselow | date=30 September 2019 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/30/richard-thompson-at-70-on-love-loss-and-being-a-muslim-in-trump-us | title=Richard Thompson at 70: on love, loss and being a Muslim in Trump's US | work=The Guardian | publisher= | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930085010/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/30/richard-thompson-at-70-on-love-loss-and-being-a-muslim-in-trump-us | archivedate=30 September 2019}}</ref>}}
{{married|Zara Phillips|2021}}<ref>{{cite instagram |user=zaraphillips |postid=CWwhKkcM0rP |date=26 November 2021 |title=zarahphillips Got hitched today .#marriedlife |access-date=15 April 2023}}</ref>
| module            = {{Infobox person
| embed             = yes
| family            = [[Teddy Thompson]] (son)<br>[[Kamila Thompson]] (daughter)<br>[[Zak Hobbs]] (grandson)
}}
| website           = {{URL|richardthompson-music.com}}
}}

'''Richard Thompson''' {{Post-nominals|country=UK|OBE}} (born 3 April 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist.<ref name=WP>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/08/07/thompson-gloom-a-grin/204bfae2-4b53-4dd4-9660-c9bba8642453/|title=THOMPSON: GLOOM A GRIN|author-link=Geoffrey Himes |first=Geoffrey |last=Himes|date=7 August 1991|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=10 May 2016}}</ref>

Thompson first gained prominence in the late 1960s as the lead guitarist and songwriter for the folk rock group [[Fairport Convention]], which he had co-founded in 1967. After departing the group in 1971, Thompson released his debut solo album ''[[Henry the Human Fly]]'' in 1972. The next year, he formed a duo with his wife [[Linda Thompson (singer)|Linda Thompson]], which produced six albums, including the critically acclaimed ''[[I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight]]'' (1974) and ''[[Shoot Out the Lights]]'' (1982). After the dissolution of the duo, Thompson revived his solo career with the release of ''[[Hand of Kindness]]'' in 1983. He has released eighteen solo studio albums. Three of his albums{{--}}''[[Rumor and Sigh]]'' (1991), ''[[You? Me? Us?]]'' (1996), and ''[[Dream Attic]]'' (2010){{--}}have been nominated for [[Grammy Award]]s,<ref>{{cite web |title=Richard Thompson |url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/richard-thompson |website=GRAMMY.com |access-date=15 January 2020 |date=19 November 2019}}</ref> while ''[[Still (Richard Thompson album)|Still]]'' (2015) was his first UK Top Ten album. He continues to write and record new material and has frequently performed at venues throughout the world, although the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] forced him to suspend his touring.

Music critic [[Neil McCormick]] described Thompson as "a versatile [[virtuoso]] guitarist and a sharp observational singer-songwriter whose work burns with intelligence and dark emotion".<ref name=mccormick>{{cite news | url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/richard-thompson-review-royal-albert-hall-david-gilmour-derek/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/richard-thompson-review-royal-albert-hall-david-gilmour-derek/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title= Richard Thompson review, Royal Albert Hall: from David Gilmour to Derek Smalls, this was a 70th birthday bash to remember | newspaper=The Telegraph | first=Neil | last=McCormick | date=1 October 2019 | access-date=4 October 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> His songwriting has earned him an [[Ivor Novello Awards|Ivor Novello Award]]<ref name="WebSiteBio" /> and, in 2006, a lifetime achievement award from BBC Radio.<ref name="WebSiteBio" /><ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/folkawards2006/winners06.shtml |title = BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2006 – Winners |publisher = BBC |access-date = 2 March 2008 }}</ref> His 1991 song "[[1952 Vincent Black Lightning]]" was included in ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine's "All-TIME 100 Songs" list of the best English-language musical compositions released between 1923 and 2011.<ref>[https://entertainment.time.com/2011/10/24/the-all-time-100-songs/slide/1952-vincent-black-lightning-richard-thompson/ "All-TIME 100 Songs: 1952 Vincent Black Lightning"] (retrieved on 26 February 2014).</ref> Thompson was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[2011 New Year Honours]] for services to music.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{London Gazette|issue = 59647 |date = 31 December 2010 |page=12 |supp=y}}</ref> Many varied musicians have recorded Thompson's compositions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richardthompson-music.com/album.asp?id=54|title=Official web site list of artist's songs covered by other artists |page=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080104192301/http://www.richardthompson-music.com/album.asp?id=54|archive-date=4 January 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=2 March 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richardthompson-music.com/album.asp?id=53|title=Official web site list of artist's songs covered by other artists|page=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016090059/http://richardthompson-music.com/album.asp?id=53|archive-date=16 October 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=2 March 2008}}</ref>

His memoir, ''Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice, 1967–1975'', was published in 2021.

==Early life and career (1949 to 1972)==
Richard Thompson was born at 23 Ladbroke Crescent (off [[Ladbroke Grove]]), [[Notting Hill]], West London, England.<ref name="bees"/> His father, a Scot, was a [[Scotland Yard]] detective and an amateur guitar player; several other family members had played music professionally. He was the younger brother, by five years, of sister Perri, who became a fashion designer.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/14/richard-thompson-beeswing-fairport-folk-rock-interview|title=Richard Thompson: 'I had to put the pen down, take a deep breath, have a little cry'|first=Jude|last=Rogers|newspaper=The Observer |date=14 March 2021|via=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/chicagotribune/name/william-blackburn-obituary?id=32945941|title=William Blackburn Obituary (1929–2021) – Evanston, IL – Chicago Tribune|website=Legacy.com}}</ref>  While attending [[William Ellis School]] in [[Highgate]], he formed his first band, Emil and the Detectives (named after [[Emil and the Detectives|a book and a movie by the same title]]), with classmate [[Hugh Cornwell]], later lead singer and guitarist of [[the Stranglers]], on bass guitar. When he was a teenager Thompson moved with his family to [[Whetstone, London|Whetstone]], near the northern end of the underground's [[Northern line]].<ref name="bees">{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Richard |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1159043406 |title=Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice, 1967–1975 |date=2021 |publisher=Algonquin Books |isbn=978-1-61620-895-0 |edition=First |location=Chapel Hill |page=|oclc=1159043406 }}</ref>

Interviewed in 2003, Thompson said:
{{quote|Listening to [[Buddy Holly]] in 1956 was the point at which I wanted to pick up a guitar, although I didn't actually manage to do that until 1960 ... I played [[The Shadows|Shadows]] songs in school bands until I started hanging around with the guys that became Fairport Convention, and we would play [[Bob Dylan]], [[Phil Ochs]], [[Richard Fariña]] ... the American singer-songwriters. We would go to Dylan's publisher and ask for songs that hadn't been recorded. We were interested in lyrics, and we were pretty idealistic.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/feb/07/artsfeatures.europeancapitalofculture2008 | title=Folk hero | newspaper=The Guardian | date=7 February 2003 | last1=Hodgkinson | first1=Will | last2=Hodgkinson | first2=Interview by Will }}</ref>}}

Like so many musicians of his generation, Thompson was exposed to and embraced [[rock and roll]] music at an early age, and he was also exposed to his father's [[jazz]] and [[traditional Scottish music]] record collection.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=16–18|ps=}} His father had seen [[Django Reinhardt]] play in [[Glasgow]] in the 1930s and played guitar himself. He was later described by his son as "a bad amateur player ... with three chords, though, unfortunately, not C, F and G."<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/apr/11/richard-thompson-faith-feature |title = Why Richard Thompson is keeping the faith |first= Tim |last=Adams
|newspaper = [[The Observer]] |date = 11 April 2010 |access-date = 14 May 2013}}</ref> All these musical genres were to colour Thompson's playing in the years to come.

American producer [[Joe Boyd]] said:
{{quote|He can imitate almost any style, and often does, but is instantly identifiable. In his playing you can hear the evocation of the Scottish piper's drone and the melody of the chanter as well as echoes of [[Barney Kessel]]'s and [[James Burton]]'s guitars and [[Jerry Lee Lewis]]'s piano. But no blues clichés.{{sfn|Boyd|2005|p=167|ps=}}}}

At the age of 18 Thompson co-founded folk rock group [[Fairport Convention]]. Largely on the strength of Thompson's playing, Boyd took them under his wing and signed them to his Witchseason production and management company.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=44|ps=}}{{sfn|Boyd|2005|p=166|ps=}}

Boyd said:
{{quote|And there was this group of very nice [[Muswell Hill]] grammar school boys and a girl playing American music. [[Leonard Cohen]] songs, and [[Richard Fariña]] songs, and [[Bob Dylan]] songs, all being done in a kind of West-Coasty rock style. And then came the guitar solo, and Richard just played the most amazing solo. He played a solo which quotes from [[Django Reinhardt|Django]], from [[Charlie Christian]], you know, an incredibly sophisticated little solo. And that really amazed me, the breadth of his sophistication... and so, you know, at the end of the gig I was in the dressing room saying 'would you guys like to make a record?'<ref name="SolitaryLife">{{cite web | title = Richard Thompson: Solitary Life | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074nw0 | access-date = 14 September 2012 | work = [[BBC]] | date = February 2003}}</ref>}}

Shortly thereafter Thompson, already acquiring a reputation as an outstanding guitar player, started writing songs seriously. This seems to have been out of necessity as Fairport Convention was at first essentially a [[cover band]].

{{quote|I remember saying to Ashley <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Ashley Hutchings|Hutchings]], bassist<nowiki>]</nowiki> after a gig, that I was kind of embarrassed about doing the material we were doing, because it seemed that we should have outgrown doing covers – even though it was only 1967 – it somehow wasn't good enough and other bands were writing their own stuff and we should too. I remember being angry and saying to Ashley this isn't good enough, we've got to get some original material... and stuff started to trickle through.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=50–51|ps=}}}}

By early 1969, when Fairport's second album ''[[What We Did on Our Holidays]]'' was recorded and released, Thompson was starting to emerge as a songwriter of distinction. As Fairport's lineup and their sound evolved, Thompson continued to grow in stature as a player and as a songwriter with compositions like "[[Meet on the Ledge]]".

[[File:FairportConvention2Kralingen1970.jpg|thumb|Richard Thompson ([[Holland Pop Festival|Kralingen 1970]], with Fairport Convention) ]]
On 12 May 1969, between the recording and release of their next album ''[[Unhalfbricking]]'', Fairport's van crashed on the [[M1 motorway]] on the way home from a gig at [[Mothers (music venue)|Mothers]], a club in [[Birmingham]]. Drummer [[Martin Lamble]], aged 19, and Thompson's girlfriend Jeannie Franklyn were killed.<ref name = "SolitaryLife" /><ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years">{{cite book| first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years| edition= 1st | publisher= Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | pages= 196}}</ref> The rest of the band suffered injuries of varying severity.<ref name="Sweers">{{cite book|last=Sweers|first=Britta|title=Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2005|isbn=978-0195174786}}</ref> Later in 1969, Fairport re-grouped with a new drummer, [[Dave Mattacks]], and also invited the well known fiddle player, [[Dave Swarbrick]], to join. Thompson and Swarbrick worked together to create songs such as "Crazy Man Michael" from the band's seminal 1969 folk-rock album ''[[Liege & Lief]]'' and "Sloth" from its 1970 follow-up ''[[Full House (Fairport Convention album)|Full House]]''.

In January 1971, Thompson announced that he was leaving Fairport Convention. His decision was instinctive, rather than a calculated career move:

{{quote|I left Fairport as a gut reaction and didn't really know what I was doing, except writing. I was writing stuff and it seemed interesting and I thought it would be fun to make a record. And at the same time{{--}}70–71{{--}}I was doing a lot of [[session musician|session]] work as a way of avoiding any serious ideas about a career.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=123–124|ps=}} }}

In April 1972, he released his first solo album ''[[Henry the Human Fly]]'', recording with [[Sandy Denny]], [[Pat Donaldson]], [[Sue Draheim]], [[John Kirkpatrick (folk musician)|John Kirkpatrick]], [[Barry Dransfield]], [[Ashley Hutchings]], [[Linda Thompson (singer)|Linda Peters]], [[Andy Roberts (musician)|Andy Roberts]], and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richardthompson-music.com/album.asp?id=5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223202212/http://www.richardthompson-music.com/album.asp?id=5|url-status=dead|title=''Henry the Human Fly''|archive-date=23 December 2007}}</ref> The album sold poorly and was panned by the press, especially the influential ''[[Melody Maker]]'' magazine.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=135|ps=}} With time ''Henry'' has come to be more highly regarded, but at the time the critics' response hurt both Thompson and his career.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=135|ps=}}

==1970s: Richard and Linda Thompson==
By the 1970s, Thompson had begun a relationship with the singer [[Linda Thompson (singer)|Linda Peters]], who had sung on ''Henry the Human Fly''. In October 1972 the couple were married at [[Hampstead Town Hall]] and honeymooned in [[Corsica]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/richard-thompson-school-of-rock|title=Richard Thompson: conventional wisdom|website=Camden New Journal|access-date=2 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/linda-thompson-scenes-from-a-rock-roll-marriage-68405/|title=Linda Thompson: Scenes From a Rock & Roll Marriage|first=Kurt|last=Loder|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=9 May 1985|access-date=2 August 2023}}</ref> Thompson, with Linda now effectively his front woman, regrouped for his next album and the next phase of his career.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

The first Richard and [[Linda Thompson (singer)|Linda Thompson]] album, ''[[I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight]]'', was recorded in May 1973 in short time and on a small budget. Largely because of the petrol shortage in Britain and its impact on the availability of vinyl for records, ''Bright Lights'' was held back by [[Island Records]] for nearly a year before being released in April 1974. The album was well received by critics, though sales were less than stellar.

Thompson's lyrics expressed a rather dismal world view, and it has been suggested that the bleak subject matter of his songs helped to keep his recordings off the hit parade. A more likely explanation was given by ex-[[Island Records|Island]] [[Artist and repertoire|A&R]] man Richard Williams in the 2003 [[BBC TV]] documentary ''Solitary Life'': Thompson was just not interested in fame and its trappings.<ref name="SolitaryLife"/>

The Thompsons recorded two more albums—''[[Hokey Pokey (album)|Hokey Pokey]]'' and ''[[Pour Down Like Silver]]'', both released in 1975—before Richard Thompson decided to leave the music business. The couple moved to a [[Abdalqadir as-Sufi|Sufi community]] in [[East Anglia]].

It was not apparent from their records at first, but the Thompsons had embraced an esoteric [[Sufi]] strand of [[Islam]] in early 1974.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=151–154|ps=}} ''I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight'' was recorded before this conversion, but released some time afterwards. The songs for the second Richard and Linda album, ''Hokey Pokey'', were similarly written some time ahead of the album's recording and eventual release. It was ''Pour Down Like Silver'', with its cover photo of a turbaned Richard Thompson, that tipped the public off to the Thompsons' growing preoccupation with their faith.

The trilogy of albums released before and after his sojourn in the commune was heavily influenced by Thompson's beliefs and by Sufi scripture, but in the long run his religious beliefs have not influenced his work in an obvious manner. The outlook expressed in his songs, his musical style, the subjects addressed by his lyrics have not shown any fundamental change.{{sfn|Smith|2004|p=21|ps=}} He remains a committed [[Muslim]].<ref name = "SolitaryLife"/>

Thompson started to re-engage with the world of professional music in 1977. He played on an album by [[Sandy Denny]], and had undertaken a short tour and started recording with a group of musicians who were also Sufis. Thompson asked [[Joe Boyd]] to produce these sessions, and two days were spent on the initial recordings. Boyd recalls that the sessions were not a success: "It was really, I felt, very poor. I didn't have much confidence in the musicians that he was working with. The atmosphere was very strange and it just didn't seem to work."{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=175|ps=}}

At about this time the Thompsons and their family moved out of the commune and back to their old home in [[Hampstead]].{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=181|ps=}} Boyd had already invited Richard Thompson to play on [[Julie Covington]]'s debut album. With spare studio time and the American [[session musician]]s hired to work on the Covington album available, the Thompsons went back into the studio to record under their own name for the first time in three years.

The resulting album, ''[[First Light (Richard and Linda Thompson album)|First Light]]'', was warmly received by critics<ref name = "SolitaryLife"/> but did not sell particularly well. Neither did its follow up, 1979's harder-edged and more cynical ''[[Sunnyvista]]''. [[Chrysalis Records]] did not take up their option to renew the contract, and the Thompsons found themselves without one.

==1980s==
[[File:Richard Thompson on stage at Leeds Folk Festival, UK, 1982 (photograph by Tony Rees).jpg|thumb|Thompson performing solo on stage at the [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Leeds Folk Festival]], 1982]]
[[Gerry Rafferty]] had booked the Thompsons as the support act for his 1980 tour, and had also used Richard as a session player on his ''[[Night Owl (album)|Night Owl]]'' (1979) album. Rafferty offered to finance the recording of a new Richard and Linda Thompson album which he would then use to secure a contract for the Thompsons.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=194|ps=}} Richard Thompson fell out with Rafferty during this project and was not happy with the finished product.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=196|ps=}} Nevertheless, Rafferty kept his side of the bargain and presented the album to several record companies – none of which expressed interest in signing the Thompsons. Rafferty did not recover his investment.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=196–197|ps=}}

About a year later, [[Joe Boyd]] signed the Thompsons to his small [[Hannibal Records|Hannibal]] label and a new album was recorded. ''[[Shoot Out the Lights]]'' included new recordings of many of the songs recorded in 1980. Linda Thompson was pregnant at the time of the recording, so the album's release was delayed until they could tour behind the album.  Breathing problems arising from her pregnancy also meant that Linda could not sing the lead part on some of these songs as she had done on demo tapes and the Rafferty-produced recordings.

As an interim measure, Richard Thompson agreed to a short (5-day), low-key solo tour of the U.S. This tour was set up by Nancy Covey, then concert director for McCabe's Guitar Shop in [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]].{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=207|ps=}} Covey, who had been in the UK in 1981 trying to sign Thompson to play at McCabe's, arranged for Thompson well-received 5 and 6 December shows. It was during this tour that Thompson and Covey developed an intimate relationship, and during that month, Richard and Linda Thompson separated.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=210–211|ps=}}

Upon its release in 1982, ''Shoot Out the Lights'' was lauded by critics and sold quite well – especially in the U.S.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=207–208|ps=}}<ref name="TimeSOTL">{{cite magazine|url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921277-1,00.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091125155440/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921277-1,00.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 25 November 2009 |title = Songs of Sad Experience |first = Jay |last=Cocks |date = 30 August 1982 |magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]  |access-date = 13 September 2010}}</ref>

The Thompsons, now a couple for professional purposes only, toured the United States in support of the album, their only American tour together. Both the album and their live shows were well received by the American media,{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=207–208|ps=}}<ref name = "TimeSOTL"/> and ''Shoot Out the Lights'' effectively relaunched their career – just as their marriage was falling apart. The performances, with a backing band including both [[Simon Nicol]] and [[Dave Mattacks]] of Fairport Convention, were seen as strong,<ref name = "TimeSOTL"/>{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=213–213|ps=}} but the tension between Richard and Linda was all too obvious. For this reason, the Thompsons' fans often refer to the ''Shoot Out the Lights'' tour as "The Tour from Hell".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/match-made-in-hell-linda-thompson-and-her-husband-created-british-folk-rock-and-almost-destroyed-463614.html|title=Match made in hell: Linda Thompson and her husband created British|website=Independent.co.uk|date=2 September 2007|access-date=14 September 2018}}</ref> Upon returning home, Richard and Linda went their separate ways.

Richard Thompson continued recording as a solo artist. His 1983 album ''[[Hand of Kindness]]'' saw him working with [[Joe Boyd|Boyd]] again, but with a revised backing band and a more extroverted and up-tempo song selection.

With his separation from Linda finalized, Richard Thompson began to commute between twin bases in London and Los Angeles and to tour regularly in the USA. Encouraged by the success of his solo shows in late 1981 and early 1982, he began to perform solo with increasing frequency and continued to tour with a band. In 1983 and 1984, he toured the US and Europe with the Richard Thompson Big Band, which included two saxophone players in addition to the more usual rhythm section, second guitar and [[accordion]]. Set lists included covers of classic rock 'n roll songs and jazz standards such as "[[Tuxedo Junction]]".

In 1985, Thompson signed with [[PolyGram]] and received a sizeable advance.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=229|ps=}} He and Nancy Covey married at an alcohol-free wedding that included a who's who of roots-music performers who Covey knew well from McCabe's and the Los Angeles music scene, and had introduced to Thompson. After their wedding, Thompson moved his home and working base to California. As part of the settlement that allowed Thompson to leave Boyd's Hannibal label for Polygram, the live album ''[[Small Town Romance]]'' was released. This comprised recordings made during Thompson's solo shows in the US in late 1981 and early 1982. ''[[Across a Crowded Room]]'' (1985) was his last album to be recorded in England and the last to have [[Joe Boyd|Boyd]] as producer.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|pp=242–244|ps=}}{{sfn|Smith|2004|p=280|ps=}} Thompson put together a new look backing band for the tour to promote this album, and some shows were filmed for a live video release (see [[Richard Thompson discography]]).

In 1986, he released ''[[Daring Adventures]]'', which was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by [[Mitchell Froom]]. ''Daring Adventures'', with a rich sound, markedly different production and use of American [[session musician|session players]], was perceived by some as evidence of Thompson's increasing "Americanisation". Perhaps more significantly, the album continued the trend, begun with ''Across A Crowded Room,'' of Thompson's songs moving away from the seemingly personal material and towards the character sketches and narratives for which he has since become famous. Froom and PolyGram had plans to target college and the growing "alternative" markets with ''Daring Adventures''. Sales improved, but not substantially. Polygram declined an option to renew the contract.{{sfn|Humphries|1997|p=253|ps=}} Thompson's management negotiated a new deal with [[Capitol Records]].

In 1985, Fairport Convention reformed and recorded the album ''[[Gladys' Leap]]''. Thompson did not rejoin Fairport, but he did contribute a song to the project and played guitar on another track on the album.

1988 saw the release of Thompson's first album for Capitol, ''[[Amnesia (Richard Thompson album)|Amnesia]]''. Froom was retained as producer, and once again the album was recorded in Los Angeles with many of the same players that Froom had called upon for the ''Daring Adventures'' sessions.

==1990s==
Thompson contributed music to [[BBC]] Northwest's documentary ''Hard Cash'' and appears on the eponymous accompanying album issued by [[Topic Records|Topic]].  A track from the album, ''Time To Ring Some Changes'' is included in the 2009 Topic Records 70-year anniversary boxed set ''[[Three Score and Ten]]'' as track thirteen on the sixth CD.

Thompson appears on [[Willie Nile]]'s 1991 ''[[Places I Have Never Been]]'' album.

In 1991, Thompson recorded ''[[Rumor and Sigh]]'', his second album for Capitol. Once again Froom produced. This album, particularly the acoustic guitar ballad "[[1952 Vincent Black Lightning]]", was hailed by critics and fans alike and greatly advanced Thompson's reputation as a leading traditional-style guitarist.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/rumor-and-sigh-mw0000263404|title=Rumor and Sigh – Richard Thompson – Songs, Reviews, Credits |website=AllMusic|access-date=14 September 2018}}</ref>

''Rumor and Sigh'' was nominated for a [[Grammy Award|Grammy]] and sold well. However, a shake-up at Capitol saw Hale Milgrim (Thompson's champion and fan within the boardroom) replaced by Garry Gersh. Thus, Thompson's next album ''[[Mirror Blue]]'' was held back for almost a year before being released.

Thompson was awarded the [[Orville H. Gibson]] Award for best acoustic guitar player in 1997.<ref name="WebSiteBio">{{cite web |url = http://www.richardthompson-music.com/bio.asp |title = Richard Thompson biography on official web site |access-date = 2 March 2008 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080218101756/http://www.richardthompson-music.com/bio.asp |archive-date = 18 February 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abdn.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates/richard-thompson-obe-131.php|title=Richard Thompson OBE – Graduation – The University of Aberdeen|website=Abdn.ac.uk|access-date=14 September 2018}}</ref>

In 1992, he performed with [[David Byrne]]. Their joint acoustic concert at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity in [[Brooklyn Heights]], New York on 24 March, produced the album ''An Acoustic Evening'', which was released the same year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jack.mauveweb.co.uk/artists/thompson/19920324.html |title=Richard Thompson & David Byrne – 24 March 1992: New York |access-date=19 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150419222152/http://jack.mauveweb.co.uk/artists/thompson/19920324.html |archive-date=19 April 2015 }}</ref>

''Mirror Blue'' was released in 1994, to often negative reviews sparked by the production decisions that Thompson and Froom took. Thompson took to the road to promote the album. He was joined by drummer [[Dave Mattacks]], [[Danny Thompson]] (no relation) on double bass, and [[Pete Zorn]] on acoustic guitar, backing vocals, [[mandolin]] and various wind instruments. This line-up toured with Thompson the following two years.

Thompson continued recording for [[Capitol Records|Capitol]] until 1999, when ''[[Mock Tudor (album)|Mock Tudor]]'' was recorded and released. His deal with Capitol was modified so that he could release and directly market limited-quantity, live recorded, not-for-retail albums. The first of these was ''[[Live at Crawley]]'', released in 1995.

In 1994 the tribute album ''Beat the Retreat'' was issued, with Thompson's songs performed by such artists as [[R.E.M.]], [[June Tabor]] and [[David Byrne]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson |website=[[AllMusic]] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/beat-the-retreat-songs-by-richard-thompson-mw0000121770 |access-date=18 October 2024 }}</ref>

==2000s==
[[File:Richard Thompson - Cambridge 2006 1.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Thompson at the [[Cambridge Folk Festival]], 2006]]
In 2001, Thompson declined the option to renew his contract with Capitol.

Thompson appeared on his ex-wife Linda's studio album ''Fashionably Late'' on the song "Dear Mary".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/fashionably-late-mw0000660574 |title=Allmusic Review: Linda Thompson – "Fashionably Late" |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=6 December 2013}}</ref> It was the first time the two had recorded together since ''Shoot Out the Lights''.

In 2003, the [[BBC]] produced a documentary about Thompson's long musical career, entitled ''Solitary Life'', directed by Paul Bernays and narrated by [[John Peel]]. It featured interviews with Thompson from his home in California and contributions from [[Billy Connolly]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], ex-wife [[Linda Thompson (singer)|Linda Thompson]], [[Harry Shearer]] and Thompson's then wife Nancy Covey. The programme was re-broadcast by [[BBC Four]] in September 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074nw0|title="Richard Thompson: Solitary Life" at bbc.co.uk|work=BBC|access-date=29 September 2014}}</ref>

The move away from big labels and big budgets paradoxically brought a bigger marketing push and healthier sales. Thompson's first two self-funded releases, 2003's ''[[The Old Kit Bag]]'' and 2005's ''[[Front Parlour Ballads]]'', did well in the [[Indie (music)|indie]] charts on both sides of the Atlantic.{{citation needed|date=May 2011}} In May 2007 Thompson released ''[[Sweet Warrior]]''. The album was licensed to different labels in different territories: [[Shout! Factory]] in the US, [[P-Vine Records|P-Vine]] in Japan, Planet Records in Australia, and [[Proper Records]] in the UK and Europe. In August of the same year [[Island Records|Island]] released a live Richard and Linda Thompson album, compiled from recordings made during the November 1975 tour to promote the ''[[Pour Down Like Silver]]'' album.

Thompson continued releasing "official bootlegs" on his boutique label as an additional source of revenue – all live recordings.

==2010s==

[[File:Richard Thompson Electric Trio, Towersey 2018.jpg|thumb|250px|The Richard Thompson Electric Trio (with Michael Jerome and Taras Prodaniuk) at [[Towersey Festival]], 2018]]

In early 2010, Thompson assembled a band and did a string of shows showcasing new material. The aim was to record the new material in a live setting. The recording and touring band consisted of Thompson, Pete Zorn, (acoustic guitar, flute, saxophone, mandolin, vocals); [[Michael Jerome]] (drums, vocals), [[Taras Prodaniuk]], (bass guitar, vocals); and [[Joel Zifkin]], ([[electric violin]], mandolin, vocals). The resulting album ''[[Dream Attic]]'', released in August the same year, was nominated for a [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album]].<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.grammy.com/nominees?year=2010&genre=59#id69-best-contemporary-folk-album|title = Official list of the 53rd Grammy nominees, announced December 2010|website=Grammy.com|date = 30 April 2017}}</ref>

On 10 June 2010, Thompson was awarded the ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' Les Paul Award for "Guitar Legend".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/photos.nsf/main/richard_thompson_5496377 |title=Richard Thompson Picture|website=Contactmusic.com |date=11 June 2010|access-date=15 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/guitar-greats-honoured-at-mojo-music-awards-1997770.html |title = Guitar greats honoured at Mojo music awards |date = 11 June 2010|work = [[The Independent]] | location = London | first = Anthony | last = Barnes}}</ref>

Thompson curated the 2010 [[Meltdown Festival]]. The festival included a tribute to the recently deceased [[Kate McGarrigle]], a feature of which was a rare on-stage reunion of Richard and Linda Thompson. He was appointed [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> On 5 July 2011, he was awarded an [[honorary doctorate]] by the [[University of Aberdeen]].<ref name="infoserv.abdn.ac.uk">{{cite web|url=http://infoserv.abdn.ac.uk/news/details-10307.php|title=Leading folk musician among those to be honoured by University of Aberdeen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320061141/http://infoserv.abdn.ac.uk/news/details-10307.php|archive-date=20 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In early 2013, Thompson released ''[[Electric (Richard Thompson album)|Electric]]'', recorded in Nashville with [[Buddy Miller]] producing. The record enjoyed good reviews and debuted in the UK top 20. Thompson took to the road with a stripped-down "[[power trio]]" band on a multi-month tour on both sides of the Atlantic to promote the new album. Also that year Thompson appeared on his ex-wife Linda's fourth studio album ''Won't Be Long Now'', on the track "Love's for Babies and Fools".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/wont-be-long-now-mw0002570051 |title=Allmusic Review: Linda Thompson – "Won't Be Long Now" |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=6 December 2013}}</ref> It was the second time the two have recorded together since ''Shoot Out the Lights''.

In 2014, Thompson released ''[[Acoustic Classics]],''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theimmortaljukebox.com/2014/12/31/album-of-the-year-2014-richard-thompson-acoustic-classics/| title=ImmortalJukebox blog entry on Acoustic Classics| date=31 December 2014| access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref> an album featuring acoustic renditions of 14 songs from his back catalogue, on his Beeswing label. The record reached number 16 on the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/richard%20thompson/ |title=Official Charts Company – Richard Thompson|website=Officialcharts.com |access-date=23 September 2014}}</ref> Thompson appears alongside family members, both blood related and by marriage, on the album ''[[Family (Thompson album)|Family]]'' (2014) by Thompson (the band being named for all the Thompsons that appear), performing two songs solo and contributing to others as well. The album was produced by son Teddy Thompson and features ex-wife Linda Thompson, [[The Rails]] who are Thompson's daughter [[Kamila Thompson|Kami Thompson]] and her husband James Walbourne, as well as other related musicians, including Walbourne's brother and Richard Thompson's son from his second marriage.<ref name="FoRa">{{cite web | url=http://www.folkradio.co.uk/2014/12/thompson-family/ | title=Thompson – Family | publisher=[[Folk Radio UK]] | date=1 December 2014 | access-date=23 April 2015 | last=Holland | first=Simon}}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/09/magazine/teddy-thompsons-folk-rock-family-reunion.html | title=Teddy Thompson's Folk-Rock Family Reunion | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=7 November 2014 | access-date=23 April 2015 | last=Dominus | first=Susan}}</ref>

Thompson released ''[[Still (Richard Thompson album)|Still]]'' in June 2015, an album produced by [[Jeff Tweedy]] of [[Wilco]] and recorded in Tweedy's The Loft Studio.<ref name="Aqua">{{cite web | url=http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2015/04/28/richard-thompson-beatnik-walking/ | title=Richard Thompson :: Beatnik Walking | publisher=Aquarium Drunkard | date=28 April 2015 | access-date=29 April 2015 | last=Wilcox | first = Tyler}}</ref> The album reached number 10 in the UK Album chart, his first album to reach the UK top 10.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lionel Richie scores first British No 1 in 23 years |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/lionel-richie-scores-first-british-no-1-in-23-years-before-charts-move-to-fridays-10367459.html |website=The Independent |access-date=8 January 2020 |date=6 July 2015}}</ref> In September 2015, he appeared on [[BBC Two]]'s ''[[Later... with Jools Holland]]'', where he performed "All Buttoned Up" and ""She Never Could Resist a Winding Road" from his album ''[[Still (Richard Thompson album)|Still]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06ds08q|title=BBC Two – Later... with Jools Holland, Series 47, Episode 2|work=BBC}}</ref> This was followed, in 2017, by a second acoustic album ''[[Acoustic Classics II]]'' which reached number 24 on the [[UK Albums Chart]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/richard%20thompson/ |title=Official Charts Company – Richard Thompson|website=Officialcharts.com  |access-date=24 March 2018}}</ref> and ''Acoustic Rarities'', an album of new recordings of some of the more obscure songs in the Thompson catalogue, some previously existing only as cover versions.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

Thompson's eighteenth studio album, ''[[13 Rivers]]'', was released on 14 September 2018. It was written after a period of difficulty for Thompson's family<ref name="aqd">{{cite web | url=https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2018/09/13/richard-thompson-the-aquarium-drunkard-interview/ | title=Richard Thompson :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview | work=[[Aquarium Drunkard]] | date=13 September 2018 | accessdate=16 September 2018 | last=Woodbury | first=Jason}}</ref><ref name="mojo">{{cite journal | last=Hodgkinson | first=Will |author-link=Will Hodgkinson | title=Filter Albums | journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] | issue=October 2018 | page=92}}</ref> with songs that stick "close to a vision of darkness, gloom, and noise".<ref name="pm">{{cite web | url=https://www.popmatters.com/richard-thompson-13-rivers-2604373474.html | title=Richard Thompson Gets Back to Basics with '13 Rivers' | work=[[PopMatters]] | date=13 September 2018 | accessdate=16 September 2018 | last=Ingalls | first=Chris}}</ref> Thompson produced the record himself at [[Boulevard Recording]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="13rivers">{{cite web |title=Richard Thompson Tears It Up on Two New Songs |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2018/07/17/628781573/richard-thompson-tears-it-up-on-two-new-songs |website=NPR.org |date=17 July 2018 |access-date=17 July 2018 |last1=Boilen |first1=Bob }}</ref> On 30 September 2019 Thompson played at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] to celebrate his 70th birthday.<ref name=mccormick/>

In July 2019 Thompson was featured in the [[BBC Four]] documentary ''Classic Albums: The Crickets: The 'Chirping' Crickets'', explaining the influence that [[Buddy Holly]] had had on him personally, and on the development of rock and roll in general.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0006pbp/classic-albums-the-crickets-the-chirping-crickets|title=Classic Albums – The Crickets: The 'Chirping' Crickets |date=12 July 2019 |via=www.bbc.co.uk |access-date=11 February 2024}}</ref>

==2020s==
In 2021 his book ''Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice, 1967–1975'' was published by [[Workman Publishing Company|Algonquin Books]], mainly a memoir of his life as a musician from 1967 to 1975.<ref>{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Richard |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1159043406 |title=Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice, 1967–1975 |date=2021 |publisher=Algonquin Books |isbn=978-1-61620-895-0 |edition=First |location=Chapel Hill |oclc=1159043406}}</ref>  The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' called it an "absorbing, witty, often deliciously biting read, as all rock memoirs should be".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/richard-thompson/beeswing/9781649040428/|title=Beeswing|date=22 August 2022|isbn=978-1-64904-042-8 |via=www.hachettebookgroup.com}}</ref>

Thompson performed on the acoustic stage of the [[Glastonbury Festival 2023|Glastonbury Festival]] in June 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Beaumont-Thomas |first1=Ben |last2=Snapes |first2=Laura |title=Ragga-metal, Y2K R&B and folk legends: 30 acts to see at Glastonbury |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/20/30-acts-to-see-at-glastonbury-ragga-metal-y2k-rb-and-folk-legends- |website=The Guardian |access-date=23 June 2023 |date=20 June 2023}}</ref> Reviewing the set for ''[[The Guardian]]'', Keza MacDonald said, "It's just him and a beautiful, bright-sounding acoustic guitar. He plays so well that you can't take your eyes off his picking hand, as you try to figure out how he's making the sound of three guitars come out of one. He is one of the most stunningly gifted guitarists you'll ever see live, and his dextrously fingerpicked mid-song diversions prompt claps and whoops from a crowd that is otherwise quietly reverent."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/live/2023/jun/24/saturday-at-glastonbury-2023-rick-astley-raye-and-richard-thompson|title=Saturday at Glastonbury 2023: Guns N' Roses, Lizzo, the Pretenders – follow it live!|first1=Keza|last1=MacDonald|first2=Ben|last2=Beaumont-Thomas|first3=Laura|last3=Snapes|first4=Gwilym|last4=Mumford |date=24 June 2023|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=23 June 2023}}</ref>

In January 2024 Thompson announced a band tour of the U.S. and U.K., with the British leg culminating in a date at London's [[Royal Albert Hall]] on 8&nbsp;June.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.richardthompson-music.com/tour-dates|title=Tour Dates|website=Richard Thompson|accessdate=30 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2024/richard-thompson/|title=Richard Thompson|publisher=Royal Albert Hall|accessdate=30 January 2024}}</ref> ''[[Ship to Shore (Richard Thompson album)|Ship to Shore]]'' was released that May. Reviewing the concert at the [[Glasgow Royal Concert Hall]] for ''[[The Times]]'', Peter Ross awarded the gig four stars and said, "There were flashes of brilliance, however. "[[Sweet Warrior|Guns Are the Tongues]]", with [[Zak Hobbs|Hobbs]] on mandolin, built over seven minutes to an ecstatic darkness. "[[Dimming of the Day]]" had a gentle grace. Best of all was "[[Mirror Blue|Beeswing]]", which Thompson performed alone, fingerpicking an acoustic. Intricate and soulful, it's a song in which his technical ability and poetic voice are held in balance. The brief silence that followed said more than any applause could; we knew we'd heard something exquisite."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/richard-thompson-live-music-review-glasgow-pghm66tv5|title=Richard Thompson review — a master of euphoric despair|first=Peter|last=Ross|date=30 May 2024|website=www.thetimes.com|url-access=subscription|access-date=8 June 2024}}</ref> The final night, at the Royal Albert Hall, featured guest artists including [[Ralph McTell]], [[James Walbourne]], [[Kami Thompson]], [[Linda Thompson (singer)|Linda Thompson]], [[Squeeze (band)|Squeeze]] and [[Crowded House]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/concerts/richard-thompson-royal-albert-hall-review-fairport/|title=Richard Thompson, Royal Albert Hall, review: Fairport guitarist turns 75 with heartfelt family affair|first=Andrew|last=Perry|newspaper=The Telegraph |date=9 June 2024|via=www.telegraph.co.uk |access-date=10 June 2024 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/music/richard-thompson-royal-albert-hall-review-fairport-guitarist-turns-75-with-heartfelt-family-affair/ar-BB1nU0oo?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2rKzGemWql_RHO3G_M_tnzxfvjSuEB-SIWPAEiYoyaaqRfif3e3xenWwc_aem_AUPl2RKRAK_uyj9UcNmjROv3etmPQo7EgsF_BEr6IVGJMqxTeDhZtMU__a-6ohY0RlKXQbfsyc8Gty3Oep2O-d-A |title=Richard Thompson, Royal Albert Hall, review: Fairport guitarist turns 75 with heartfelt family affair |first=Andrew |last=Perry |date=9 June 2024| publisher=msn.com}}</ref> On 9 August Thompson headlined the second night of the annual Cropredy Festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/in-pictures-richard-thompson-headlines-second-day-at-cropredy-convention-4736941|title=In Pictures: Richard Thompson headlines second day at Cropredy Convention|date=9 August 2024 |accessdate=10 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2n5d79vvgo|title=Fairport Convention: Crowds descend on Cropredy for festival|date=8 August 2024|website=BBC News|accessdate=10 August 2024}}</ref>

In 2020 the 1969 album ''[[Dudu Phukwana and the "Spears"]]'', the debut album by South African saxophonist [[Dudu Pukwana]] and his band, produced by [[Joe Boyd]], was remastered and reissued by Matsuli Music as a double-LP set with nine previously unissued tracks that were recorded in 1969, and which feature a number of guest artists such as Thompson and [[Simon Nicol]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/album/dudu-pukwana/dudu-pukwana-and-the-spears |title=Dudu Pukwana – Dudu Pukwana and the Spears |website=Jazz Music Archives |access-date=3 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/album/dudu-pukwana/dudu-phukwana-and-the-spears-2020-reissue(compilation) |title=Dudu Pukwana – Dudu Pukwana and the 'Spears' |website=Jazz Music Archives |access-date=3 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://matsulimusic.bandcamp.com/album/dudu-phukwana-and-the-spears |title=Dudu Pukwana – Dudu Pukwana and the 'Spears' |website=Matsuli Music / Bandcamp |access-date=3 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldmusiccentral.org/2020/06/27/dudu-pukwana-and-the-spears-double-set |title=Dudu Pukwana and the Spears Double Set |date=27 June 2020 |website=World Music Central |access-date=3 March 2023}}</ref>

In October 2023 Thompson released the instrumental "Lament For Mariupol" as part of the charity compilation album ''Heal the Sky'' which aimed to raise funds to help children who were victims of the war in Ukraine.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/russia-s-biggest-rock-star-says-he-may-never-be-able-to-go-home-0pkvmzs0g|title=Russia's biggest rock star: I may never go home|first=Marc|last=Bennetts|date=11 September 2023|website=www.thetimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gL4L8stbCE|title=Lament For Mariupol|date=11 October 2023|via=YouTube}}</ref>

On 7 July 2024 Thompson was the guest of [[Michael Berkeley]] for his BBC Radio 3 programme ''[[Private Passions]]'', where his choices included [[Beethoven]], [[Purcell]], [[Britten]] and [[Manuel de Falla]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0020r8l|title=Private Passions – Richard Thompson – BBC Sounds|website=www.bbc.co.uk|accessdate=15 April 2025}}</ref>

==Side projects and collaborations==
In between leaving [[Fairport Convention]] in early 1971 and releasing his debut solo album in 1972, he undertook a large amount of [[session musician|session]] work, most notably on albums by [[John Martyn]], [[Al Stewart]], [[Matthews Southern Comfort]], [[Sandy Denny]], [[Mike Heron]] and [[Nick Drake]].

During the same period, he also worked on two collaborative projects. ''[[Morris On]]'' was recorded with [[Ashley Hutchings]], [[John Kirkpatrick (folk musician)|John Kirkpatrick]], [[Dave Mattacks]] and Barry Dransfield, and was a collection of English traditional tunes arranged for electric instruments.  ''The Bunch'' were almost the reverse conceptually – a grouping of English [[folk rock]] musicians (including [[Sandy Denny]], [[Linda Thompson (singer)|Linda Peters]] and members of [[Fairport Convention]]) recording a selection of classic [[rock and roll]] tunes.

Thompson has continued to guest on albums by an array of artists, from [[Crowded House]], [[Bonnie Raitt]] and [[Vivian Stanshall]], to [[Norma Waterson]] and [[BeauSoleil]] and folk artists like [[Loudon Wainwright III]], [[Cathal McConnell]] (of [[The Boys of the Lough]]) and [[Bob Davenport (singer)|Bob Davenport]]. He has also performed and recorded with [[Teddy Thompson]], his son from his marriage to [[Linda Thompson (singer)|Linda Thompson]].

[[File:Richard Thompson and Dave Pegg.jpg|thumb|left|Thompson with Fairport Convention's [[Dave Pegg]] at Cropredy, 2005]]
Since the early 1980s,<ref>{{cite web |title=Fairport's Cropredy Convention – Full line-up announced |last=Gallacher |first=Alex |date=8 March 2019 |publisher=[[Folk Radio UK]] |url=https://www.folkradio.co.uk/2019/03/fairports-cropredy-convention-full-line-up-announced/ |access-date=10 December 2019}}</ref> Thompson has appeared at [[Fairport Convention]]'s annual [[Fairport's Cropredy Convention|Cropredy Festival]], both in his own right and as a participant in sets with current and former Fairport members. These sets are seldom confined to performances of songs out of the Thompson or Fairport Convention canons, and in recent years some surprise offerings have included the soul classic "[[I Heard It Through the Grapevine]]" (with Thompson backed by the [[Roy Wood]] Big Band), [[The Beatles]]' "[[I'm Down]]"  and even "[[The Lady Is a Tramp]]".

Thompson has displayed a penchant for the [[avant garde]] as well, working with former [[Pere Ubu]] singer [[David Thomas (musician)|David Thomas]]'s grouping The Pedestrians on two albums in 1981 and 1982, respectively.  In the 1980s, he was associated with a loose-fitting group called [[The Golden Palominos]], who were led by drummer [[Anton Fier]] and included at times on stage and on record [[Jack Bruce]], [[Michael Stipe]], [[Carla Bley]], [[John Lydon]], [[Bill Laswell]] and others. He has worked with experimental guitarist [[Henry Kaiser (musician)|Henry Kaiser]], most notably as part of the ad hoc grouping [[French Frith Kaiser Thompson]] with whom he recorded two albums.  In 1997 he worked with long-time friend and band member [[Danny Thompson]] to record a [[concept album]] ''Industry'' that dealt with the decline of British industry. A year later he worked with [[early music]] expert [[Philip Pickett]] on the acclaimed ''Bones of All Men'' which fused [[renaissance]] tunes with contemporary music.

For several years Thompson devised and toured his show ''[[1000 Years of Popular Music]]''. The inspiration for this came when ''[[Playboy]]'' asked Thompson (and many other music industry figures) in 1999 for their suggestions for the "top ten songs of the millennium".  Guessing that ''Playboy'' expected most people's lists to start at around 1950, Thompson took the magazine at its word and presented a list of songs from the 11th century to the present day. Perhaps not surprisingly, ''Playboy'' did not use his list, but the exercise gave him the idea for a show which takes a chronological trip through popular music across the ages.  Thompson acknowledges that this is an ambitious undertaking, partly because he reckons that he is technically unqualified to sing 98% of the material,<ref>[http://www.richardthompson-music.com/album.asp?id=74 ''Liner notes to 1000 Years Of Popular Music CD''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221015041/http://www.richardthompson-music.com/album.asp?id=74 |date=21 December 2007 }}. Retrieved 20 March 2008</ref> and partly because of the sparse musical setting he restricts himself to: besides his acoustic guitar, he's backed by singer/pianist [[Judith Owen]] and percussionist/singer [[Debra Dobkin]]. A typical performance would start with a medieval round, progress via a [[Henry Purcell|Purcell]] aria, Victorian [[music hall]] and [[Hoagy Carmichael]] and end with Thompson's take on the [[Britney Spears]] hit "[[Oops!... I Did It Again (song)|Oops!... I Did It Again]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.richardthompson-music.com/catch_of_the_day.asp?id=205 |title=BeesWeb – Catch of the Day |publisher=Richardthompson-music.com |access-date=22 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209074913/http://www.richardthompson-music.com/catch_of_the_day.asp?id=205 |archive-date=9 February 2012 }}</ref>

In 2004 Thompson was asked to create the soundtrack music for the [[Werner Herzog]] documentary ''[[Grizzly Man]]''. The score, which was recorded over a two-day period in December 2004, brought Thompson together with a group of improvisational musicians, mostly from the [[San Francisco Bay area]]; video footage from the sessions was edited into a mini-documentary, ''In the Edges,'' which was included with the DVD release of ''Grizzly Man''.

In 2009 Thompson was commissioned to write a piece for the International Society of Bassists in honour of Danny Thompson. The resulting ''Cabaret of Souls'', a musical play set in the underworld, has been performed in [[State College, Pennsylvania]], London, and Los Angeles with a cast that includes [[Harry Shearer]], [[Judith Owen]], [[Debra Dobkin]], [[Pete Zorn]], either [[Danny Thompson]] or [[David Piltch]], and a 12-piece string section conducted by [[Peter Askim]]. This suite was eventually commercially released in late 2012.

In 2006 and 2013, Thompson recorded [[Hugh S. Roberton]]'s "[[Mingulay Boat Song]]" and the traditional "General Taylor" for the [[sea shanty]]-compilations ''[[Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys]]'' and ''[[Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/rogues-gallery-pirate-ballads-sea-songs-chanteys-mw0000403221|title=Various Artists – Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, & Chanteys|last=Jurek |first=Thom |work=AllMusic|access-date=10 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/son-of-rogues-gallery-pirate-ballads-sea-songs-chanteys-mw0002476575|title=Various Artists – Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys|last=Leggett |first=Steve |work=AllMusic|access-date=10 December 2019}}</ref>

In July 2019, [[New West Records]] released a soundtrack album for the documentary ''The Cold Blue'', featuring the film's original score composed by Thompson. The film, directed by [[Erik Nelson (filmmaker)|Erik Nelson]], focuses on the [[Eighth Air Force]]. It uses footage taken by director [[William Wyler]] for his 1944 documentary ''[[Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/the-cold-blue|title=The Cold Blue|website=HBO}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media | publisher = [[YouTube]] | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZNljXmQzGY | title=Richard Thompson – 'The Cold Blue' (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Score) | date=22 May 2019|via=YouTube}}</ref>

==Retrospectives and tributes==
There are a number of retrospective collections of Thompson's work, many containing material which is unavailable elsewhere.  1976's ''[[(guitar, vocal)]]'' was a collection of unreleased material from the previous eight years of Thompson's appearances on the [[Island Records|Island]] label.  The 3-CD set ''[[Watching the Dark]]'' combines his better-known songs and previously unreleased live and studio tracks.  ''[[Action Packed]]'' is a compilation of tracks from his Capitol releases, plus three hard-to-find songs.  Finally, in 2006, the independent label Free Reed released ''[[RT- The Life and Music of Richard Thompson]]'', a 5-CD box set consisting almost entirely of previously unreleased performances of songs from throughout Thompson's long career.

Thompson's songs have been extensively covered; for example, [[Dimming of the Day]] has been performed by artists such as [[The Neville Brothers]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Emmylou Harris]], [[David Gilmour]], [[The Blind Boys of Alabama]], [[June Tabor]], [[The Corrs]] and [[Alison Krauss & Union Station]].  There have been several tribute compilations of other artists' interpretations of his work, including: [[Capitol Records|Capitol]]'s ''[[Beat the Retreat: Songs by Richard Thompson]]'' and [[Green Linnet Records|Green Linnet]]'s ''[[The World Is a Wonderful Place: The Songs of Richard Thompson]]'', both released in 1994.

==Playing style==
Thompson makes use of the "pick and fingers" technique (sometimes referred to as "[[hybrid picking]]") where he plays bass notes and rhythm with a pick between his first finger and thumb, and adds melody and punctuation by plucking the treble strings with his fingers. He also makes use of different [[guitar tunings]], such as (low to high) [[CGDGBE]], [[Drop D tuning|DADGBE]], [[DADGAD]], and more.  This enables him to adapt traditional songs, as on ''[[Strict Tempo!]]'' and ''[[1000 Years of Popular Music]]''.  Thompson occasionally makes use of a thumb-pick, playing in [[fingerstyle]], the most notable example being on the motorcycle ballad "[[1952 Vincent Black Lightning]]".

==Guitars==
===Electric===
Thompson is often associated with the [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]] [[Stratocaster]] guitar. He has made prominent use of Stratocasters, as he has a general preference for the sound of [[single coil]] pick-ups.

{{quote|When I started playing Fenders in 1968, it was unfashionable because everyone in England was playing Gibsons and trying to get a big, fat sound like [[Eric Clapton]] had in [[Cream (band)|Cream]]. I just wanted a little more bite.}}

Prior to using a Stratocaster with Fairport Convention he used a [[Les Paul (guitar)|Gibson Les Paul]] with [[P-90]] pick-ups. He then switched to a late 60s Stratocaster. Since leaving Fairport Convention he has continued to use electric guitars with single coil pick-ups, most famously a late-1950s Stratocaster but also two custom built electrics by Danny Ferrington as well as other Stratocasters, various [[Telecaster]]-type guitars and, in the studio, a [[Danelectro]] U2.

As regards [[Effects unit|effects]], he has made significant use of modulation and [[vibrato]] type effects pedals, most notably the [[Univibe]] and emulations thereof.

Thompson has made intermittent use of [[Roland Corporation|Roland]]'s GK-1 pick-up and GL-2 synthesiser over the years. He made use of these devices on 1979's ''[[Sunnyvista]]'' album and has occasionally used them in concert.

===Acoustic===
Since the early 1990s, Thompson has made prominent use of [[George Lowden|Lowden]] acoustic guitars for studio and live work; Lowden have made a signature model for him. Before this he used a [[C. F. Martin & Company|Martin]] 000-18 as well as instruments built by Danny Ferrington.

For live work, his acoustic guitars are fitted with a Sunrise pick-up and an internal condenser microphone. The output from the pick-up is usually fed into some effects pedals, typically a [[delay pedal]] and a [[Uni-Vibe]].<ref name="RTGearQandA">[http://www.richardthompson-music.com/QAgeartunings.asp Gear and Tuninqs Q&A] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804233921/http://www.richardthompson-music.com/QAgeartunings.asp |date=4 August 2010 }}. Retrieved 26 April 2007.</ref>

==Personal life==

Thompson had his first son, Jesse, in the early 1970s with American tour booker Liz Gordon after a brief relationship.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rogers |first=Jude |date=14 March 2021 |title=Richard Thompson: 'I had to put the pen down, take a deep breath, have a little cry' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/14/richard-thompson-beeswing-fairport-folk-rock-interview |access-date=18 October 2024 |work=The Observer |issn=0029-7712}}</ref>

In the early 1970s, Thompson began a relationship with the singer Linda Peters, who sang on Thompson's album ''Henry the Human Fly''. In October 1972 the couple were married at Hampstead Town Hall.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/richard-thompson-school-of-rock|title=Richard Thompson: conventional wisdom|website=Camden New Journal|accessdate=31 January 2024}}</ref> The couple worked as a duo and have three children: Muna Thompson and the musicians [[Teddy Thompson]] and [[Kamila Thompson]]. Richard and Linda Thompson separated in 1982. 

Richard Thompson married Nancy Covey in 1985, and was with Covey until they separated in 2018.<ref name="denselow">{{cite web |last1=Denselow |first1=Robin | author-link=Robin Denselow |title=Richard Thompson at 70: on love, loss and being a Muslim in Trump's US |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/30/richard-thompson-at-70-on-love-loss-and-being-a-muslim-in-trump-us |website=The Guardian |access-date=29 August 2023 |date=30 September 2019}}</ref> Thompson and Covey have a son, [[Jack Covey Thompson]], a musician and visual artist who lives in London and has recorded with [[Henry Kaiser (musician) | Henry Kaiser]], Cuban musician Yelfris Valdez, and the Thompson family.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fretsandrefrains.com/counselors|title=COUNSELORS|website=Fretsandrefrains.com|access-date=2 August 2023}}</ref>

In 2021, Richard Thompson married his third wife, the author, actor, singer and songwriter Zara Phillips<ref name="denselow"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.zaraphillips.net/about#:~:text=She%20is%20a%20mother%20of,her%20birth%20father%20at%2051. |title=About Zara |publisher=zaraphillips.net |access-date=14 January 2024}}</ref> with whom he lives in [[New Jersey]]. They contribute to one another's musical projects.

In 2024 his touring band for the album ''[[Ship to Shore (Richard Thompson album)|Ship to Shore]]'' included Thompson's grandson (Muna's son) [[Zak Hobbs]].<ref>{{cite news |issn=1756-3224 |oclc=60623878 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |department=Music |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/may/29/richard-thompson-review-every-note-laid-bare-in-stripped-down-set-richard-thompson-york-barbican |title=Richard Thompson review&nbsp;– a showcase for decades of exquisite craft |first=Christopher |last=Lord |date=29 May 2024 |accessdate=1 June 2024}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Richard Thompson discography}}

==Books==
* {{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Richard |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1159043406 |title=Beeswing: Losing my Way and Finding my Voice, 1967–1975 |date=2021 |publisher=Algonquin Books |isbn=978-1-61620-895-0 |edition=First |location=Chapel Hill |oclc=1159043406}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

'''Bibliography'''
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Boyd|first=Joe|author-link=Joe Boyd|title=White Bicycles – making music in the 1960s|year=2005|publisher=Serpent's Tail|isbn=1-85242-910-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/whitebicyclesmak00boyd}}
* {{cite book|last=Humphries|first=Patrick|title=Richard Thompson – The Biography|year=1997|publisher=Schirmer|isbn=0-02-864752-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/richardthompsonb00hump|orig-date=1996 (published by Virgin as ''Richard Thompson, Strange Affair: The Biography'')}}
* {{cite web|last=Smith|first=Dave|title=The Great Valerio – A Study of the Songs of Richard Thompson|year=2004|url=http://archive.richardthompson-music.com/docs/GV_book.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202165823/http://archive.richardthompson-music.com/docs/GV_book.pdf|archive-date=2 February 2016}}
* {{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Richard |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1159043406 |title=Beeswing: Losing my Way and Finding my Voice, 1967–1975 |date=2021 |publisher=Algonquin Books |isbn=978-1-61620-895-0 |edition=First |location=Chapel Hill |oclc=1159043406}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Richard Thompson}}
*{{official}}
*{{AllMusic}}
*{{Discogs artist}}
*{{MusicBrainz artist}}
* [http://bombmagazine.org/article/7202/richard-thompson 2013 ''Bomb Magazine'' interview of Richard Thompson by Keith Connolly]
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{{Richard Thompson|state=expanded}}
{{Fairport Convention}}
{{Albion Band}}
{{French Frith Kaiser Thompson}}
{{Linda Thompson}}
{{Teddy Thompson}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Richard}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Appalachian dulcimer players]]
[[Category:British folk rock musicians]]
[[Category:Capitol Records artists]]
[[Category:Chrysalis Records artists]]
[[Category:Converts to Islam]]
[[Category:English people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:English folk guitarists]]
[[Category:English male guitarists]]
[[Category:English folk singers]]
[[Category:English male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:English Sufis]]
[[Category:English rock guitarists]]
[[Category:English session musicians]]
[[Category:Fairport Convention members]]
[[Category:Island Records artists]]
[[Category:Polydor Records artists]]
[[Category:Ivor Novello Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:British mandolinists]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People educated at William Ellis School]]
[[Category:Musicians from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea]]
[[Category:People from Hampstead]]
[[Category:People from Notting Hill]]
[[Category:The Golden Palominos members]]
[[Category:British acoustic guitarists]]
[[Category:The Bunch members]]
[[Category:The Albion Band members]]
[[Category:French Frith Kaiser Thompson members]]
[[Category:PolyGram artists]]
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[[Category:20th-century English memoirists]]
[[Category:English expatriate musicians in the United States]]
[[Category:Singers from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea]]
[[Category:Thompson family]]