Richard Thompson
Event on 2012-09-20 19:00:00
Richard Thompson was born in West London, surrounded by a family with wide musical tastes. Counted among his early influences are Django Reinhardt, Fats Waller, Les Paul, and Jimmy Shand. 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.
Many musicians peak by age 30, but not Richard Thompson. The recipient of BBC's Lifetime Achievement Award and named by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Top 20 Guitarists of All Time, Richard Thompson is also one of the world's most critically acclaimed songwriters. Robert Plant, REM, Elvis Costello, Los Lobos, David Byrne, Del McCoury, Bonnie Raitt and many others have recorded his work. Yet this may be the most prolific period of Richard Thompson's astonishing career; his live-tour CD Dream Attic was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Contemporary Folk Album. In 2010 Thompson was curator at London's prestigious 2010 Meltdown Festival at South Bank Centre, and for his service to music - was named on the Queen's 2011 New Year Honours List as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 2011 Thompson received an Honorary Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa (DHC) from the University at Aberdeen for his exceptional and distinctive contribution to contemporary music.
From his teenage years as a founding member of the pioneering British band Fairport Convention, through the enduring partnership of folk-rock duo Richard and Linda Thompson, to over 25 years as a solo artist - Richard Thompson's massive body of work includes 40 albums and numerous film soundtracks (including Werner Herzog's documentary Grizzly Man). Richard has earned many of the industry's most coveted awards including the Mojo Les Paul Award, the Orville H Gibson Award (guitar) and an Ivor Novello Award (songwriting). His genre-defying mastery of both acoustic and electric guitar, along with his dizzying energy and onstage wit continue to earn Richard Thompson generations of new fans and a place as one of the most distinctive and iconoclastic virtuosos in rock history.
The 60's and 70's
After earning a reputation as a fine guitarist in school bands like Emil and the Detectives (with schoolmate Hugh Cornwell), Richard had his first brush with 'fame' as a teenaged founding member of the 1960's folk-rock pioneers, Fairport Convention. Playing an inventive musical mix of blues and California-style rock, the group was quickly dubbed "the new Jefferson Airplane". The band's founding members (Iain Matthews, Judy Dyble, Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings, Martin Lamble) were discovered playing in London's Soho district, by American producer Joe Boyd. Boyd secured them a recording contract and their eponymous debut album was released in 1968. Shortly thereafter, the band's lead vocalist, Judy Dyble, was replaced with the ethereal songstress, Sandy Denny.
Other personnel changes followed and over the next four years, Fairport Convention gradually developed a more personal and British based repertoire. 1969's Liege and Lief , long regarded as a milestone recording in defining British Rock, revealed the extent of Richard's talent as a songwriter. Here he penned contemporary songs that drew upon deep traditional genres, a writing style that would follow him throughout his career. Other 1969 releases included What We Did on Our Holidays, and Unhalfbricking.
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. The next year was extremely significant for Richard. The release of his first solo album Henry the Human Fly, regarded by many as a classic and “must have” by his loyal fan base, is reported to have the dubious distinction of Warner Brothers' worst selling album of all time. Still, it yielded songs like Poor Ditching Boy, The Angels Have Taken My Racehorse Away, and some well-developed instrumentals, which helped establish him as a talent in his own right. This venture brought the once reticent singer in Fairport Convention to the forefront, displaying his vocal abilities and typically twisted humor (Nobody's Wedding). In the same year Richard married folk singer Linda Peters.
The combination of Linda's throaty vocals and Richard's talents as songwriter and guitarist subsequently led to the recording of six albums by the duo. The release of 1974's I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight met with universal critical acclaim, and it’s title track provided Richard with a hit single in the UK.
In 1975, fans saw the release of two albums by the duo, Hokey Pokey and Pour Down Like Silver, containing such classic Thompson material as Never Again and Night Comes In, both still demanded in concert to this day.
After a respite from the music industry, the couple returned to the stage in 1978 and soon released First Light and Sunnyvista, the former including Don’t Let a Thief Steal Into Your Heart, which was later covered by The Pointer Sisters.
The 80's
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.
Released in 1982, Shoot Out the Lights proved to be the collaborators' most successful effort. The record was a success, critically and commercially, in America and UK, and was voted in Rolling Stone Magazine's 'Top Ten Records of The Decade'.
Gerry Rafferty originally produced a different version of the album in 1979. Since the original sessions did not create the desired result, the project was shelved until 1982 when the couple returned to the studio with Joe Boyd, and re-recorded a stripped-down version in just three days.
Although the release included some of Richard's best loved songs such as the title track and Wall of Death, and some of Linda's best vocals, it was their last recording together. The couple divorced in 1982.
Richard returned to the studio to record Hand of Kindness in 1983, which introduced the use of a brass section. For the first time, saxophones traded solos with Richard's guitar. The resulting 'Big Band Tour' was ecstatically received in both the US and Europe. The ensemble performed Glenn Miller and Lord Rockingham numbers in the same set as vintage Thompson material like Calvary Cross and Tear Stained Letter.
In 1985, Richard married Nancy Covey, and Across a Crowded Room was released by Polygram. This album marked the beginning of his musical affiliation with Clive Gregson and Christine Collister, which lasted several years. Gregson and Collister provided an additional layer to the Thompson compositions as backing vocalists in the studio, and performers on tour as part of his band.
In 1986, Richard began his long association with American producer Mitchell Froom. He felt it was time for a departure from the 'expected' result of his association with producer Joe Boyd and his longtime friends from the Fairport line-up. Daring Adventures underscored that departure. Richard has said that he found working with Froom inspiring, stimulating and exciting, and the result of their first partnership remains one of Thompson's most distinctive albums to date. Contributors to the album included the legendary Jim Keltner on drums and Jerry Scheff playing bass, a definitive change from the stable rhythm section of Pegg and Mattacks.
Between recording and touring, Richard also found time to collaborate with Peter Filleul writing and recording music for film and television soundtracks. One of these projects resulted in the spin-off album Hard Cash, a collection of specially recorded material by a number of respected British artists, based on the theme of exploitation in the workplace.
Richard also collaborated with John French, Fred Frith, and Henry Kaiser on two albums, Live Love Larf & Loaf and Invisible Means, which provided another vehicle for Thompson's songwriting, particularly demonstrating his acerbic and frequently oddball humor (March Of The Cosmetic Surgeons)
The 90's
In 1990, Richard and Peter Filleul recorded the soundtrack of Sweet Talker, a full-length motion picture starring Bryan Brown and Karen Allen. Released in 1991, the soundtrack album produced the well-known popular song, Persuasion, with music written by Thompson, and lyrics later added by Tim Finn of Crowded House.
The same year also found the release of the album Rumor & Sigh, which included such current concert favorites as I Feel So Good, I Misunderstood, and 1952 Vincent Black Lightning. The later is written in a traditional ballad form, complete with intricate Appalachian-style guitar work, and is often at the top of internet polls and college radio station 'most requested song' lists.
Rumor & Sigh remains Richard Thompson's best selling album, reaching #32 on the UK charts, and in America, the release brought him a Grammy Nomination in the 'Best Alternative Music Album' category. Even though the Grammy escaped his grasp, Thompson instead received the Orville Gibson H. Guitar Award the day before the Grammy ceremony.
In October, the year was punctuated by an invitation to the Guitar Greats celebration in Seville, Spain, as the special guest of Bob Dylan. Richard was excited by the prospect of meeting the man who had opened the door for lyricists like himself, and who had written some of the best songs in Fairport Convention's early repertoire.
Although Richard's next new album, Mirror Blue, was not released until 1994, he was still constantly in demand as a live performer. Hence Richard spent much of this time between releases touring as a solo acoustic artist. This arrangement was important for at least two reasons. It lent Thompson the versatility to perform any material he wished, and it offered him an opportunity to connect with his audience on a more intimate level. His set lists varied from The Who's Substitute to Hank Penny's Don't Roll Your Bloodshot Eyes at Me, intermingled with his original material. Songs he previously played with an electric band were pared down to fit his acoustic format, and he alone stood center stage with nothing between him and his fans. The result was an endearing public, one who appreciated his quick wit, wry humor, and extraordinary talent.
Another musical incarnation Richard began to enjoy in the 90's was as the front man of a duo with double bass player, Danny Thompson (no relation). Although they'd known each other since the 60's, the two Thompsons were great friends before bandmates. Best known as a member of the 60's folk-rock band, Pentangle, Danny's other musical associations include work with John Martyn, Nick Drake, Little Walter, Josh White, Donovan, Cliff Richard and even Engelbert Humperdick, among others.
The pairing proved both enjoyable and successful, so Danny Thompson became a permanent part of the line-up. Since 1993, Danny has toured extensively with Richard, in both acoustic and electric band formats.
Watching The Dark, a 3 CD compilation overseen by Ed Haber, was released in 1993. Often dubbed by longtime fans as a wonderful starting point for the novice, it showcases all eras of Thompson's varied and extensive work.
Particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of From Galway to Graceland, a previously unreleased soul-stirring song about an obsessed Elvis Presley fan. The "mini-boxed set" also contains plenty of material for the Thompson aficionado, (47 songs at 215 minutes) including many live, rare and previously unreleased recordings.
In 1995, the latest of several Thompson tribute albums was released, called Beat the Retreat. REM, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Syd Straw, Bob Mould, The Blind Boys of Alabama and others performed cover versions of Thompson's songs. These efforts illustrated the artists' reverie for Thompson, and brought some his songwriting achievements to previously unexposed listeners.
Be it positive fan reaction to the live performances on Watching The Dark, or the continued proliferation of bootleg recordings, Thompson decided in '95 to begin releasing 'official' live performances. The first release, Live at Crawley, chronicled a 1993 performance with Danny Thompson. Since that time, several additional live CD's have been released.
Such releases provide Thompson's loyal fan base with supplemental entertainment between commercial releases, and Thompson himself with a less structured vehicle of expression.
In 1996, Richard released his first 'double album' with you?me?us?. Showcasing his versatile abilities in both acoustic and electric formats, Thompson devoted one disc to each. The 'Nude' disc features pared down, poetically emotive arrangements, and the second disc, 'Voltage Enhanced', demonstrates his blistering electric guitar work with a full band.
In 1997, a joint project Richard and Danny Thompson had been nurturing for some time was released, simply entitled Industry. Featuring a variety of musical and vocal styles, Industry was the basis for a BBC documentary, which aired in UK in May of that year. Featuring compositions based on themes from the industrial revolution to Britain's faltering mining industry, the album was performed live, in its entirety, at only five locations in Britain.
Two years later, Thompson released Mock Tudor, produced by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. The album, "Dedicated to the suburbanites of London" is loosely based on memories of Thompson's youth, and the current day metropolis. Again, featuring a mix of acoustic and electric numbers, Thompson proves he is a definitive master at both.
The New Millennium
In 2000, Island Records released Best of Richard & Linda Thompson - The Island Records Years and in 2001, Capitol Records released the Action Packed -The Best of the Capitol Years compilation, including 19 tracks in the time span from 1987 onward. October 2001 brought a long awaited Thompson appearance (as a trio) on the PBS program, Austin City Limits.
In June 2002 Thompson launched his Official website - Beesweb, and simultaneously made Semi-Detached Mock Tudor available, chronicling his band tour that supported the 1999 studio release.
During August 2002, Richard appeared at the Cropredy Festival commemorating Fairport Convention's 35th anniversary.
To round off the year, Bluegrass legend Del McCoury scored a hit with a cover of Thompson's 1952 Vincent Black Lightning , a version that became the International Bluegrass Music Association's 2002 Song of the Year.
A new studio album, The Old Kit Bag, was released in 2003. The album was produced by John Chelew, and supported by a major band tour in the US and Europe. During its first week of sales, the album was rated #5 on Billboard's Top Independent Records chart.
In April, Thompson released More Guitar, through his website's merchandise page. Recorded direct to digital 2-track in 1988, the CD also features John Kirkpatrick, Clive Gregson, Pat Donaldson, Kenny Aronoff and Christine Collister.
In May, Dimming of the Day (performed by Richard and Linda Thompson) appeared on T-Bone Burnett's soundtrack production Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
Elsewhere in 2003, Richard Thompson can be heard contributing to Loudon Wainwright III's So Damn Happy, the Blind Boys' first-ever holiday album Go Tell it on the Moutain, the NBC Television show's Crossing Jordon Soundtrack, with an astounding version of Donovan's Season of the Witch, Los Lobos Wreck of the Carlos Rey from their CD entitled The Ride, the re-release of The Bunch Rock On, and the live band internet only release, Ducknapped.
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.
First performed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the show later surfaced in London, New York and Chicago during the Autumn of 2003, and would become an extensive touring format for Thompson, with greater than thirty near sold-out shows in many other major U.S. cities.
The idea for the project came from Playboy Magazine. Richard was asked to submit a list, in late 1999, of the ten greatest songs of the Millenium. He called their bluff and submitted a genuine thousand-year selection. That they failed to print his list among others submitted by rock's luminaries did not deter, but instead spurred Thompson to develop and present an evocative, entertaining repertoire.
In Summer 2004, a BBC documentary was broadcast, called Solitary Life, filming Richard at home in both London and Los Angeles - the first time such intimate access has been granted.
Later in the Summer the Richard Thompson Band harkened back to one of its veteran lineups: Richard Thompson, Danny Thompson (no relation), Pete Zorn and Dave Mattacks. The familiar foursome toured U.K. and the U.S. extensively, treating ecstatic audiences to songs from the most recent studio release, Old Kit Bag, as well as older favourites. Improvisational treats included Desmond Dekker & The Aces' Song: Israelites.
The next internet only CD, Faithless, was released in July, spotlighting another vintage band tour (1985) with Richard Thompson, Clive Gregson, Rory McFarlane, Gerry Conway and Christine Collister. This CD was quickly followed by The Chrono Show, Live Versions of Vintage Favourites, and the first Richard Thompson DVD, Live in Providence in October/November.
Returning to the film soundtrack genre, December 2004 found Thompson in the studio, with Werner Herzog, working on the polemical documentary, Grizzly Man, about Timothy Treadwell, who spent years in Alaska filming and living among the Grizzly Bears, and who was tragically killed by them in his thirteenth season.
2005 - 2006
The Herzog film debuted at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and won the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Award. The DVD release included a 'Making of' segment called 'In the Edges' that chronicles the creation of the score for Werner Herzog's documentary. A group of musicians, including legendary guitarist Richard Thompson, improvise a musical accompaniment while watching the film and create a lyrical original score.
Of Herzog, Thompson states, "It was a great thrill to work with Werner, whose work I have admired for many years, and who has produced, for me, some of the most striking and poetic images in cinema history."
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.
Soon after the visit Thompson reported, "I got my 20 seconds with the Queen. I was introduced to her by Tony Wadsworth, head of EMI, who described me as a singer and songwriter. Her Majesty remarked, "Oh! How lovely for you!" I said I hoped it was lovely for everyone else as well, at which Her Majesty laughed and moved along. I was part of a larger group chatting to Prince Philip, who was telling jokes and being one of the 'chaps'. The Duke and Duchess of Kent, and the Duchess of Wessex were also there. The latter was very nice, and probably the most interested in music." With tongue firmly planted in cheek, he added, "I was disappointed the Queen didn't ask me about working with Nick Drake."
In addition to a solo tour, the balance of '05 brought a new solo acoustic album, recorded in Richard's home studio, entitled Front Parlour Ballads, and an Austin City Limits DVD and CD immortalizing his stunning July '01 performance.
The New Year opened with an extensively praised UK Tour, in a duo/acoustic format, with long-time compeer, Danny Thompson.
February 2006 was doubly significant for Thompson, with the release of Free Reed's
multiple-CD boxed set entitled RT - The Life and Music of Richard Thompson, and Richard's receipt of a Lifetime Achievement Award at BBC 2's Folk Awards, presented by Mark Knopfler:
"From his groundbreaking early work with Fairport Convention to his current luminous solo career, Richard has been recognised as one of the era's finest songwriters as well as a peerless guitarist. For almost four decades a producer of classic albums, gripping performances and songs covered by dozens of artists, his energy and abilities show no sign of diminishing with the passage of time...."
Also at the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Liege & Lief was voted 'Most Influential Folk Album of All Time'. Launched in December 1969 on the Island Records label, Liege & Lief spent 17 weeks in the LP charts during 1970. It was hailed as a masterpiece at the time and has continued to win plaudits ever since. After the ceremony, Richard performed solo, and also with the surviving members of the Liege and Lief line-up of Fairport Convention. In addition to this award, the line-up also received a Gold Disc at Cropredy 2006 from Universal Music Catalogue for Island Records, almost 37 years after the seminal album was released.
The year 2006 also brought a 1,000 Years of Popular Music DVD, and work is well underway on the three volume, long awaited Richard Thompson Songbook.
When asked about the flurry of recent product, Thompson quipped, "I'm sure we can work out some easy payment plan for the fans."
In late 2006, Richard returned to the studio and plugged in for a new electric studio album entitled Sweet Warrior. His first work of all-new material since 2005 Front Parlour Ballads, and his first electric disc since 2003 The Old Kit Bag, fans enjoyed May/June 2007 releases in US, UK, Australia, Japan, and elsewhere.
2007
Besides a two leg solo tour, Richard found time to assist friends and family in the studio. His 2007 studio work included sessions with Rufus Wainwright, Judith Owen, Richard Shindell, Loudon Wainwright III, and daughter, Kamila Thompson.
Richard also wrote and performed the score for the Harlan Ellison documentary entitled Dreams with Sharp Teeth , produced and directed by Erik Nelson.
In June, The Richard Thompson Band returned to the road in support of Sweet Warrior.
August found Richard celebrating Fairport Convention's 40th Anniversary at Cropredy. The highlight of the festival was when the original line-up of the seminal Fairport Convention album Liege & Lief (with the obvious exception of Sandy Denny) re-unite to perform the work in its entirety.
The 1969 line-up, which included Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Simon Nicol, Dave Swarbrick and Richard Thompson, were joined on stage by Chris While for a 50-minute set.
2008
The year started off with a US tour of an updated '1000 Years of Popular Music' show, again with Judith Owen and Debra Dobkin.
'Dreams With Sharp Teeth', the Harlan Ellison documentary, debuted in April at the South By Southwest Film Festival.
Richard scored and performed the soundtrack for 'The Grizzly Man Diaries', the prequel to Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man film. The eight part 'Diaries' series aired in the U.S. on the Animal Planet network, starting in August.
When asked what he seeks to accomplish musically, but thus far has not, Richard replies, "Probably a longer form. Songs are one discipline, you have to get things expressed in a few verses, and I enjoy that challenge. I've started a few longer pieces, musical plays, or song cycles, but I've never got it quite right. That's what I'd like to achieve at some point."
To that end, Richard has been commissioned to write a piece for the International Society of Bassists, to be performed at their June 2009 gathering.
The 2008 live performance calendar was full of festival appearances, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Ottawa Blues Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Green Man Festival, Thirsty Ear Festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, and a UCLA celebration of McCabes' 50th Anniversary.
Richard's year-end sprint included a stop in Manitoba, Canada where the Winnipeg Folk Festival presented him with its 2008 Artistic Achievement Award. This is the first time in its five-year history that the award has gone to an artist from outside North America.
By popular demand, Richard then returned to Montalvo Center in Northern California for a three-night stint. The first two nights were in the ever-popular 'all request show' format, and the last night carried the theme 'Worksongs, Ballads and Rallying Cries'. The venue's website described the third show as containing 'Contemporary and historical songs about the working man and woman, social injustice, and political unrest.'
Immediately after, Richard flew to London and appeared onstage at the sold out 'Thompson Family Christmas', organized by son Teddy Thompson, at Queen Elizabeth Hall. Other participants included daughter Kami Thompson, grandson Zak Hobbs, Linda Thompson, Bert Jansch, Bob Davenport, and others. All proceeds from the show were donated to Amnesty International.
2009
2009 started off with a highly successful month-long UK tour of an updated '1000 Years of Popular Music' show, featuring Judith Owen and Debra Dobkin. The month of March found Richard back on the road, in solo acoustic format, playing to anxious crowds in the Southeast United States.
In early April, Live Warrior, chronicling RT's 2007 band tour , including new live versions of 14 songs was released. As with all Beeswing releases, the recording is available only at Richard Thompson concerts, and through Beesweb Merchandise.
In June, Richard Thompson performed a song cycle featuring the double bass in honor of long time colleague and friend, Danny Thompson; featured artist at the International Society of Bassists 2009 convention. Richard and Danny were joined on stage by Harry Shearer, Judith Owen, Pete Zorn, Debra Dobkin and a string ensemble conducted by Peter Askim to debut Cabaret of Souls, a musical chronicle of a talent contest set in Hell.
On August 4, Shout! Factory paid tribute to Richard with a 4-CD box set, Walking On A Wire: Richard Thompson (1968-2009), including songs from every phase of his 40-year illustrious career.
Thompson toured UK in summer, including Fairport's Cropredy Convention, and various other festivals.
September found Richard performing at New York City's legendary Apollo Theatre as part of Sundance Channel's Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... including Levon Helm, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson and Allen Toussaint (episode aired December 2009).
October-November saw Richard on tour in the US with long time friend and cohort Loudon Wainwright III, calling themselves Loud & Rich. While they'd performed and recorded together intermittently over the years, this was their first full scale North American tour together, on the same bill, onstage together and separately.
After turning 60 in April, he admits that "While you may say age is just a number, it does give you pause. In my sense of time, it's running out. I have several musical projects I want to get through in the next few years. This year, I worked with a chamber orchestra on Danny's 'Cabaret of Souls,' and I have two more projects like that. As for touring, I'm still working fairly hard on that and I'd like to work a little less. I'm doing a hundred shows a year at the moment and I'd like to get it down to around 70."
2010
Early February found Thompson on the road again, this time with a full band, recording a live album of all new songs. Michael Jerome, Taras Prodaniuk, Pete Zorn and Joel Zifkin joined RT for nine shows up and down the West Coast. In October, US fans enjoyed a longer Band Tour in support of the band album's release, Dream Attic (Shout! Factory US, Proper Records, UK, August release).
At month's end, Richard Thompson was appointed Artistic Director of SouthBank Centre's 2010 Meltdown Festival, which took place in the concert halls and spaces of London's most celebrated riverside arts centre, including Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall, June 11-21. This prestigous position was previously held by rock and pop artists including David Bowie (2002), Morrissey (2004), Patti Smith (2005), Jarvis Cocker (2007), Massive Attack (2008), and avant-garde legend Ornette Coleman (2009).
The festival schedule included RT appearances in an array of incarnations; Cabaret of Souls, 1000 Years of Popular Music, Loud & Rich, Six Strings, Six Guitars , plus various guest spots. Additional eclectic acts chosen by RT included Beausoleil; Broken Bells; Eliza Carthy; Martin Carthy; Clare and The Reasons; Codeine Velvet Club; Elvis Costello; Boris Grebenshikov; Lisa Hannigan; Neil Hannon; Emmylou Harris; John Etheridge; Fishermen's Friends; Fun-DA-mental; Joe Henry; Kominas; Bettye LaVette; Anna McGarrigle; Field Music; Paolo Nutini; Ollabelle; Beth Orton; Judith Owen; Raihan; Tom Robinson; Harry Shearer; Martin Simpson; Emily Smith; Seasick Steve; Al Thawra; Danny Thompson; Kami Thompson; Teddy Thompson; Martha Wainwright; Loudon Wainwright III; Rufus Wainwright; Krystle Warren; Villagers, and others.
The long-awaited three volume Richard Thompson Songbook was published in late Spring. The mammoth series was transcribed by Maartin Allcock over a three year period, and edited by Thompson. Volume One covers 1968 through 1981, from when Richard left school and played with Fairport Convention, through his partnership with Linda Thompson. Volume Two covers 1982 through 1996, including recordings on Hannibal, Polygram, Capitol Records, and many side projects. Volume Three covers 1997 through 2008, including recordings on Capitol Records, releases on independent labels, and additional side projects.
On the eve of the UK premiere of Cabaret of Souls on opening night of the Meltdown Festival, Richard Thompson was named this year's recipient of the 2010 MOJO Honours List Les Paul Award, a guitar merit prize "conferred by the editors of MOJO Magazine on the legends of music."
Phil Alexander (MOJO's Editor-In-Chief): "Richard Thompson helped birth the British folk rock explosion of the '60s with Fairport Convention but since then he has gone on to make records that are full of craft and wit. He is one of those great, understated guitar players that other musicians look up to. That's why everyone from David Gilmour to R.E.M via Elvis Costello have covered his songs. A worthy recipient of this award and a man who sits alongside previous honourees like Jeff Beck, Brian May and John Martyn."
After the close of the Meltdown Festival, Thompson appeared at numerous summer festivals as a solo act. Following the successful Autumn US Band Tour in support of Dream Attic, RT premiered Cabaret of Souls on the US West coast, with back-to-back shows in Idyllwild and Los Angeles, CA. He then joined his friend and colleague, early music iconoclast, Phillip Pickett for the first time since 1998's The Bones of All Men in a handful of performances in UK and Europe, with Musicians of the Globe.
Near the end of a banner year, Dream Attic was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Richard Thompson was also named to the 2011 New Year Honours List as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service in Music. The honour was bestowed during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on June 28th, 2011. The OBE was instituted by King George V in 1917, as recognition of those who have made significant non-military contributions to the British Empire.
2011
In January, fans were treated to a UK/EU Band Tour in support of Dream Attic.
After a 7 day SOLD OUT Camayo Cruise in February, Richard received an Honorary Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa (DHC) from the University at Aberdeen (July 2011) for his exceptional and distinctive contribution to contemporary music .
What keeps him going?
"It's just a drive...you're driven to do it. If you're not driven, maybe you shouldn't bother. If you haven't written a song for a couple of weeks, you get itchy...you start twitching. You have to get it out there, whatever it is. I've been twitching for 40 years, which is great. It's wonderful to still be enthusiastic about what is basically one's employment, and to have been that way all the way through. I still guiltily look over my shoulder sometimes, thinking, 'This is too much fun.' "
"It's kind of like you're canoeing down a river and you want to see what is around the next bend. The future, the stuff you haven't created yet, is very exciting," Thompson said in a recent interview. "I think you have to be driven to sustain a musical career; there has to be something -- I don't know what it is and I'm not particularly interested in finding out -- it might be something horrible, maybe some demons in your closet or some social unbalance that drives you forward."
For four decades, Richard Thompson has consistently set songwriting and performance standards to which others aspire. He has long been acknowledged as both a sensitive writer and an innovative guitarist.
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The Nature Connected Child and Partnership Parenting
Event on 2012-08-31 18:30:00
The Nature Connected Child and Partnership Parenting
with Jean-Claude Catry and Ingrid Bauer
Friday August 31 to Sunday September 2, 2012
a weekend for your whole family!
*****
The Nature Connected Child
What Nature Connection is, why it matters, and why every child needs it.
Friday evening August 31 and Sunday September 1
Would you love to see your child being truly helpful, acting out of the joy of giving, grounded in a solid and confident place of calm knowing, and engaged with fully activated passion to express their gifts?
Nature teaches all of this and more, under the tender care of mentoring guidance.
In the special Friday evening presentation, August 31, 6:30-8:30pm, discover what Nature Connected education and parenting really means. Learn why and how it is necessary for every child and relevant to a modern society. Hear and see examples of how it supports children, families and the whole community, and how children mentored in this way develop a level of awareness and attributes of connection to make them the leaders of tomorrow.
Wilderness Our Learning Foundation (WOLF: www.wolfkids.org) co-founders Jean-Claude Catry (also a mentor in the program) and Ingrid Bauer will enrich their Friday evening talk with a slide show and presentation of the model used by an alternative nature immersion school in BC that will inspire you to reproduce it in your community and support the full maturation process of your children where deep connection to Nature, self, and community serve as a foundation. This evening will be of special interest to parents, homeschoolers, educators and anyone who works with children. The concepts presented are based in part on the work of Jon Young, founder of the Wilderness Awareness School and the 8 Shields Institute.
On Sunday September 2, 10am-3pm, we welcome whole families (and single adults) to join us for a day of joyful and playful activities with deep learning and connection to community that will allow adults and children together to experience Nature Connected Education firsthand, and the power of transformation it can have on the relationship to nature, self and others.
*****
Partnership Parenting: Connection, Compassion, Cooperation!
A Workshop on Nonviolent Communication (NVC) in Action
With Author and Certified CNVC Trainer Ingrid Bauer
Saturday September 1, 2012
How do I get my children to spend less time on the computer?
Brush their teeth? Eat healthy food? Help around the house?
Do their homework? Stop fighting with their sister?
These common questions touch on those times when something a child is doing bumps up against our own values and authentic limits, something that’s really important to us in our role as parents. We find ourselves torn between wanting to support our child’s choice, and wanting to clarify boundaries, without resorting to punishment or force. Are you curious about another option besides permissiveness or top-down parenting?
This one-day workshop for parents, and anyone that works or lives with children, focuses on the importance of a deep parent-child connection, within the context of developmental and brain science, and Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
You’ll discover how to:
- Look deeply past a child's difficult behaviors to discover and meet the real underlying needs
- Respond compassionately and effectively to parenting challenges, in ways that are most likely to be heard
- Avoid patterns that create resentment, lowered self-esteem, resistance or more conflict
- Transform conflict into connection and cooperation
- Enrich your understanding of boundaries and limits
- Embody your long-term parenting values in your short-term interactions
- Honor your own needs
- Keep your bond with your child strong from the toddler years to teens
- Really enjoy parenting!
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Please choose individual rates or a special weekend family rate...whichever gives you the best deal.
The term "family" includes parent(s) and their child(ren) and does not include extended family.
If you would like to avoid online registration fees, please register by cheque payable to Wendy McDonnell. Send to 301 Grange Road, Guelph, ON, N1E7B5 519.767.1996 providing your name, address, phone number(s), email and who will be coming to the event(s).
DETAILS SUMMARY:
When:
Friday, August 31st, 2012, 6:30 to 8:30 pm (Nature Connection Presentation)
Saturday, September 1, 2012, 9:30 am to 4:00 pm (Partnership Parenting)
Sunday, September 2, 2012, 10 am to 3 pm (Nature Connection for the whole family)
Where:
Unitarian Congregation of Guelph (Friday and Saturday)
122 Harris Street, Guelph, ON N1E 5T2
and on a farm in Rockwood, Ontario (Sunday)
How much:
Friday evening: per person
Saturday: per person
Sunday: per person
Family Weekend Rate: 0
Reserve your spot by registering online or by mailing your cheque to Wendy McDonnell, 301 Grange Road, Guelph, ON, N1E7B5.
Email :: wendy@compassionatesolutions.ca.
Register online :: www.CompassionateSolutions.ca
About Jean-Claude Catry
Before moving to Canada from France in 1990, Jean-Claude Catry spent over a decade as a mountain wilderness guide, leading groups of youth and adults by horse, ski, and foot through the French Pyrenees, to support them in connecting to their inner Wild Nature. He has been teaching wilderness skills ever since, and has spent extended time alone in nature, relying on his skills, to build a profound personal connection with the wild.
Jean-Claude has been an instructor at numerous wilderness and primitive skills camps in BC, Oregon, California, and Idaho, and is the founder of Wisdom of the Earth, offering regular and ongoing nature connection programs for children, teens and adults since 2007. He is inspired by the survival skills of ancient scouts of many cultures who were intimately connected to the interdependence of all beings. Jean-Claude lives and teaches through the Art of Mentoring and "coyote teaching," developed by naturalist and tracker Jon Young, with whom he continues to study. Experiential practice and connection to the natural cycles of learning is integral to this approach, and evoke passions, hunger to discover, and true understanding.
Jean-Claude presently works as a full-time mentor in an alternative nature immersion program for children and teens. He is committed to and excited about designing rites of passage, to create a culture based on equal partnership for all beings, in the circle of interdependence. “JC” has also studied Nonviolent Communication since 2000, and has served on the children’s team of numerous NVC family camps. Jean-Claude has a reputation for gentle, crazy wisdom, and lives on an island on Canada’s west coast with Ingrid Bauer, his partner of over 20 years, and their three homelearning children.
About Ingrid Bauer
Ingrid Bauer has been teaching and writing about compassionate parenting for over two decades. She first began working with children with emotional and developmental special needs 35 years ago, and turned to working directly with parents after she herself became a mother in 1985. Ingrid is tri-lingual and although she has an Honours degree in Languages, Literature and Theatre, she considers life, relationships, travel, nature, and parenting to be her primary teachers.
An advocate of unhindered birth and breastfeeding, Ingrid authored a book on meeting infants’ needs in 1999 (Diaper Free!), as well as numerous published articles. When she discovered NVC in 2000, she was thrilled to find a practice that supported her in her desire to live compassion and grow world peace from the roots by addressing how we raise and interact with children, and how we practice peace in creating communities that nourish and care for each individual. For this reason and as a mother of four children aged 5, 11, 15 and 27 years, she is dedicated to sharing Compassionate Communication with parents and families, and much of her work addresses this arena.
Ingrid embraces living NVC as her spiritual practice, as well as her grassroots social change work. She is particularly interested in exploring NVC within the context of family, community, interdependence, and the whole web of life. Ingrid offers workshops, teleclasses, retreats, and family camps, with a special focus on parenting, as well as leadership training and work with social change activists. She has a strong interest in nature connection and how this impacts children, communities, and cultural repair, and sometimes collaborates with her husband, Jean-Claude Catry to offer training or camps related to this.
Ingrid has been leading or co-leading the international Parent Peer Leadership Program since 2007 (nvc-pplp.com). Ingrid works with individuals, educators and schools, community organisations, peace groups, parenting and homeschooling groups, First Nations (Aboriginal) communities, and more (www.nvcparenting.com). She also offers private mentoring, consulting, and parent coaching. Ingrid lives with her family on Salt Spring Island on Canada’s west coast.
at Unitarion Congregation of Guelph (Friday and Saturday) and on a farm in Rockwood, Ontario (Sunday) (maps to be provided upon request)
122 Harris St
Guelph, Canada
