Linda Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Linda Thompson (first from left) performing withFairport Convention in 1982 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Linda Peters |
| Born | Linda Pettifer (1947-08-23)23 August 1947 (age 78) Hackney, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
Spouses | |
| Family | Teddy Thompson (son) Kamila Thompson (daughter) Zak Hobbs (grandson) |
| Website | lindathompsonmusic |
Linda Thompson (néePettifer, laterPeters; born 23 August 1947) is an English singer-songwriter.[2]
Thompson is one of the most recognised names and voices in theBritish folk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s, in collaboration with fellow British folk rock musician, guitaristRichard Thompson, to whom she was married for ten years, and later as a solo artist.
Born inHackney, London,[3] she moved with her family to her mother's home city ofGlasgow, Scotland, at the age of six.[4] ActorBrian Pettifer (born 1953) is her brother. Around 1966 she started singing in folk clubs, and in 1967 began studying modern languages at theUniversity of London, but dropped out after four months. She changed her name to Linda Peters. By day she sang advertising jingles, including one withManfred Mann. She recorded the Bob Dylan song "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", released as anMGM single in 1968 by Paul McNeill and Linda Peters, McNeill being another friend ofSandy Denny andAlex Campbell. They released a second single as Paul and Linda in 1969 onPage One, featuring theJohn D. Loudermilk song "You're Taking My Bag". She metRichard Thompson in 1969, but they did not record together until 1972.[5][6]
Her reputation led to her being invited to jointhe Bunch, a loose supergroup of folk rock artists including former Fairport Convention members Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, andAshley Hutchings which recorded an album calledRock On. This was a set of 1950s rock and roll classics. A single was released from the album:The Everly Brothers' hit "When Will I Be Loved", which was a duet by Linda and Sandy. A second single was released soon afterwards "The Loco-Motion", sung by Linda alone. Two versions exist, one with "Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller" as the B-side and in a picture sleeve, another with "Don't Be Cruel" on the flip. Later in 1972 Linda and Richard were backing singers on Sandy Denny's solo albumSandy.
Linda teamed up withSimon Nicol and Richard (after he had leftFairport Convention). Calling themselves "Hokey Pokey", they toured as a trio. Linda and Richard married in 1972. Linda sang on Fairport's albumRosie (1973), credited as Linda Peters.
The next album,I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974) was credited to "Richard and Linda Thompson". Two albums followed in 1975:Hokey Pokey andPour Down Like Silver. Richard had started to take an interest inSufism, a mystical form ofIslam, in 1973. After the tour, the couple went to a Sufi commune inEast Anglia for six months, then to another inMaida Vale. Richard announced that he would never play again, but returned after three years. Linda found herself in a community where all the food was prepared by the women. In her words, the members were "white middle-class people trying to punish themselves, and everybody else. It taught me a lot. To stay away from sects, mostly."[7]
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Their come-back album was calledFirst Light (1978).[8] Richard's writing has a strong thread of disdain for fame, wealth and worldly values and attacks political hypocrisy, often in wildly abstract metaphors.Sunnyvista followed in 1979, andShoot Out the Lights in 1982.[9][10]
Shoot Out The Lights was surprisingly successful in America, and the Thompsons, despite the fractured state of their relationship, were offered a long and lucrative tour of the U.S. Simon Nicol described the final tour, in the summer of 1982, as being "like walking on a tightrope", and that as a result the first thing he did on stage was "look for the exit".[11] The couple had separated by the time that the American tour started,[12] and were barely speaking to each other.
The penultimate date of the tour was in Los Angeles. Linda then went to stay with her friendLinda Ronstadt. The tapes were finally released in October 2010 in theShoot Out The Lightsbox set, although a version of "Walking on a Wire" from earlier in the tour is on the Free ReedRT boxed set. When Richard left Linda, she had just given birth to their third child,Kamila.
Linda lost her voice for the next two years as a result ofspasmodic dysphonia. She made a new start in 1984, singing with "Home Service" at the National Theatre's production ofThe Mysteries and in 1985 she released her solo albumOne Clear Moment, then fell silent for eleven years. One song from the album, called "Telling Me Lies", written withBetsy Cook, was recorded byEmmylou Harris,Dolly Parton, andLinda Ronstadt for theirTrio album in 1987. The recording was nominated for aGrammy in the Best Country Song category. Linda retired from music to run an antique jewellery shop inBond Street, central London. She married Steve Kenis, an American recording artists agent atWilliam Morris.[13]
A compilation of Linda's earlier work,Dreams Fly Away (1996), included both previously released songs and alternate versions of some of her better-known songs. It was received politely but did not sell well. In 1999, Linda's mother died. This provoked an outpouring of sorrow and regenerated her determination to sing. Linda was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, preventing her from singing.[14] A temporary cure was found. By havingbotox injected into her throat, she could regain her normal singing voice for a few months.Give Me a Sad Song (2001) was positively reviewed. In 2002, she released a new CD,Fashionably Late, which featured several family members, including her sonTeddy Thompson and daughterKamila Thompson, as well as an appearance on one song by Richard Thompson.[15]
Linda appeared along with her son Teddy, her friendsThe McGarrigles, andKate McGarrigle's childrenMartha Wainwright andRufus Wainwright (amongst others) inHal Wilner's "Came So Far For Beauty" tribute concerts to the music ofLeonard Cohen from 2003 to 2006. Linda sang the Cohen songs "A Thousand Kisses Deep" and "Alexandra Leaving".[16] She appeared again with Teddy Thompson with The McGarrigles and Wainwrights for some of their family concerts, including the McGarrigle Christmas shows.[17] In 2007, Linda released yet another set of original songs and covers,Versatile Heart. LikeFashionably Late, this too was primarily a collaboration with son Teddy Thompson, and the CD also features a supporting cast of family and friends. The CD was well received in the press. The CD opens and closes with two arrangements of a Teddy Thompson instrumental piece, "Stay Bright", the first an acoustic version, and the second a version for string quartet arranged byNick Drake collaboratorRobert Kirby.[18] She contributed vocals to thePrimal Scream albumBeautiful Future (2008), on the track "Over & Over".[19]
Linda and Richard Thompson performed a duet at 12 June 2010Meltdown Festival tribute concert toKate McGarrigle, which Richard coordinated.[20][21][22]
Linda's fourth solo album,Won't Be Long Now, was released on 15 October 2013.[23] The album features compositions and backing vocals from Teddy Thompson and his sisters as well as guitar work by Richard Thompson.[23]
Linda appears on the albumFamily (2014) by the band Thompson (named for all the Thompsons that appear) having written two songs for the project. The album was produced by her son Teddy Thompson and features Richard Thompson andThe Rails, who are Linda's daughter Kamila 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.[24][25]
In July 2024, music fromProxy Music, an album of Thompson's music, was performed at London'sCadogan Hall,[26] withNeil McCormick ofThe Daily Telegraph describing it as "more of an impromptu family shindig than a slickly presented show."[27][28]
In the early 1970s, she began a relationship with Richard Thompson and sang on his albumHenry the Human Fly. In October 1972 the couple were married at Hampstead Town Hall.[29] As "Richard & Linda Thompson", the couple released six studio albums between 1974 and 1982.[30] Their children includeTeddy Thompson andKamila Thompson. Richard and Linda Thompson separated in 1982.
In 2024, Richard Thompson's touring band for the albumShip to Shore included the Thompsons' grandsonZak Hobbs.[31]
Richard and Linda Thompson
Richard and Linda Thompson (live)
Solo albums
Other projects
In 2009,No Telling fromFashionably Late was included inTopic Records' 70-year anniversary boxed setThree Score and Ten as track fifteen on the fifth CD.
Solo compilations
Singles – Richard and Linda Thompson
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