Richard Thompson

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Arts & Culture

Richard Thompson

British musician

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 30, 2024 • Article History

Richard Thompson

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Category: Arts & Culture

Born:: April 3, 1949, London, England (age 75)

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Richard Thompson (born April 3, 1949, London, England) English guitarist, singer, and songwriter who earned critical acclaim with his masterful musicianship and darkly witty lyrics. Thompson’s career began in the late 1960s as a member of Fairport Convention, whose intermingling of traditional British folk songs, Bob Dylan obscurities, and haunting original compositions (many by Thompson) inaugurated British folk rock. Along with the impassioned vocals of Sandy Denny, Thompson’s intricate, stinging guitar playing gave Fairport Convention its rock edge. The fatalism of English folk ballads remained a hallmark of his songwriting. Thompson left Fairport Convention in 1971 for a solo career, ...(100 of 382 words)

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