ACL- Richard Thompson Preview
When Richard Thompson performs at this years Austin Limits Music Festival, his many years of residing in mostly relative obscurity are long behind and deservingly so. Audiences around the world have taken notice to what many music critics have long been extolling of his virtues for his combination of magnificent guitar work, dark wit, and extraordinarily songwriting.
He was named by Rolling Stone Magazine (2003) as one of the Top 20 Guitarists of all-time, received a BBC Lifetime Achievement Award (2006), and mostly recently a Mojo Honours Les Paul Award (2010). “Richard Thompson has been called the finest rock songwriter after Bob Dylan and the best electric guitar player since Jimi Hendrix.” – Scott Timberg, L.A. Times.
A founding member of the seminal Fairport Convention in the late 1960′s during Thompson’s teenage years, he left the band in 1971 to form a duo with his then wife, Linda Thompson. He spent the next 20 years performing as a solo artist as well. During his career he has released over 40 albums of lyrical wit combined his tremendous guitar virtuosity. Just this past August, Richard Thompson closed the main stage of the 49th Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival as a solo artist and was also joined on stage for a few songs by his former Fairport Convention band mate, Iian Matthews.Richard Thompson is the closing act on the Clear 4G stage at Austin City Limits Music Festival on Sunday, October 10. Other artists on the same stage prior to Thompson include some TriStateIndie favorites like, Martin Sexton and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.The Richard Thompson Band is touring behind his latest live recording, Dream Attic, and the tour includes many Tri State regional dates this Fall at the following locations: Grand Opera House, Wilmington, Delaware (October 21), Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, New Jersey (October 22), Scottish Rite Theatre, Collingswood, New Jersey (October 26) and in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania at the Bryham Theatre (November 1). http://www.richardthompson-music.comIf in Austin, TX at ACL next weekend or if you’ll be closer to some of the tri state area dates, do not miss Richard Thompson, unquestionably one of the greatest artists touring today. - Bob Rose-Picture Courtesy of Richard Thompson’s Facebook Page, Photo by: Pamala Littky
