You know how some birthday parties can be a bit of a washout? Well, that’s not going to happen whilst Richard Thompson is on the case, his invitation lays out his expectation for a good time: “Please join me” he has said “as I celebrate my 70th birthday with an evening of music! The venue is the Royal Albert Hall, London, the date is 30th September, there will be many guests covering 50 years plus of music and a memorable evening guaranteed.”
Richard Thompson has had a musical career of over fifty years that has taken in six decades, from the early days with Fairport Convention, and then a ten-year musical partnership with his then-wife Linda, and over thirty years as a highly successful solo artist. Still often thought of as a folkie he has more than made his mark in the world of singer-songwriters and rock. In 2017 Richard Thompson won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association. It’s been a long and varied story – and this celebration will no doubt touch on many parts of it, from the earliest up to last year’s acclaimed album ‘13 Rivers‘. The guests haven’t been announced yet, but we have a sneaking suspicion that there’ll be various members of the extended Thompson musical family. Should be quite a night, and tickets became available at 9am this morning.
