Like fine port or habanero peppers, Richard Thompson isn't for everyone. The guitar boy genius of seminal British folk group Fairport Convention grew up to slay dragons with wife and vocalist Linda Thompson, and was then in turn slayed by them in a brilliantly dark solo career someone nicknamed "Tales of Gloom and Doom." The nickname stuck.
A guitar player's guitar player, deeply appreciated by a rabid few, Thompson has never enjoyed the notoriety of many less talented musicians. These clips are from a BBC documentary covering his career -- the first clip is near the beginning, covering the early days, and the second clip is playing with Fairport, and the last clip skips to the end of the doc, and covers the solo days, after the divorce, since the Londoner moved to sunny Southern California. Don't worry. Palm trees and sunny vistas didn't ruin his dark vision.
Young Richard, with Fairport Convention in 1970If you haven't heard him before, this will be a treat. Click to hear Richard and Linda sing "When I Get to the Border."
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